Power Of An Empath

Power Of An Empath
Jarox's POV…

I watched Gary die. There was no distance between me and the execution. No wall. No locked door. No palace guard could keep me from seeing it. Feran had made sure the entire city could watch the Killer's execution, and the palace broadcast system carried it directly into my room. I stood before the screen, unable to move. Gary was on his knees. Then Feran raised the axe.

I didn’t look away. The blade came down. My legs almost gave out. I watched his body collapse. I watched the crowd celebrate. And something inside me shattered. Gary was gone. Morgan was gone. Trix was barely alive. Abigail had been taken.

And Gatrina… I didn't even know where she was.

I lowered myself onto my bed. I had failed all of them. I had been raised to believe I was destined for something greater. I was a prince. The future emperor. The one who would supposedly unite Krugs and humans. The one who would bring forth the bridge between two worlds. What a joke.

I couldn't even save the people closest to me. I lay back and closed my eyes. For a while, I tried to hold the tears back. I couldn't. They rolled down my face. I turned onto my side and covered my eyes.

"I failed."

The words barely escaped my lips. Then I felt something. A breeze. Inside my room. I slowly opened my eyes. The curtains were moving. But the windows were closed. I sat up. The air grew warmer. Then a light appeared before me. At first, it was only a small glow. Then it expanded. Brighter. Until my entire room was illuminated.

I stood. There was a figure inside the light. A human-shaped figure. But I couldn't see its face. It wasn't the Cherub. I knew that immediately. Something about the presence felt different. Greater. Older. 

I took a cautious step toward it. "Who are you?"

The figure didn't answer immediately. Then a voice filled the room. "Do not despair."

I knew that voice. Or perhaps I knew the feeling behind it. "Yahweh?"

The light moved closer. "It is not over."

I swallowed. "How can you say that?" My voice cracked. "I've lost everyone."

"You have lost those you could not save. But you can still save those who remain."

"How?" I shook my head. "How can I fix any of this? Feran has won. Gary is dead. Morgan is dead. Trix is dying. Abigail is being taken back to the Keepers. I don't even know where Gatrina is."

The figure stepped closer. "You have always asked when your power would come."

I frowned. "My power?"

"I promised to empower you, didn’t I?"

I looked at my hands. "My empathic ability?"

"Yes."

I almost laughed. "I can feel others’ emotions."

"You can do more than feel them. I bestowed that gift to you from conception because I knew that of all the royal Krugs, you were the only one worthy of it."

I shook my head. "I don't understand."

"You feel the emotions of others because you are connected to them." The figure raised its hand. "But connection is only the beginning."

The light around its palm intensified.

"You can influence what they feel."

My breathing slowed. "What?"

"You can change fear into courage. Anger into peace. Hatred into love. Resistance into obedience."

I stared. "You mean..."

"You can impose your will upon another."

My heart began pounding. "Make them do what I want?"

"Yes."

I stepped backward. "That's not empathy."

"It is your power. My gift to you." The figure came closer. "You were never meant to merely feel others’ suffering and understand their hearts, Jarox."

Its hand rose. "You were meant to command them."

I couldn't move. The figure placed its palm against my forehead. Everything disappeared. Pain surged through my body. I cried out. My mind exploded with sensations. Thousands of emotions. Thousands of thoughts. Every feeling I had ever sensed seemed to rush through me at once. Then something changed. I could distinguish them. Separate them. Understand them. Control them.

My eyes opened. The light consumed me. And the voice whispered one final thing. "Rise, Prince of Destiny. The remainder of your story awaits!”

.

.

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Abigail's POV…

I had learned that silence could be more powerful than screaming. So I sat quietly on my mattress with my eyes closed. I wasn't sleeping. I was thinking. Everything that had happened to me had taught me something.

The people who feared me. The people who wanted to use me. Everyone wanted something from me. But nobody understood what I wanted. I did. At least, I was beginning to.

The door opened. I opened my eyes. Two guards entered. "Get up."

I stood. "Where are we going?"

They didn't answer. One grabbed my arm. The other stood behind me. My cuffs were still active. I could feel them suppressing the energy inside me. They walked me through the palace corridors. Eventually, we reached the passage leading toward the flight deck. Then we encountered Feran. He looked at me.

"Comfortable?"

I said nothing. He smiled. "You'll be flying back to the Keeper's mountain. The hoverjet is the fastest and safest way to transport you."

He walked closer. "Any more threats?"

I looked at him. But I didn't speak. Feran chuckled. "Good."

He turned toward the guards. "Take her."

They continued moving. We entered the hangar. The hoverjet waited ahead. I could already imagine what they planned to do with me. They wanted my organs. My cells. My power. They wanted to turn me into a blueprint for an army. But I wasn't afraid. Not anymore. We were almost at the aircraft when the guards suddenly stopped. I stopped too. I looked at them. Neither moved. Neither blinked.

"What are you doing? What’s going on?"

They simply stared ahead. Then, slowly, they turned toward me. Their expressions were empty. One spoke. “I’m so sorry, little Abigail."

The other continued. "But this must be done."

The first guard nodded. "For the good..."

The second finished. "...of everyone."

I stared at them. Something was wrong. They weren't speaking like themselves. It was almost like they were being— controlled. They turned away from the hoverjet. Then they started walking. I remained between them. But they weren't taking me onto the aircraft anymore. They were taking me deeper into the palace.

I looked down the dark corridor ahead. And for the first time that night, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time. Uncertainty. Because someone had just taken control of my guards. And I had no idea who.