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Atlas Recreation Center, Amelia, Araius Colony: Omega XI, Infinite Sacrifice, 02/15/2018, 1500
I smile as I scamper through the halls of the local recreational center. My mission: find children of my age group. Search through the children, find one to befriend, and examine how they interact with one another. In my short time on Infinite Sacrifice, I haven’t found any kids local to my neighborhood of Cortex Plaza to associate with. Most of the people in our neighborhood are teens, young adults, and grownups: all outside my age range. Sure, I can play online against thousands of people across Aquaius Centauri, but I want to see one of these Children of The Key with my own eyes. My Grandmother told me about them, and even said that some may reside here. So, here am I perusing the halls of Atlas Recreation Center in search of a new friend.
I halt my stride when I hear the low giggles and chatter of children a few feet from my current position. My ears flicker and I follow the giggles to a brown door ten or so paces further down the hall. I scan the door for any identification as to who’s behind it. When I find none, I swallow hard and knock twice. I step back when the door opens and another humanoid, maybe Norteran or Zentalis in origin, I’m not certain, stands in the doorway. He flashes his emerald green eyes and smiles down at me.
I take this moment of silence to get a full scan of the man. Save for his emerald eyes, I see no other similarities between us. My eyes glaze over in amazement at his silver fur covered face and pointed ears. As a red light surges through my eyes, my mental scan begins, “Unknown half human-animal hybrid creature. Possesses Zentalis biological energy signature similar to my own. Age: 34, Height: 6’. Determining threat level…50%…98%......no threat found. Determining occupation…..78%......98%.....Occupation: childcare provider. Scanning…… scanning……30% 60%.....90%.....100%.....Child life signs detected. Further scanning shows that there are at least ten other children with differing Mesoteric energy levels, but same Zentalis signature, that’s….”
My thoughts come to a halt as his voice sails toward my ears, “Hey, are you alright, little one? You didn’t answer my question.” He kneels down to my height and smiles wide, an attempt to reassure me, “You’re not lost are you? I can help you find your Mommy and Daddy if you are.”
I shake my head and focus on him, “No, I’m fine. I…um…my Obaasan is at the adult sector of this building. She drove me here so I could find some friends.” I bow my head and tears begin to well in my eyes as the memory of my lost friends on Delta Centauri enters the foreground of my mind. “I…I…I was hoping to find some new friends here.” My teary eyes focus their full attention on him and steal a second glance at his fur covered face, “My name is Caiden Alexandria.” I wipe my eyes of my tears and manage a smile as I hold my hand out to him, “it’s nice to meet you, mister. Um…you wouldn’t happen to be a fox would you?”
He nods as he shakes my hand and kneels down to me, “Caiden……wait, I know you… you’re the child whose brother and sister created this entire world.”
I blush at his statement, but affirm it nonetheless, “Yes, I am,” I shift in place, subtle crinkling and nervousness rising as his emerald eyes scan me.
“There’s no need to worry, Caiden. My name is Xavier, Xavier Ceasarhausen. I am the childcare coordinator for the Atlas Recreational Center and head child psychologist for the city of Amelia Children’s Hospital on the upper floor.” He pauses and gives me a quick once over, “I can tell you’re a little scared, but you know I’m no threat. Also, yes I am a fox.”
I avert my eyes from the floor to his gaze, “I’m sorry, Xavier, I blanked out for a moment. Um…you said you are the childcare coordinator and that there’s a children’s hospital on the upper floor? I knew this place was big, but really?”
“Yes, Caiden, and that place is more of a clinic than hospital. Now, would you like to meet the other kids? Don’t worry, you’ll find that they share similarities to yours.” He rubs my cat ears and pans around to see my tail fluttering behind me. When his focus returns to me, he smiles, “You have no worries, Caiden, because all children are welcome here.”
He takes my hand and straightaway I sense a definite perkiness about him. “Now, some of these kids might not look exactly like you, but they have some of your abilities. Most of the children may even look like the humans of Delta Centauri, but they are far from it. That is why they’re called…” he smiles as he opens the door and ten children huddled around two TVs and game consoles greet my eyes, “Children Of The Key.”
I regard his statement with an affirmative thumbs up before I break away and scamper over to the game system in our direct eyesight. As I get there, I take in the rest of the room. To my left, I find a huge double door which I assume to be either two closets or a bathroom. In front of the doors rests a long brown table with red cloth atop it. At the left end of the table I see a computer desk. While at the clothed table’s right end rests a huge toy chest the size of a bathtub. Soon, realization dons as to the actual size of this room! When I turn to the front of the room adjacent with the door, I find a huge blank wall and underneath it rests twenty or so pillows and air mattresses. I cease my examination and focus on the task at hand: meeting these kids.
I sigh as I approach the children. Nervousness envelops me, but I manage to banish it into the deep recesses of my mind. When I’m close enough, I observe them all and notice what they’re watching: a street race on my favorite game Total SpeedMachines X4! I smile and watch them close. When the race ends, a chuckle reaches my ears. I inch closer as one child rises to his feet.
“That kid’s unbeatable! You’re good though, I’ll give you that. You’re a real good racer.”
As I watch the children disperse, the victor of the race emerges. My eyes bulge at what I perceive: fox ears inching from his crown of light brown hair! “This kid has dark brown fox ears and a matching tail! Could he be one of these Children of the Key? Could he have come to Delta Centauri then here under the same circumstances as I did?” When he turns to me, my heart skips a beat as his emerald green eyes flash at me. “He has the same eyes…he’s got green eyes and animal appendages just like I do! His skin is a bit darker, but other than that we’re quite similar. Wow, I…I…I can’t believe this. Maybe my assumptions are right, maybe he is a Child of the Key!”
As my mind processes this, I walk over to him and sit down. “You’re pretty good at racing, huh? My name’s Caiden,” I extend my hand and smile, “what’s yours?”
Again shock surfaces when he extends a fox’s paw toward me! Yet, despite my surprise I manage to shake his paw and my smile never fades.
He smiles as our eyes meet and I feel as though my entire body is being scanned. When the feeling fades, his voice reaches my ears, “I’m Akira, and it’s nice to meet you, Caiden!”
I giggle and nod as I scan his human face, “It’s nice to meet you too! You wanna play a game with me?”
“Sure, do you have your car key on you?”
“Of course,” I rebuttal as I pull an orange key out my pocket labeled ‘Lamborghini Murcielago LP640’, “I never leave home without it. I never really knew what it was for, but I always copied my car to it every day anyway. So,” I avert my eyes to the console then to Akira seconds later, “how do I get my car to load in the game if I don’t have a profile?”
Akira points to three empty ports on top of the console. I slap my forehead when I see that they resemble car ignition switches. “That’s where you plug your car key in so the game will recognize your car and record stats to it without the need of your profile needing to be on the console. Cool right?” he inquires as he faces me, excitement embedded in his countenance.
I smile and nod as I insert my key into the ignition port. Seconds later my car appears beside Akira’s lime green Pagani Huayra (950 BHP). “Nice car, Akira. So, what kinda races are you good at with it?”
“Everything, Caiden: drag, drift, circuit, and point to point races. So, you wanna start the first SpeedMachine Event?”
“Of course!” My eyes widen as I examine his car, “I’ve never seen a Pagani Huayra before and I’m eager to see if I can beat it. I managed to win the International Speed Tournament on Delta Centauri all those months ago, so I might have a chance.”
Akira chuckles as our cars speed off, “So, you’re the International Street King, huh? That’s interesting, but how would that work if Delta Centauri isn’t habitable anymore?”
I shake my head as my car drifts around the corner and continues to speed alongside Akira’s car, “I guess it wouldn’t huh? Doesn’t matter though I’m having fun!”
Akira affirms my merriment with a thumbs-up, “Yes, I’m having fun too, Caiden.”
A smile and laugh of enjoyment leaves me as we continue racing and talking. By way of our racing and enduring conversation, I realize that Akira and I may have more in common than I first thought.


When the SpeedMachine Event ends an hour later, I smile at Akira, “Akira, you think we’d be good friends? I mean we obviously share the same liking toward street racing games and you share my eye color and the fact of your animal appendages. Speaking of those, um…what kind of abilities do you have? Do you possess the Auric Shielding trait that all Zentalis have, or whatever you call yourself, a Child of The Key was it? What does that mean anyway?”
Akira smirks at my inquisitiveness as we shut off the console and turn the TV to KidzChoice TV. Once a SpongeBob SquarePants commercial greets our eyes, he focuses his happiness toward me, “Well, Children of The Key is a phrase which is named for children who are given new lives. They are either rescued from old ones, or sent by The Most High from Heaven to get another chance at life. Those that guided us to these new lives were called Grand Receptors. I remember one person specifically who was my Grand Receptor. He was nice, kind-hearted, and he helped me find my new home.”
“So, my Oniichan was telling me the truth when he said he was given a divine mission to send children either living or dead to new homes. He said he scanned the hearts and minds of the entire population and…” I shake myself free of this and realize I’m not even facing Akira, but the floor. I turn to him, a blush penetrating my skin, “Sorry, Akira, I got sidetracked there for a minute.”
“It’s alright. So, you said something about abilities. Well, I am able to do this.” He stands and I scoot away to give him room, not knowing what will happen. A red light flashes across his eyes and he drapes his hands palms down, waist level to his sides. Two balls of lighting encompassed by darkness escape the bounds of his hands and my eyes bulge. Before I can examine the lightning balls even closer, two large feral foxes emerge from them.
Akira pets the foxes and faces me, “This is my ability, Caiden. I can summon feral foxes or Spirit Guardians to my aide. They can help me with almost anything.”
Trepidation ensnares my senses as the foxes walk toward me, their flame orange eyes diving deep within my soul. As their eyes scan me, heaviness struggles within me. A guttural growl escapes me and seconds later, my purple aura envelops me. I sigh as relief surges through me and ten tendrils burst from the aura. Akira’s eyes widen as he witnesses my auric shielding ability.
“Caiden, what’s your ability called?” he inquires as he walks toward me, his Spiritual Guardians following his movements. “It’s really cool!”
“Well before I tell you, what can your Spiritual Guardians do? What abilities do they possess, other than the flaming orange eyes?” I manage to inquire as my stomach contracts twice in rapid succession. I banish this subtle pain and keep a straight face. “Well, what do your foxes do, Akira?”
“They can shoot ice, lightning, and fire from their mouth! The only drawback is that they can’t use opposing elements at the same time. They can shoot lightning and fire simultaneously, but can’t shoot ice with any of those other elements simultaneously. That’s really cool isn’t it, Caiden?”
I nod and growl as the stomach pain returns straightaway. Seconds later, my aura fails and I find myself on my knees. I cradle my stomach as it convulses with greater pain than before. Akira rushes over to me straightaway and his foxes surround us.
“Caiden, what’s wrong? What’s happening, Caiden, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
Unable to make eye contact, I remain on my knees and hold my stomach. “I don’t know, Akira. I don’t…AAH! AAH! IT’S HURTS!” My eyes flash red-blue and a rainbow appears in my eyesight before it fades straightaway and tears well in my eyes. “IT HURTS! I CAN’T TAKE IT! IT…IT REALLY HURTS! GO…GO GET XAVIER! GO-GET-, XAVIER!”
Akira realizes my dilemma and runs toward the computer desk where Xavier is sitting. I manage to steal a glimpse at the two before the battle with heaviness begins anew. Before it overtakes me, a surge of warm energy encloses my body. I stand and my eyes find Xavier smiling down at Akira and I. Turning to my right, Akira is smiling back at me. He hugs me before a single word exits my lips.
“What happened you two?” Xavier inquires as he scans the both of us.
“We were showing off our Auric Shield Abilities, Mr. Xavier.” I break away from my embrace with Akira and face Xavier. “We wanted to show each other our abilities. I…I just didn’t think this would happen.”
“Well, next time, maybe you should show each other your abilities at different times. I think that using them at the same time may have caused a biochemical interference with Caiden which caused him the stomach pain. The biochemical interference that occurred inside Caiden is known as Mesoteric Imbalance. It’s very rare, and I didn’t expect something like this just by two Auric Shield abilities being used at the same time.”
I tilt my head in confusion of Xavier’s statement. “Can I go play now, Mr. Xavier?”
He faces me and nods, “Sure, Caiden go ahead. Let me know if you need anything, alright?”
I affirm his query with a rapid nod and a smile inches onto my face. I sprint toward the front of the classroom where the mats are. After I grab an air mattress and a pillow, I walk toward the middle of the room. With my makeshift bed setup, I lie down and stare at the ceiling. Surprise decorates my countenance when I find different ships of Aquaius Centauri floating through the ceiling as well as the half ice/half flame colored Delta Centauri.
“Wow, this place is awesome. Oniichan and Nikoletta-neechan spared no expense in creating everything on this world. Even the buildings have intricate details…” My thoughts break away as I drag my mat and pillow to the TV and begin to race against some other children. I avert my eyes from the enchantment of racing to Akira and Xavier minutes later when sniffling reaches my ears. I watch the two closely and notice straightaway that Akira is crying. What surprises me the most, however, is how Xavier is handing Akira’s emotional tornado.
Xavier hugs and rubs Akira’s back, then that escalates to a rocking chair appearing in front his desk. Soon, Akira is being rocked and consoled by Xavier. I smile at this site before I avert my eyes back to the ceiling. While I lie there, I wonder two things: 1. Will Akira and I turn out to be good friends and have a long lasting relationship? 2. Is there more to Xavier and Akira than my eyes are telling me?
I shake my head of my thoughts when the sound of a crash reaches my ears. I turn to the TV and find that my car and the kid’s I’m racing are tailgating. I refocus my attention on the race and chuckle. “Sorry, I got sidetracked.”
“I’ll say, Caiden, focus on the race! I don’t want our cars to be totaled because you’re not paying attention.”
I wag my tongue at him as my car crosses the finish line and starts the second lap, “It’s just a game, and it doesn’t matter if we win or lose. All that matters is that we have fun.”
“True, Caiden, you’re right.” He giggles as our cars slide around the next corner and speed toward the finish line. Alex smiles at me and after he congratulates me, he walks over to the other kids and becomes lost in other games. I sigh as I turn off the console and drag my mat back to the middle of the room. I smile as I lie down on my mat and observe the wonders of the ceiling.