Welcome to Gaia! ::

August called it “Negaspace.”

But here, in a strange uniform, with powers Jonah didn’t completely understand yet, August was known as Bloodstone.

It seemed like a fitting name for a man so familiar with blood.

Jonah kept close, almost stepping on the heels of Bloodstone’s boots a couple of times, wary and nervous but trying to hide it. He wanted to be useful. He wanted to help. Bloodstone seemed to think that he would excel at gathering information, and Jonah didn’t want to give him any reason to rethink his decision.

But this place was frightening. Even though Bloodstone told him ahead of time what to expect, Jonah could not stop his eyes from widening as he glanced around.

To think a place like this existed, and most people were entirely unaware of it.

“You really think this General King will think I’m worthy?” he asked.

Axinite’s room was darker than usual; the lights had been deliberately dimmed and the expanding shadows might have been eerie and unsettling to anyone who didn’t know how warm the General King’s office usually was. There were cookies on the desk, but unlike the pleasant, faint aroma of tea, it now smelled heavily of coffee, and keen eyes might notice the empty cans of energy drinks in the wastebasket by his desk.

He looked up when Bloodstone entered, though it was not with his usual enthusiasm. He’d been poring over something at his desk, and his elbow was propped onto the hard surface. His face had been cradled in the palm of his hand, but he moved his arm down even as he sat up, as if he could slide the ice pack into a drawer without being noticed.

“Captain Bloodstone,” he greeted, with tired enthusiasm. “I’m always grateful for your straightforward introductions. You’ve been busy, lately. Does nothing get you down?”

He pushed himself up into a standing position but didn’t move from behind his desk yet. His smile extended to Bloodstone’s guest--Jonah, apparently, and he looked approving enough, even if he wasn’t willing to suffer through an appreciative nod. “Welcome, Jonah. We can use all the assistance we can get. If you are vouching for him, Bloodstone, I would be more than happy to offer my services. Do you want to do this the same as last time?”

“No,” was Bloodstone’s simple but efficient response to Axinite’s question. Not where the Negaverse was concerned. Sure he had a bandage still wrapped around his head from his wounds from the day before, and he was tired, but if he didn’t get this done, he might end up regretting it. Jonah had potential that he didn’t want to waste. The sooner he was an agent the better.

“Yes, sir,” he said, adding just a smidge more politeness now that Axinite was offering his assistance. Assistance that Bloodstone unfortunately needed. Maybe once he became a General himself, he would be able to skip this step. But he didn’t want to turn Jonah into a youma by mistake.

Just as he had with Celeste, now Carnallite, he turned to Jonah so Axinite could place a hand on his shoulder and provide him with the necessary energy to push into Jonah’s starseed.

“Jonah, I’m going to put my hand into your chest. I need to give your starseed more energy. With the General King’s assistance, of course,” he added with a polite nod to Axinite for his help. “It’s going to hurt, but it won’t last long, and then you’ll be better than you are now. When you’re ready…”

He waited until Jonah stepped forward, waited until it was obvious that he was ready for something he still didn’t know much about. He knew Jonah had something special, it was just a matter of drawing it out.

Jonah stepped forward before the fear and the uncertainty could take hold.

The less he thought about it, the easier this would be.

Bloodstone’s hand touched his chest, then slipped inside. That was strange in and of itself, but Jonah didn’t dwell on it, closed his eyes so he wouldn’t see — wondered if that made him seem weak, if he should tip his chin up pridefully instead, stare Bloodstone in the eye while the Captain and the General King fed power into him.

Seconds passed at most before Jonah realized “It’s going to hurt” was a bit of an understatement.

He gasped and grit his teeth to stop himself from crying out, then cried out anyway, because he was not the stoic sort of man who could experience pain without much of a reaction. Jonah squeezed his eyes shut tighter, because if he didn’t he would cry, and that was the last thing he wanted to do in front of someone who thought him worthy, who vouched for him in the presence of such a great man as a General King.

Power surged through him, filling him from scalp to toe tip, tingling through his extremities, throbbing through his chest.



When it was over, Jonah’s eyes were wet, but the tears did not fall. He gasped for breath and collapsed forward, nearly colliding with Bloodstone’s chest.

Axinite most certainly did not think poorly of Roselite for his response, and as Bloodstone caught him, Axinite had already drawn a chair closer for him. “Please, have a seat. Don’t strain yourself. You can use the couch if you need to lay down. I’ve got snacks. Sugar, and fruits, and energy drinks and electrolytes.”

He moved quickly, drawing out a cold sports drink, a peeled orange, and a small plate of cookies, returning to offer them.

“You did a good job, both of you. I’m sorry, I know that was hard. I’m proud of you both.”