Broken World: Law Breakers

POV - ARES MANGAL-GRAH

After what felt like an eternity, Ares detected the approach of footsteps, their rhythm breaking the silence of his isolation. One set was quick, the familiar pace of Faraday, filled with an almost childlike eagerness.

The second set, however, was slower, each step a labored drag, as if the walker carried with them the weight of time itself.

Then, cutting through the air, came a gasp from the new voice, a sound that seemed to carry both surprise and ancient knowledge, hinting at secrets yet to be unveiled.

Faraday's voice was laced with irritation as he asked, "What?"

The new voice remained silent, but Ares heard the approach, the footsteps slowing as they neared him. A hand touched his face, the skin feeling like aged parchment, dry and thin, the touch gentle yet imbued with the weight of years.

Then, the voice whispered, a breath of air against his skin, "Light bringer."

Faraday's exasperation was palpable, "Have you finally gone senile, old woman? Ahhh, I swallowed my pride and asked a senile hag for help, damn it all!"

The voice, carrying a command in its wispy tone, responded, "Calm down, Faraday."

Once Faraday quieted, she inquired, "He couldn't open his eyes, you said?"

If Faraday replied, Ares couldn't tell, but the woman continued undeterred.

"Why not close the blinds then?" 

Faraday's reply dripped with sarcasm, "Gee, why didn't I think of that? It's a temporary solution, you damn hag, a temporary solution. We needed him to travel with us. Were you going to tie his eyes the entire time we were traveling?"

"Fine, fine, I got it, no need to yell. So, were you finally ready to admit magic is superior to science?"

"Never!" Faraday's voice rose to a high-pitched scream, "Science is logical, factual. There's order to it. Magic is simply science yet to be understood, I told you."

The woman chuckled, "Sure."

Then Ares felt a cold hand on his closed eyelids.

There was a tingling sensation, followed by a burning that soon turned to a soothing coolness.

The hand withdrew, and he heard the old woman say, her voice a whisper of command and promise, "Open your eyes."

Ares opened his eyes slowly, bracing for the agony of light, but there was none. The light was dimmer, somehow manageable; whatever the woman did must have adjusted his eyes' sensitivity.

On Mars, such adjustments were the domain of technology, but he'd never heard of any technique that could achieve this with mere touch. Her method fascinated him.

He fully opened his eyes now, taking in the ceiling above before his gaze shifted. From the corner of his eye, he saw the woman. Her face was a map of time, skin wrinkled like the dried riverbeds of Mars, her cheeks sunken, and her lips thin, almost disappearing into the lines of her face.

But it was her eyes that captured his attention—completely white, devoid of any color, the irises lost to the cataracts of age. She was blind, yet she had healed his vision. Ares wondered, in his mind, why she didn't use her technique to restore her own sight. Perhaps her power was severely limited, or there was a cost to such magic that he couldn't yet fathom. 

As Ares was lost in thought, a face suddenly loomed into his sight, startlingly close, almost touching his own. The voice, casual yet eager, said, "Yo."

This must be Faraday, Ares deduced. His hair was a chaotic crown of tight, curly locks, unruly and vibrant, like a storm of dark clouds. His face bore the rough stubble of days without a razor, giving him an air of premature aging, though Ares estimated they were of a similar age.

But it was Faraday's eyes that truly captured Ares's attention—there was a spark there, a wild, bright light that reminded Ares of Athena's own gaze. It was the look of a mind racing, desperate to unravel the mysteries of existence, the universe spread out like a puzzle before him. Ares couldn't help but think that Faraday, like his sister, might be a genius, driven by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Faraday's grin stretched wide, his eyes gleaming with recognition, "Oi, you've got the same eyes as me. You must be a genius too, ahahaha!"

Ares was taken aback, thinking, Is he a mind reader? They were thinking the exact same thing.

Faraday's laughter rang out, "Ohh, I couldn't wait for you to open your mouth, ahahaha, so much to say, so much to ask!" 

He paused, then turned to the old woman with a demand, "Oi, hag, do that magic thingy to his jaws too."

The woman, her voice firm, said, "No." 

Faraday's jaw dropped, "Ahhh? Are you freaking kidding me?"

She sighed, almost to herself, "This kid, too much energy, so annoying."

"Listen," she said to Faraday, her tone instructional, "I worked on his eyes because it caused the least bit of problems for him. Anything more and it interfered with his recovery. Trust me, it was best to let him recover on his own." 

Faraday clicked his tongue, his voice laden with sarcasm, "Trust me, trust me, she says. I'd trust a snake before I trusted you!" He stormed off, his annoyance palpable in every step.

Faraday clicked his tongue, his tone dripping with mockery, "Trust me, trust me, she says. I'd sooner trust a fox than you," he said, storming off in annoyance. 

The woman watched him leave, her blind eyes seemingly following his path. When she was certain he was gone, she turned back to Ares, her voice lowering to a whisper, "Listen, child, I have something to tell you."

She leaned in closer, her voice a whisper that seemed to slither into Ares's ears, "This was probably the only time we were going to be able to speak in private. I'm sure you're wondering why I couldn't heal my own eyes but adjust yours. Magic is... magic is complicated." 

Ares thought, his mind racing, What was going on with these people? Could they actually read minds?

The woman went on, her words cryptic, "You'll understand when it was time. For now, just survive, no matter what."

The echo of his father's last words to him hit Ares like a physical blow, his heart sinking with the weight of memory.

She spoke with urgency, "This world needed you, Light Bringer. It needed you so very much. But Earth, and its people were cruel; they had no regard for prophecies or destinies. Special or not. Chosen or not. If you crossed paths with a malicious foe, they would kill you. There had been others like you, Light Bringers, saviors of Earth. But the world swallowed them whole." 

Her voice dropped even lower, to the point where Ares strained to catch her words despite her proximity.

"You must live, Son of Mars. But then, when the time came, you must die and be reborn. This was the only way." 

Die? Reborn? What was this woman talking about? Ares thought, his confusion morphing into panic. She was definitely senile, just as Faraday said. He mentally screamed for Faraday, preferring his brand of madness over this bewildering prophecy.

She continued, her voice tight with urgency, "This world needed you, Light Bringer. It needed you so very much.

But Earth, and its people were cruel; they had no regard for prophecies, destinies, or fate. Special or not. Chosen or not. If you crossed paths with a malicious foe, they would kill you. There had been others like you, Light Bringers, supposed saviors of Earth. But the world swallowed them whole." 

"You must live, Son of Mars. But then, when the time came, you must die and be reborn. This was the only way." 

Die? Reborn? What was this woman talking about? Ares thought, his confusion morphing into panic.

She was definitely senile, just as Faraday said. He mentally screamed for Faraday, preferring his brand of madness over this bewildering rambling.

The woman added, "I knew you were dying to know of your family's fate. Unfortunately, I couldn't help you with that.

Maybe you'd find them, maybe you wouldn't. But I knew your path was long and perilous. Many times it would break you, many times you would fail. But I begged of you, Light Bringer, do not give up, I begged of you." 

Ares felt his heart clench; his priority was his family, and to reclaim his home. He simply couldn't promise her anything, despite her pleas.

As her words faded, she reached out, her hand trembling slightly as she touched his cheek.

She then turned and walked away, her steps slow but purposeful. "What a dark and glorious time ahead," she muttered to herself, a hint of regret in her tone, "A shame I won't see it."