Creed: World’s Strongest

Emac and Spam helped Paps to his feet, dusting him off as they stared at the rapidly disappearing figure overhead. A loud sonic boom shattered the air, echoing across the mountain range.

"Was that…?" Emac and Spam asked in unison, their voices tinged with disbelief.

Paps nodded grimly, his answer a single name: "Sern."

The three turned their attention to Adam, who lay slumped against a jagged rock. His eyes were open, but his body refused to respond.

"He could at least help us down the mountain," Spam grumbled, shaking his head in irritation. Without waiting for a response, he split a clone from himself. Together, they hoisted Adam onto Spam's back, the clone stabilizing him as they began their descent.

Paps and Emac, however, exchanged a glance before leaping off the edge without hesitation. The ground was over five hundred feet below, but they landed smoothly, their enhanced bodies absorbing the impact like it was nothing.

Minutes later, Spam arrived at the base of the mountain. He eased Adam into the rover, securing him in place before climbing into the driver's seat.

The journey back home was uneventful, the tension between them all heavy and unspoken. When they finally arrived, Hunch was waiting at the entrance, his arms crossed behind him and a concerned look etched on his face.

"A prime meeting has been called," he announced, his tone urgent.

The three ignored him entirely, trudging past as if he hadn't spoken. Hunch was use to this but didn't give up, quickly falling in step behind them.

Spam eventually branched off, heading toward the infirmary to drop off Adam. He carefully placed him onto one of the beds, making sure he was stabilized before turning and heading for the meeting.

On his way, Spam encountered a bald man in a sleek black suit, his fingers adorned with gold rings and chains that caught the light. The man smirked as their paths crossed.

"I was just about to come get you," the man said, his voice smooth and deliberate.

Spam's eyes narrowed slightly. "I thought they didn't want me at prime meetings."

Spam arrived late to the meeting, which had already begun. Inside, the tension was palpable. Paps and Emac were being grilled, their misstep dominating the room's focus.

"How does a simple mission involving a baby turn into this?" Sern's voice was sharp, cutting through the air. "You managed to destroy the morgue. Speaking of the morgue…" Sern's eyes landed on Spam as he strode in. "Spam, we've talked about your bodies. You can't keep leaving them where they fall."

The room murmured in agreement as several of the primes nodded along.

"Yeah, I'm working on it with R&D," Spam explained, attempting to brush it off.

"Credulous creed…" a few primes chuckled under their breath.

"What?" Spam snapped, looking around, but the chuckles only grew.

"That's not their party name," the Mistress interjected out of nowhere, her voice smooth but cutting.

"Really? Sorry," Spam muttered, clearly off-balance. He took a breath, trying to regain composure. "I just want to know how this op went so badly. Thank Amoneht I wasn't off-planet—someone could have died."

Sern's gaze swept the room, moving from Paps to Spam and finally landing on Emac. His eyebrows raised expectantly, but no one said a word.

The silence stretched until Sern broke it. "I heard we have a new recruit."

Paps nodded and began explaining Adam's situation. When Sern asked to see him, Paps promised to bring Adam once he'd recovered.

With that, the meeting ended. As the primes filed out, their murmurs filled the hallway. Down the corridor, their splits waited patiently to merge back with them.

"That's so credulous creed," a voice sneered from the group as Paps, Spam, and Emac passed. "Screwing up the easiest of missions. I don't know why they're still here. All they do is make trouble for the rest of us."

Spam's fists clenched, but before he could act, Emac placed a hand on his arm, calming him through their split bond.

"Hunch," Emac muttered, shaking his head. "That snitch."

They split up—Spam headed off to deal with the bodies, Emac to check on Adam, and Paps to write up the incident report for Sern.

The next day, Paps visited Adam, who was feeling much better.

"Ready?" Paps asked.

Adam nodded, and they left to meet Sern.

Standing before him, Adam straightened and introduced himself. "I'm Adam Blomen," he said, his voice steady. "Thank you for saving my life."

"Not a problem. Welcome to the Berkanna," Sern said.

Adam, unsure of what the Berkanna even was, nodded and agreed anyway.

"Unique split." Sern stared at Adam's split, though being invisible, it seemed more like he was staring into the void itself.

"This is the tree-hugger's split concept," Sern muttered to himself before gesturing for Adam to take a seat.

"Do you know what we're about?"

Adam shook his head.

"Spontaneous energy combustion has existed for eons," Sern began. "It's the buildup of latent energy in the atmosphere, objects, or even living beings.

"It can manifest as fiery eruptions of energy that consume everything nearby, or as a glowing aura or pulse that detonates in an instant. Sometimes it's localized to a single person or object; other times, it spreads like a chain reaction.

"On rare occasions, it disrupts weather patterns or reshapes natural environments entirely.

"And sometimes…" Sern's voice dropped lower. "It causes mutations capable of destroying entire planets. Worse still, it attracts powerful entities—creatures that can do far more than destroy planets.

"This phenomenon is what we call the Nullfire Beacon."

Sern folded his hands together and leaned forward slightly. "Whenever one of these appears, it's our duty to respond. To stop it. That's what the Berkanna does."

"Why?" Adam asked, breaking the silence after Sern's explanation.

Sern tilted his head, thrown off by the question.

"We don't—"

"No," Adam interrupted. "I mean, why risk your lives to help? Why even bother?"

Paps, sitting quietly nearby, looked utterly stunned by Adam's boldness.

"For enlightenment," Sern said, his tone solemn. "The scriptures say that through our actions, we shall be enlightened."

Adam dismissed the answer with a slight scoff, considering it the ramblings of a religious fanatic.

Sern waited for Paps to leave the room before turning to Adam, his expression tight.

"You could have died yesterday," Sern said bluntly, his tone edged with frustration. He leaned back against his desk and folded his arms. "That's why I want you to train under Ugo."

Before Adam could respond, Sern gestured toward the door, and Ugo walked in—a near-perfect copy of Sern, down to the sharp features and confident stride. Adam blinked, momentarily thrown off by the resemblance.

"Ugo," Sern said, introducing his double.

Adam hesitated but eventually shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm fine. Emac is training me," he replied, his voice firm.

Sern sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Adam, the three of them—Emac and the others—they're the weakest of us all. Why waste your time when you could learn from someone stronger?"

Adam crossed his arms and gave Sern a faint smile. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm good. Maybe some other time."

Before Sern could respond, Adam turned and left the office.

Ugo stepped forward, watching Adam disappear down the hallway. "He must be something special if you're pushing this hard to train him yourself."

Sern let out a slow breath and sank into his chair, his gaze distant. "It's not just that," he admitted. "I want to get him away from the Creed. I still don't trust them."

"You think they'll turn him against Lord Amoneht?" Ugo asked, tilting his head.

Sern's jaw tightened as he stared at the wall. "The Creed is dangerous," he said after a moment. "And if the Lyre still exists… they could undo everything we've worked for."

Ugo frowned. "You really think the Lyre is still out there?"

Sern didn't answer right away. His eyes locked onto Ugo's, and his silence spoke louder than words.