The Invincible Hero - Chapter 67

Lorne awakened a little more than twenty years ago. During his time in his new world, Lorne mainly focused on cultivating. He continued developing his skills in formations, updating his skills in forging and pill making, and decided the course of his future development.

During all of this time, Lorne never received a visit from B’wiri, Tower, or Paneneko. It seemed clear they were shutting him out. He wasn’t Malkus, they wanted nothing to do with him. They couldn’t stand seeing Malkus’ body being controlled by some person from a lower realm. They wanted Malkus, the real Malkus, their friend, and brother. They didn’t want Lorne, the stranger who snatched Malkus’ body.

It was okay with Lorne, he understood and gave them their space. He was pretty sure that this would be the result when he chose to reveal his identity to them. He needed to step forward and he couldn’t do that pretending to be Malkus. Frankly, he had more important things to do. He was a stranger to them, but they were strangers to him. He felt Malkus’ feelings for these people, but Lorne knew those were Malkus’ feelings, not his own.

Still, Lorne felt guilty about the whole thing, but how much say did he have in all of this? Did he ask the Usurpers to come to Earth to kill his family? Did he ask the Great Fiend to try and wipe out all life in the Dragon Empire? No! He was an innocent bystander, the victim! It didn’t mean, though, that Lorne didn’t feel guilty. It was something he would dwell on from time to time. Sometimes he would imagine himself having a conversation with Malkus’s friends. He would articulate his innocence and they would forgive him.

The only thing that made Lorne feel worse was when he remembered his first wife Mary, wasn’t it? His memories of his first wife became fuzzy over the years. It had been more than forty-five thousand years since he died the first time. He had trouble remembering her laugh and her face, but the guilt. He still remembered the guilt. He felt guilty toward her and their two children. He died but he lived and he was never able to return to them.

If he could return to them he would. If for no other reason than to relieve himself of the guilt. Love? Forty-five thousand years ago he certainly loved Mary and looked forward to life as a father with two new children. Now? How could he love people who could barely remember? They were like fading pictures in his mind. The Dragon Princess, there wasn’t much guilt there. He made sure of that in his last battle when he realized it would likely require his death to win against the Great Fiend.

He was in a new world, and without even being aware of his situation he managed to accrue new guilt. What could he do? Lorne realized this guilt will affect his cultivation in the future. He needed to find a way to overcome his guilt.

This was the goal of his meditation. He would find the answers he needed in his meditation. Find the problem, and then cut out the heart devils before they have a chance to grow. This was the suggestion of Master Bilvo. Why not try it?

Lorne began to meditate. He didn’t immediately seek his answers. It was important to first enter a state and his psyche would guide him where he needed to go. Meditation was hard for many cultivators. This was why most weren’t able to move forward. It had little to do with talent. The talent was used as a blunt instrument to smash through bottlenecks. However, blunt instruments could only bash through weak obstacles. A person who mastered meditation didn’t need talent or special physiques. They needed inspiration, patience, trust, and strong will.

The hardest aspect of meditation was finding a way to quiet your mind and allow it the freedom to float like a spectator. As the meditation continued, both the spectated and spectator would disappear. At this point, a person entered the meditative state. To reach this point you could not bring ambition, fear, longing, no emotions, and no thoughts. It was only when you entered a state of non-thought that it possible to think, but this thinking wasn’t directed it was like a connection between you and something else. The something else, it directed the thinking it directed the flow.

Lorne entered the meditative state, but eventually, his meditation took a direction Lorne didn’t expect. He entered a meditative dream. Everything he experienced seemed both real and surreal. Lorne let go and let the dream flow.

“Hello,” a man said to a child. The child sat quietly looking at the man who appeared before him. The man wore jeans, t-shirt, a suede jacket and had long flowing yellowish-brown hair. The boy didn’t speak he just looked at the man.

“Can I get a readout on the inverter?” the man asked the boy. The boy turned his body and turned on an old computer. After powering it up he typed and then turned a couple of knobs.

“Jo Jo has it,” a woman said as she stepped up to the man who was now wearing shorts, sandals and a t-shirt. His hair was tied up into a ponytail.

“What did Professor Hyo say?” asked the man.

“He said you should ask Jo Jo,” said the woman. She turned to walk away while the man noticed the hallway led to a clothing store. The man walked into the clothing store, he wasn’t sure why he was here, didn’t he need to speak with Jo Jo?

“Who are you again?” a young man asked the mirror before him. The dream moved into the perspective of the young man who was looking at a floating egg. The egg was no longer in the mirror, it was floating before the young man. A large man with a square Jaw, wearing a cape walked up to the egg. “When can I go home?” he asked the egg.

“Who are you again,” asked the young man.

“Lorne?” a voice called out quietly, but then it began to grow louder, “Lorne.” Again the voice called the name, “Lorne,” it said.

“Mother?”

“I’ve killed them,” a man smiled fiendishly at Lorne.

“You could have stopped me but you didn’t.” The man said.

“Why did you steal my life? I don’t even know who you are. Who are you again?” Malkus said.

“I’m looking for my husband, darling look what happened to our kids!” Mary said in a perturbed way. Looking down the young man saw two dogs, one was red and the other was standing on its hindlegs reading a newspaper.

The dog looked up from his newspaper. “Who are you again?” the dog asked.

“I don’t know, I’m Lorne,” the young man said.

“If you’re Lorne then who am I?” a Dragon Man asked.

“How did you know?” asked the young man.

The dog asked, “How did I know?”

“I don’t know,” the young man said.

“You don’t know, what’s this? the Dragon Man asked as he pulled out Lorne’s old costume.

“It’s mine.” the young boy said. It’s for when I grow up. When I grow up I can take care of everyone and be a hero.

“You want to be a hero?” asked Tower.

“I don’t want to be a hero.” the young man said.

“I want to be a hero,” said the Dragon man.

Lorne woke up from his dream suddenly. “What a weird dream.” thought Lorne.

Earth, four years after Lorne’s death. Earth has become a technology-rich planet. The future came knocking four years earlier. King Longoak was the recognized sovereign of the new United Earth. The King fought against an evil group of Usurpers four years ago from his home planet Zimwer and won! After the victory, the King left to train under his father to become a good king in the Zimwarn Empire. The humans of Earth celebrated the Invincible Hero, their king, and move forward enthusiastically. They were the hegemons of this universe. To be proper hegemons, though, Earth needed to advance quickly if it wanted to be the ThroneWorld of their King.

In the Throneverse of the Zimwarn Empire, a magnificent palace stood. It was while like a pearl. A middle-aged couple walked through the palace, beginning in their throne room where they finished giving orders on matters of the Empire. The Zimwarn Emperor and Empress were descended a large and elegant marble staircase conversing with one another.

“How is Darwina doing?” asked the Emperor.

“She is still causing trouble,” laughed the Empress.

“Haha, oh really?” The Emperor laughed.

“She shall make an excellent wife for Lorne, but she shall not make a very good public figure.” The Empress continued to laugh.

“Yes, her power is amazing, she’s already stronger than my Zuq!” The Emperor said. The Empress happily nodded her head.

“How is your pet project going with Cosmic Monkey?” asked the Empress.

“He has gathered the Cosmic Monkeys to his side and become their General. They have sent their elite soldiers to him and he is training them in the most effective techniques to use their powers. He is not much weaker than Darwina.” The Emperor said.

“Hmn, none of his former associates were weak. Give the proper training and bodies they have all soared in power. When Lorne returns, I suspect his forces will be more powerful than even your forces. I just wish we knew where in the multiverse Lorne was sent to.” commented the Empress.

“I haven’t heard from BS42, which is a pretty good indication that Lorne was sent outside the reaches of the Zimwarn Empire. This could be an opportunity for us depending on where he was sent.” The Emperor said with an excited gleam in his eye. “Perhaps when he returns I can retire and take up my research once more.” The Emperor said longingly.

Just as the Emperor said this a portal opened behind them on the landing behind the stairs. The Zimwarn Emperor and Empress looked back at the portal in surprise. Four figures stepped through the portal, each person had their heads covered by a hood.

The Lead individual of the four took down his hood and looked at the Zimwarn Emperor and Empress.

“Lorne! You’re back!” cried the Empress.

Lorne smiled at his mother and his father. Then the man over his left shoulder walked forward and pulled down his hood. and smiled at the Emperor and Empress.

“Heken?!” shouted the Emperor. There stood the Emperor’s younger brother Prince Heken. He was no longer in his Warbox form, but now he stood in his original flesh and blood body. He smiled at his brother.

“Brother,” said Heken.

Lorne indicated the other two behind him and spoke to his parents.

“The to behind me are my brother and his wife. We’ll save the greetings and reminisces for later. Mother, Father, Uncle Heken tells me that you two murdered me and separated me from my family! I think we need to talk!” Lorne said in an angry tone.