Chapter 27


    + Region of Campania, Italy, December 2008


    Julie Costa tended to her garden, hastening the growth of its wheat.


    As a green aura flowed through the nt, it bore purple yields, full of nutrients. She had spent weeks tuning the exact ratio of


    protein, improving its resistance to cold, and increasing the nt’s ability to remove pollutants from soil.


    Julie’s Green power activated whenever she touched a living being, allowing her to intuitively understand how their body


    functioned, down to the gic level. She could make minor edits to the DNA, breed new species from a single parent.


    This special nt was only one of many experimental crops growing inside the farm. Wheat capable of thriving in a polluted


    area, maize absorbing ambient radioactivity... Her personal plot ofnd was a strange, colorful assembly of unique floral


    constructs.


    Although the sun had already set, light shone upon her, making the thirty-year-old biologist stop in her tracks.


    “Julie,” a man’s voice echoed above her, sounding like embers consuming wood. “Still working at this hour?”


    “Hello, Leonard,” Julie raised her head at the man flying four meters above her, a human-shaped figure of mes and blinding


    light. “I could say the same for you.”


    Even when he toned down the light his body produced, it was difficult to look at Leo Hargraves. His Red Elixir had given him the


    ability to turn into a living sun, transforming his human flesh into sr mes and giving him control over his own gravity.


    Leonard had once told her that he always suppressed most of his power, lest he incinerate entire cities with his mere presence.


    Unlike many Genomes, the Carnival’s leader always used his real name, believing it made him ountable and more


    trustworthy. It hadn''t stopped people from giving him a nickname though, one worthy of his overwhelming power.


    Leo the Living Sun.


    Unfortunately, the poor man burnt his clothes whenever he transformed. Unlimited power came with downsides.


    “Is your husband here?” Leonard asked her. “I have news.”


    “He’s putting Giulia to bed,” she replied. “You''re finally moving on?”


    The fiery man nodded with a hint of regret, his presence attracting a few gazes. At this hour, most of themunity was still


    awake; farmers patrolled the walls, tended to the fields, or just yed dice outside.


    The Costa family’s farm included arge house, shacks, a barn, farnds, and several pens for animals. Two dozen people


    lived on the property, mostly refugees which Julie and her husband had taken in after the Genome Wars started. Over time, the


    community had built wooden walls and fortifications around the property, to deter attacks from bandits and marauders.


    In fact, one such attack was how Julie met Leonard in the first ce. His Carnival had in a Genome bandit leader terrorizing


    the region, then stuck around to make sure the localmunities could sustain themselves.


    Her husband Bruno, a muscled, handsome man with ck hair and blue eyes, emerged from the barn, smiling upon seeing


    Leonard. He had many knives around his belt, for his power allowed him to turn any de so sharp that it could cut through


    anything. Wood, steel, diamond... nothing could resist him.


    When they heard about his power, most people believed Bruno was some kind of badass killer, but they couldn’t be farther from


    the truth. Julie’s husband was the sweetest, most wholesome person on earth, and the only living beings he had used his gift on


    were cattle.


    It was that kindness that made her fall in love with him in the first ce. Julie had moved to Campania in 2002 to investigate the


    high number of cancers in the region for her Ph.D. thesis. She had interviewed Bruno as part of her research, and what had


    started as an academic project had transformed into a happy marriage.


    And then Last Easter happened.


    That Wonderbox... Julie still didn’t understand why her family had been selected to receive one. Why did a couple in the middle


    of nowhere receive Elixirs? Why did that Alchemist maniac even distribute something so dangerous?


    Before she knew it, Julie’s world had been turned upside down. Amadman had devastated Salerno in a power-fueled rampage,


    a totalitarian Genome dictator called Mechron had taken over central Europe, and all of Italy had been carpet-bombed back to


    the stone age.


    Since the family farm was located away from poption centers, it had been spared from the destruction. Bruno had decided to


    hole up there, waiting until the dust settled.


    It never did.


    “Bruno, Julie, it''s been a pleasure,” Leonard said, “but unfortunately, the day hase for the Carnival to relocate.”


    “So it’s finally time, uh?” Bruno said, clearly saddened. “It has only been two months, but to me, you’re part of thendscape


    now.


    “Ah! Maybe one day, once peace returns, | will build myself a house nearby.” Although she couldn''t see his face through the


    mes, Julie was convinced Leonard was grinning ear to ear. “Campania is such a beautiful region.”


    It was. Even the rampant chaos couldn’t change that. “So this is goodbye, not farewell,” Julie said with optimism.


    “You''re always wee among us,” Bruno said. “Giulia will be the saddest. She calls you Uncle Leo now, you know?”


    “When will Uncle Leoe?” Julie mimicked her daughter with a chuckle. “Uncle Leo is best Uncle!”


    Leonardughed in response. “Ah, stop, you’re making me want to stay so much,” he said, before sighing. “I promise | will return


    for her birthday.”


    “| will hold you on to that,” Julie replied.


    “Your daughter... your daughter is the future, in more ways than one,” Leo said. “We must fight, so that our children may grow up


    happy. No matter the burdens they will bear.”


    Yes. The burden of powers.


    Bruno and Julie had conceived their daughter soon after they each took their Elixir. Their little girl hadn’t manifested powers yet,


    but she already showed signs of secondary Genome mutations. Resistance to sickness and toxins, hardened organs,


    elerated healing...


    Asecond-generation Genome.


    Julie suspected it had been the Alchemist’s goal all along. To foster a new race of superhumans capable of breeding; a species


    that would soon rece the homo sapiens, until the old humanity vanished like the neanderthals.


    “There is a new organization making waves in Cbria,” Leo said. “I thought you should know.”


    “Doesn''t the ‘Ndrangheta control the area?” Bruno asked. The Cbrian mafia had taken over the region after some of their


    members received Elixirs, overpowering the local authorities.


    “They did,” Leo replied. “They have been wiped out.”


    “Wiped out?” Bruno frowned. “As in—”


    “Wiped out. Men, women, and children.” Leo crossed his zing arms. “The responsible party is apparently an offshoot of the


    Camorra, but ten times deadlier. It wants to unite the mafia families under one banner, and if met with resistance, its Genomes


    leave no survivors. It has made it very difficult to track their members, and themunities they subvert won''t even speak to


    outsiders.”


    “Will you fight these people?” Julie asked him, worried. Cbria wasn’t very far from Campania.


    The mighty Red Genome shook his head. “Pythia wants us to move north and fight Mechron. She has seen him develop orbital


    weapons in a few years, with catastrophic consequences down the line. And a new Psycho in France, Manic gue, is a living


    pandemic whose danger grows exponentially the longer she remains active.”


    As Julie feared, there were simply so many dangerous Genomes around. Some of them were existential threats to mankind as a


    whole, and Leo’s Carnival couldn’t be everywhere.


    Even now, Mechron, Genome warlords, and the remnants of the pre-bombing military fought for control over the wastnd they


    had created. The Genome Wars, people called it. The fighting was way worse north of Italy, but it didn’t mean the south was


    safe.


    With the copse of civilization, mankind had embraced both its worst and better instincts. Marauders, Psychos, and bandits


    roamed the countryside; but Bruno had weed many refugees inside the farm, and they had formed a stablemunity.


    One that, hopefully, would help the world heal.


    “We''ll be careful,” Bruno promised, putting a hand around Julie''s waist.


    “Please do,” Leo said, giving them a final nod. “Kiss Giulia for me.”


    And so, Leonard Hargraves flew away, moving across the night sky at a fighter jet’s speed.


    “He never was one for long speeches.” Bruno held his wife in his arms. “I''ll miss him.”


    “Me too,” Julie said. The region felt safe with the Carnival nearby. Even while theirmunity and neighborhoods could defend


    themselves, nobody dared pick a fight with a freaking sun. “But so many people need his help, far more than we do.”


    Her husband nodded, ncing at the crops. “They''re ready?”


    “Yes,” she said. “Once | would have said introducing new species into the ecosystem is a terrible idea, but...”


    “| would rather have purple maize than glowing corn,” Bruno chuckled, Julie shaking her head at hisme joke. He kissed her on


    the lips. “I love you.”


    “| love you too.”


    Times may be hard... but they would beat them.


    They spent a few minutes making out until someone dared interrupt them. It was Benny, one of the guards. The only farmer taller


    than Bruno, who never went anywhere without his trusty shotgun. “Sorry, chief,” he apologized. “But | gotta stop you before you


    move past second base.”


    Brunoughed, breaking the embrace with his wife. “What is it?”


    “We have a visitor. A lone traveler, who asks for hospitality.”


    “At this hour?” Julie frowned. It often happened, but few people dared travel at night nowadays.


    “What kind of traveler?” Bruno asked.


    “Clearly a Genome, all shiny and chrome,” Benny replied. It had to be, to travel alone at night through unsafe roads. “He says he


    comes bearing gifts, and he brings a horse full of supplies. Fuel, weapons, food.”


    It wasn’t the first time anothermunity sent a trader to the Costa farm. More often than not, they exchanged food for


    scavenged tools.


    Unfortunately, some traders were marauders in disguise, scouting amunity for a future attack. Once, the farm let everyone


    in, but after an incident cost them three people, the group had grown far more careful.


    “We can’t let him in,” Julie told Bruno. “I’m sorry, but...”


    “We can offer him food and water, but no roof,” Bruno told Benny.


    “That’s the thing, he says he will just give gifts and then leave,” Benny replied. “But he wants to talk with you personally, Bruno.”


    “Me?”


    “Yeah, he has heard of your power and is curious to see it in action. Apparently, he researches superpowers, and he’s curious to


    see if you can really cut anything.”


    That was odd. Julie exchanged a worried nce with her husband, who was clearly suspicious. “How many people are awake?”


    Bruno asked Benny.


    “Piero, Donna, Alice, and Luca keep their weapons aimed at his pretty head,” the man replied, putting his shotgun’s barrel on his


    shoulder. “I told the others to ready their guns, just in case.”


    “Okay, | will meet him. Hopefully, it’s just paranoia talking.” Bruno put a hand on Benny’s shoulder. “I entrust my wife to you, my


    friend.”


    “Y-yes, sure!” Benny instantly tensed, taking this seriously.


    “Don''t joke about this,” Julie lightly scolded her husband, but he waved her hand before moving towards the camp’s main gates.


    She looked at Benny, who fidgeted awkwardly. “Sorry, ‘mam. I’m not good at casual conversation.”


    “Benny, stop calling me that,” Julie said, exasperated. “You''ve been there for three years. | believe we could talk on a first-name


    basis.”


    “And | will still call you ‘mam until Giulia is old enough to take over.”


    The biochemist shook her head, before returning to her garden.


    With nukes and gues having devastated the western coast, Julie hoped to introduce these new species to fight against


    environmental pollution. ording to her projections, it would take only five years to purify Italy''s air and soil back to their pre-


    apocalypse level... and ten to undo the degradations caused by humanity’s industrial activities.


    In time, all of Earth would be a garden.


    “I''ll never get used to it,” Benny said, as he watched her use her power on the wheat. “I’m not religious, but... it makes me


    wonder if a God does exist.”


    “That wasn’t an Act of God,” Julie replied. She heard booming thunder, briefly wondering if a storm approached. But the skies


    were clear, cloudless. Odd. “Just an experiment from a brilliant, but twisted mind.”


    She couldn''t exin it any other way. God wouldn''t be so cruel as to create monsters like Mechron and unleash them on the


    world.


    And suddenly, lightning hit the farm.


    Acrimson sh of light filled Julie’s vision, as if thunder had struck the earth right in front of her. She heard a powerful boom,


    coming straight from the entrance, while the farm trembled.


    She turned around, and when her vision returned to normal, there was a burning hole where the farm’s mains gates once stood.


    “Bruno!” Julie immediately panicked, rushing towards the entrance before Benny could stop her. The farm’s rm system


    activated, signaling an attack while smoke spread in all directions.


    When Julie moved close enough, she was weed with a scene of horror.


    A powerful force had sted people through the farm’s fortifications, with enough force to shatter them. Corpses were dispersed


    on the ground, utterly savaged. Julie could barely recognize Donna among them, most of her body having been incinerated.


    Piero had lost his head, Julie only identifying him thanks to his trademark blue shirt, now painted red.


    And Bruno... Bruno was among them.


    Both parts of him.


    A bolt had thrown her husband through the gates, tearing him in half below the waist.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    Julie let out a wail of horror, as the farm descended into utter chaos. Guards rushed towards the breach with weapons, while


    nonbatants fled into the house. Crimson lightning surged from the smoke, dividing and bending around corners. The bolts


    ughtered everyone in their path, incinerating hearts or detonating skulls, before spreading from one person to the next.


    Julie watched eight people she had known for years die in an instant.


    Another, mightier bolt hit the farm’s main house, shattering walls and setting the whole ce on fire. “We have to evacuate,


    ‘mam!” Benny shouted, grabbing her by the arm.


    “Giulia,” Julie panicked. “Giulia is in the barn!”


    An ivory statue emerged from the darkness and the smoke, confidently striding into the property. Its eyes radiated a crimson


    glow, its gaze sting anyone it saw with lightning bolts.


    For a second, Julie thought it was Zeus himself, having descended from the heavens. For this man, this Genome held a striking


    resemnce to the ancient deity. It was a tall, muscled figure pushing near two meters in height, with a long beard and a golden


    laurel crown atop hisbed hair. He seemed in his middle-age,bining the confidence of old age with the strength of a


    mature man.


    The intruder’s entire body was an ivory statue. His hair, his flesh, even his eyes were an unnatural shade of white. Only his


    ancient toga, sandals, andurel crown were made of normal materials.


    Perhaps his body had been transformed into an alien alloy; perhaps it was a stasis effect, freezing his body in space and time.


    Whatever the case, he kept his hands folded behind his back, like a conqueror overseeing his new territory.


    And then, he noticed Julie.


    Benny immediately moved in front of her, shielding her with his body while he raised his gun. “Behind me, ‘mam!”


    The ivory man appraised the two with an amused look. It reminded Julie of a vulture ncing upon a dying camel; of a killer


    toying with his victim, before delivering the coup de grace.


    “Ms. Costa?” he asked, upon noticing Julie. His voice was deep and radiated authority.


    “Who the hell are you?” Benny snarled angrily.


    “Jupiter Augustus,” the man answered.


    “You dare call yourself after a god?” Benny shouted, charging at the Genome with his shotgun, and opening fire at point-nk


    range. A volley from his firearm would have torn a normal man apart.


    Instead, the bullets hit the chest and ttened out on impact.


    “No. Of course not.”


    The ivory man backhanded Benny with his left hand. The fingers went through Benny''s body like an iron sword through paper,


    his flesh and bones turning as brittle as dirt upon impact. The backhand tore off the skull from the body and sent both flying to


    the side, killing the farmer in one blow.


    m one.”


    Julie froze in horror at the bloody scene.


    The biochemist had grown somewhat used to the sight of blood and violence, but she had never seen such casual brutality. That


    man had murdered her friend with the same care as one swatting a fly.


    And now, that psychopath stared at her.


    Lightning maniption, and some form of super-strength. Two powers at once.


    A Psycho.


    No. Not a Psycho. In spite of his egotistic boasting, Julie saw no hint of madness in that vicious man’s eyes. No craving for the


    blood of other Genomes. She only saw sneering arrogance and a cold-blooded disregard for human life.


    “Kneel,” he ordered.


    Instead, possessed by vengeful anger, Julie rushed at this vile man and mmed her left hand against his cheek. He made no


    move to stop her, allowing her to activate her power.


    Although she had never used her power offensively, she would make an exception for this monster. She would cause his DNA to


    break down, destroy his organs. Make him pay.


    Nothing.


    No feedback.


    That... that thing ignored her power. It didn’t even register him as alive.


    “That was no request,” the man said, raising his hand in a karate chop, aiming for her left shoulder.


    Before Julie knew what hit her, his hand cut through her body like butter, the blow severing her arm and tossing her to her knees.


    Apain more terrible than anything she had ever experienced raced through her nerves, as a shower of blood flowed out of her


    veins. She let out a wail of agony, her body growing numb and cold.


    “Saddening,” the monster said, although there was no regret in his voice. “If you had known proper etiquette, | might have let you


    live. | take no pleasure in killing one of the chosen ones. Especially a young widow.”


    “Why...” Julie asked, struggling against the pain and shock. “Did you want to... take the crops for yourself?”


    “The crops?” Augustus nced at her garden, an eyebrow raised. “What about them?”


    He... he didn’t know? Then why?


    Why?


    “Answer me,” the murderer ordered Julie, without bothering to look at her. In his eyes, she was already dead.


    “They...” Julie''s thoughts suddenly turned to Giulia, sleeping. If she distracted that monster, perhaps... perhaps she could get


    away. “They can survive in... toxic and radioactive environments... they can... feed everyone... help us save... save everyone...


    you have...”


    “Crops that can feed everyone?” He gazed at the garden with sudden interest. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the


    earth.”


    If... if the crops could endure, then...


    “You have been lied to,” Augustus taunted her with a soft voice, his eyes shining with electricity, “the meek will not inherit


    anything.”


    He sted the garden with a crimson lightning bolt, setting it aze.


    The wheat, the maize, all the gically enhanced crops Julie had spent years cultivating... all that work turned to ashes in an


    instant.


    After the horror of watching her husband burnt alive, Julie thought she wouldn’t scream again. But she did. She shrieked in


    despair, as the very seed of hope went down in mes.


    “The future came to me in these Elixirs,” the ivory man said, lost in his thoughts. “Where the unchosen could not stand the


    power, | alone wielded it to its fullest potential. Such was the proof of the high esteem that Fate had for my family; that we were


    destined to rule the Earth and the new humanity, once this trial had weeded out the unworthy.”


    He finally deigned to look down on Julie, his towering body casting her in his dreadful shadow.


    “If you ask me,” Augustus said with a soft, serene tone, “this hasn’t been nuked enough.”


    “Why?” Julie asked, pleaded for an answer, struggling against the blood loss and utter despair. “What... what have we... done to


    you?”


    The ivory man smiled to himself, finding something funny in the question. Yet he answered her request. “There was once a fox


    that could never be caught, so a king sent after him a dog destined to always catch its prey. Jupiter, seeing the paradox,


    removed both animals from the world and turned them into constetions.”


    “What are you—”


    “That is the why,” Augustus replied, ncing at her dead husband with satisfaction. “That was me, removing a paradox from the


    world. An unstoppable force cannot coexist with an immovable object.”


    An invulnerable man couldn’t stand a de capable of cutting anything.


    This brutal, cruel monster had murdered her husband, a kind man who had never harmed another human because he might one


    day be a threat?


    “You fear...” Julie red at him. “You fear death so much?”


    Augustus’ eyes red with prideful anger, and he raised both his hands above Julie’s head, clenching them into fists. His face


    was no longer one of false divine serenity, but hellish, demonic fury.


    He brought his fists down like a hammer on Julie’s skull, and all went dark.


    Augustus spent the next minutes scouring the farm in search of survivors. The Costa woman’s blood dripped from his hands,


    tainting his ivory skin red.


    Anyone he found, he slew with lightning bolts. Men and women alike. He had learned this lesson from his days among the


    Camorra. Leave nobody alive to pursue a vendetta against your own blood.


    No man, no problems.


    Besides, he spent enough resources developing a good reputation. No need to let anyoneplicate the narrative with troubling


    tales.


    The Genome didn’t particrly take pleasure in this. He was simply protecting his family from future retaliations. Augustus might


    be invulnerable as far as he knew, but his kin weren''t; even if they had each taken an Elixir, they could die. As the Augusti n’s


    patriarch, the future emperor of Italy saw no point in taking risks.


    But he didn’t regret that massacre either. The very idea of thismunity filled him with revulsion.


    Genomes existed to rule over old humanity, not serve it. The apocalypse was a trial for all of mankind, a great cleansing meant to


    remove the corruption, thexity, and self-entitlement that had poisoned Europe for so long. To feed everyone would be to coddle


    humans, to prevent them from rising to the challenge.


    Genomes had been chosen to rule the new world, like the gods once guided humanity from Mount Olympus. Among the


    mundanes, only those who proved themselves worthy through skill and service would be elevated. Only the best would receive


    an Elixir and be Made. The rest would live to serve and offer tribute.


    Life should be earned, not given.


    Apity that woman couldn''t see that simple truth.


    Once he had cleaned the surface of life, Augustus moved to the barns, ignoring the cows and the sheep. The ce must have


    stunk, but the Genome hadn''t smelled anything since he consumed his two Elixirs. Neither did he need to breathe, eat, or drink.


    He felt no taste or tactile sensations, to the point his beloved wife’s embrace gave him no pleasure anymore.


    Even his hair and beard hadn’t moved since that day.


    Such was the burden of invulnerability. It protected the Genome even from other Elixirs, preventing him from consuming a third.


    But Augustus could live with it. The heavens had smiled on him enough, and they abhorred greed.


    Once, the people of Italy had built the greatest, most prosperous empire the Earth had ever known; and it was Augustus’ destiny,


    to raise them back to glory.


    Guided by his power, the Genome found a hidden trapdoor at the back, tearing it off with his bare hands. As he did so, he


    noticed a tiny speck of the Costa woman’s brain matter stuck to his impermeable skin. Augustus wiped it away dismissively,


    though it would take a dedicated cleaning to remove the blood.


    He stepped down a wooden stair, entering an underground basement below the barn. Most of the floor seemed to be bedrooms,


    to host the vulnerable members of themunity away from sight. A smart choice in these troubled times. Augustus ignored the


    empty rooms, stopping in front of the only upied one.


    The ce where thest survivor hid.


    Slowly, the warlord opened the door and entered a small children’s bedroom. Since there was no light, Augustus activated a light


    bulb with a jolt of lightning, casting light upon the room; its walls were painted blue, and a tiny shape cowered beneath the bed


    sheet.


    “| see you, child. | know you aren''t sleeping.”


    Augustus could sense electricity in all its forms. Though he could not manipte weak currents, he could easily detect the


    presence of living beings. The energy flowing through their nerves gave their presence away.


    The child, a little girl no older than three, peeked over her sheet, terrified by this strange man moving inside her bedroom. Her


    eyes were oceanic blue, her hair brown.


    Augustus appraised the child, recognizing the facial features from his previous victims. Mercury had warned him that the Costa


    couple had a daughter, though the warlord hadn’t expected her to be so young.


    “Shush...” Augustus said, sitting on the bed. “Did your parents have powers, when they conceived you?”


    The girl said nothing, too intimidated to make a sound. But as Augustus examined the odd currents flowing through her body, so


    different from a normal human, he identified her as a Genome. A second-generation chosen.


    “If there is even a small chance that you inherited your father’s power,” Augustus said, kindly stroking her hair, “then | cannot let


    you live.”


    The girl began to cry, as the Genome put his hand around her mouth to silence her. It would be quick. He would simply fry her


    alive with lightning, or snap her neck. An instant, merciful death. If she survived, she would surely try to do her duty and avenge


    her parents.


    Better to kill her now, before she became a problem.


    And yet, as he looked into these blue eyes, the mobster couldn''t help but feel a hint of shame. Such an alien feeling had no


    ce within him, yet he couldn’t expunge it.


    “You remind me of my daughter,” Augustus admitted, as tears rained down the child’s cheeks. “She has the same eyes as


    yours.”


    Augustus had no scruples murdering a child, just not his own. And when that girl looked at him, it felt as if he was about to


    strangle his own blood. Even covering her eyes with his hand didn’t ease his mind.


    Come to think of it... his lieutenant and good friend Mars had told him about a certain problem recently. An issue this child could


    solve easily enough. Perhaps this was a sign from the heavens.


    Gods were cruel, but they could also show mercy.


    “| won''t kill you.”


    Augustus gently carried the crying welp up the stairs, his hands still red with her mother’s blood.


    “Something betteres to mind.”