“I am the Antalla,” said Junitha Findragon to the other member of the prime squad and the ships remaining senior staff, “that is the very short version of it. I guess I could give you a less abridged version. The world, the universe, it is all a lot more complex than most people realize. The short answer is magic. Magic is the most common word for it. There are forces, energies out there. They can’t be analyzed with machines. These energies can be wielded through thought and will alone. There are creatures born from these energies. There are different names for them in every culture. Some call them fairies for spirits. Sometimes they are called gods. Within this world there are those born from light and those born from darkness. They were engaged in a great struggle for thousands of years. The first Antalla brought an end to this struggle. Before he died he passed his power on to his chosen to keep watch over the world and make sure the struggle did not begin again. It is also the job of the Antalla to keep these forces from interfering in the regular world. Ever since then, the power of Antalla has been passed down from one woman to another. I have been the Antalla now for eight years. Tania Zed was the Antalla before me. She became the Antalla when she was thirteen, the youngest one so far. She passed the power on to me when she was nineteen. There are four abilities that come with the power of the Antalla. There is the power of the blood. I can feel every cell in my body if I concentrate and I can control what each of them does. I can also control someone else’s body if I touch them. Then there is the power of time. I can displace myself from the regular flow of time. It looks to other people like I am moving at incredible speed. But really I am just moving through time differently. There is also the power of the blades. Nadia Pentangelus forged these blades from her blood. She was an immortal and the chosen of First Antalla. These six crescent shaped blades obey the Antalla, they appear when called and they can not be used to harm the Antalla. The final power is called the Divine Roar, or some call it the power of the voice. With the Divine Roar you can replenish and ally or destroy an enemy or restore an entire ship full of people to calm and ordered state of mind.”
Janessa Kepshawn, Ryoko Jeagan, Samal Hectorese, Duron Ardiniero, Zemwell Tickbird and Therazan Sajan just stared at her for a moment.
“So what you are saying basically,” Zemwell broke the silence, “is that you are a super hero?”
“Yeah that’s the gist of it,” said Junitha.
“Are there other super people like you?” asked Therazan.
“There are a few,” said Junitha, “but none of them are as powerful as I am.”
“So you took time out of your busy super hero schedule to do what?” asked Ryoko, “are you planning to take out the Spectral Horde all on your own with your magical powers?”
“It does not work like that,” said Junitha, “the Antalla does not get involved in the affairs of mortal creatures. We stand against evil if we are confronted with it. We are here to save the world not make it a better place. If humanity wants a better world they have to make it themselves. I joined this mission as a human not as the Antalla. Then Zai showed up and things changed. Anyone else have any questions? How about you Janessa? You look a little perturbed by all this. Sorry to keep this a secret from you but the Antallas tend to have a harder time the more people know what they are.”
Janessa looked at Junitha for a while then said, “You got this power from Tania?”
“Before you knew her Tania Zed was the Antalla,” said Junitha, “she had been the Antalla for six years when I met her. That was enough for her I guess. Hikari Hanso was the Antalla for ten years. Kristen Hill was the Antalla for less than two years. It varies. Tania was tired of fighting the fight. She wanted to be a regular girl again. I wanted to be more than just regular. That’s how you find a new Antalla. You find a girl that wants more out of life. I grew up with repressive Muslim parents. But I always knew I could have more than what the people around me told me I could be. I left home and tried to get it as soon as I could. Tania said I would make a great Antalla.”
“Ever since I met you there was something about you,” said Janessa, “You reminded me so much of Tania. You smiled like her. You even talk like her sometimes. It was like you were her at times.”
“Part of me is Tania,” said Junitha, “there is another part of the power and that is the memory of Antalla. First Antalla took all of his knowledge and experience and combined it with the power. Each Antalla after that can add their knowledge and experience to the memory. In a way a part of each woman who was the Antalla before me is still here with me in the memory of the Antalla. That was how I knew who Zai was.”
“What do you mean you knew who Zai was?” asked Therazan.
“Oh yeah I forgot to mention that,” said Junitha, “the thing is the first Antalla knew Zai. In fact they were best friends. Zai was one of the few people the first Antalla trusted absolutely.”
“Wait when did this first Antalla live?” asked Ryoko.
“He lived during the early twenty first century,” said Junitha.
“That was a long time ago,” said Zemwell, “how old does that make Zai?”
“It’s hard to say,” said Junitha, “the first Antalla had a tendency to travel across time and space. But I always assumed Zai was from the same time period. Zai must be pretty darn old by now.”
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