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Andrias was nervous when his dad told him they needed to talk. A million things flashed through his head. Thoughts of his dad finding out about him sneaking out and egging a nearby shop that had been rude to Leif or maybe it was about the hold in Newtopia’s walls after he and Leif teased Barrel about how a hammer was an unrealistic weapon.
There were so many things to be worried about but this wasn’t one he expected.
“Andrias?”
“Yes, Father?”
“Do you know where our power comes from?”
“It comes from the music box.” He answered without hesitation.
“You’re close. My boy, but it actually comes from knowledge. What use is a box with no one to wield it?” Andrias could do nothing but nod at his father. “However, the type of knowledge you gain is also important. An experienced high ranked archer is useless with a sword.”
“Understood.” Andrias couldn’t deny that his father often spoke in riddles. His friends had pointed it out a number of times and they had joked about it in secret. But this time there was nothing funny. All he could feel was nervousness as he was led down into the basement.
He knew what horrors lay down there. As a kid, before he was marked as the next heir, he was scared of the monster that lurked in the shadows. He was always told that a few of them were his ancestors, but the majority were extraordinarily intelligent newts.
When he was finally marked heir, King Aldrich Leviathan had ordered him to begin playing Bogjump with the core. It was a simple game, but it still took nearly a year for him to actually fully understand all the rules combined with learning how to run Amphibia.
A few years later he finally started tying with the core, the rules of Flipwart were explained and they started again. Despite being known as the harder of the two games, Andrias took to it like a sea snake to water. It could have been his older age, but in the same time it took him to get a handle on the rules of Bogjump he was tying with the core in Flipwart.
At the time he hadn’t realized he was being trained to become more calculating. Sacrificing pieces for a win, became second nature, and he found himself making his decisions as a Prince in the same way. Sure he would sacrifice a less experienced platoon of soldiers so that the true warriors could make the true attack from their blindspot, but it was just a hypothetical. Hypothetical lives, hypothetical deaths, just like his game.
When they finally reached the basement Andrias expected to go down a few familiar corridors and see the core and a new board game, but was surprised to follow his dad down a different set.
He was led to a well lit room where plants filled the room. It smelled sweet and looked beautiful. Aldrich reached down with one hand, grabbing a sprouting plant.
“Father. How is this possible?” Andrias looked at his father who’s eyes seemed unimpressed if not almost disappointed at his son’s wonder.
“The Mossmen have provided us with amazing medical advances as you know.”
“Of course. We owe all our knowle- all our power,” Andrias corrected himself recalling a previous conversation, “to the Mossmen and Shadowfish.”
“That’s right. Good job son.” Andrias couldn’t stop the blinding smile he gave his dad. The king rested his hand on Andrias’s back leading him a bit deeper into the underground garden. Andrias’s eyes widened in horror.
A mossman lay against a wall. It had a chain on its neck that dragged on the ground, as if it was allowed to walk the entire length of the garden, but at the moment its arms and legs were cuffed to the wall, allowing no room for movement.
Andrias reached out to touch the creature as it helplessly moaned at him. A plea for help.
Aldrich slapped his son’s hand away and pulled out his fire dagger all in one move. The creature’s cries got louder as the flame was brought closer to its face. And when the mossman finally caught flame Andrias couldn’t stop himself from squeezing his eye’s shut and turning his head away. Andrias would have given anything to block out the screams the creature made in that moment.
He didn’t know it would only get worse.
“Don’t you dare look away, my son. You have sent millions of soldiers to death in your games, this is nothing. This. Is how you will save lives.” His father’s words sent shivers down his spine. There was no horror for what he had done, but there was no joy either. It was just something that had to happen.
And against his better judgment he turned back to look at the peaceful creature. The fire had spread, turning the moss that covered him black and charred. And when the fire finally died the only sound between the three of them was the mossman’s heavy breathing.
With one final deep breath, almost like magic, the charred greenery cracked and fell to the floor revealing fresh new buds. Aldrich turned and gestured to the other plants in the underground greenhouse. Each of them were also growing exponentially. Fruits grew from budding flowers and ripened in seconds in front of them.
“How?”
“We spliced the cells from a previous mossman to create these plants. They heal in response to each other, in fact injuring one plant will provide a similar response. It is the nature of the mossman and it’s biology that allowed us to create the core and rejuvenation tanks.”
Andrias didn’t have any words. He didn’t know if he should nod his head in agreement or just wait.
In the end, it didn’t matter his father looked satisfied as he waved him off. “That is all, why don’t you run off and play with those friends of yours.” Andrias turned to leave but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. “Remember Andrias, knowledge is power.” When he received no acknowledgement from his son he continued. “How much power are you willing to give your little friends? The same amount of power I give to you as a Prince?”
Andrias nodded his head in understanding, and his father let him go. Allowing him to run up and out of the basement, out of the castle, and to Newtopia’s border.