Omnitranyl (Ben 10 Alien Force)

Gwen couldn't wait to go home. The class seemed an eternity to end. She stared at the clock above the blackboard and felt as if the hand stubbornly refused to move.

Let's go… ― thought. Her right leg dangled under the chair.

She looked at her classmates around her. A herd of eleven year old pre-teens who, at that time of the day, were not paying attention to a single word the math teacher said.

Then came the long-awaited bell.

In a matter of moments, Gwen slung her notebook, case, and book into her backpack, slung it over her shoulder, and ran toward the door. The teacher gave one last instruction to the students, but she didn't listen. She ran down the hallway, dodging the sea of students, toward the double door to the exit.

Backpack on her back, she ran down the sidewalk. In her mind she tried to remember the steps that would be necessary for the execution of the spell. She practiced the steps, studied the correct pronunciation of the words, and meditated for hours to reach the required level of mana. Now it was time to put everything into practice.

She opened the door to her house and shouted for anyone who would listen:

"I'm home!" She climbed the stairs every two steps.

"But already!?" replied her mother from the kitchen. "Class isn't even over ten minutes ago?"

Gwen didn't answer, went into her room, threw her backpack to one side and went towards her desk drawer. Hidden under three notebooks was the Chamcaster's book of spells.

It was thanks to it that the young eleven-year-old girl had found her purpose. Her goofy cousin had a watch that allowed her to transform into aliens. She had the magic. Her last vacation was a cluster of adventures she would never forget. She faced villains, saved people, was called a heroine. And like every heroine, she needed to be prepared for the next challenge that came her way.

Gwen couldn't stop studying this book. Whenever there was a chance she was reading or reciting an incantation. Once she pronounced a spell wrong: she mistook "D" for "T" and ended up turning her bedside table into a carnivorous plant. His grandfather had to come from far away to put an end to the creature. Since then he has left guidelines:

"Gwen, I know you are a very curious and intelligent girl, but you can't be careless. Always try to prepare yourself well before trying any magic, and if you need to, let me know and I will take you somewhere open and safe so that you can train."

"Yes, Grandpa…" She kept her head down, staring at her feet. "And I'm sorry that I made you travel all the way here for this…"

"Don't worry, I was already planning to come visit you anyway," Grandpa Max smiled. He reached into his back pocket, pulled out a small object, and placed it in his granddaughter's hand. "Here, whenever you go training, keep this close to you."

Gwen looked at the object with doubt.

"A hair clip?"

"Yes."

"But I already have one, look." She brought her hand to her clipped hair so it wouldn't fall into her eyes.

"But it's not just a clip." Max took his hand to his granddaughter's hair, removed the old clip, and put the new one in. "It also acts like a Geiger counter for radiation, only for mana."

"Are you going to watch me like I'm grounded?" Gwen took the clip out of her hair. "Why? I said I was sorry about the plant!"

"Calm down, Gwen." He took the clip from her hand and put it back in her hair. "Like I said, it's just a gauge, it will only warn me if it goes above safe levels for you and the people around you ."

Gwen felt a slight discomfort in her stomach. As much as she loved magic, she knew it was something with great potential for harm.

"That way," Max continued, "I can come to your rescue before you even think to call me." He smiled warmly, then opened his arms and said, "Come here, give me a hug."

Gwen wrapped her arms around his huge body in a tight hug.

Since then she has never stopped wearing her grandfather's gift. However, she had a certain fear that perhaps the incantation she was going to try today might trigger the clip.

Her mother's voice propagated from downstairs through the stairs:

"Gwen, I'm going to have to leave to go to the market, do you need anything!?"

"No, I don't, Mom!"

"Anything at all, just call me!"

"Okay!"

It was already in the girl's plans the absence of her mother. Her father was working and would only arrive in the evening. Her mother had informed her the day before that she would be shopping that afternoon. It was the perfect opportunity!

A few weeks ago, while studying the Charmcaster book, Gwen saw a chapter that instructed ways to reach out and release internal mana flow limiters to be able to amplify her powers. As said before, for a heroine it is always good to be prepared for future challenges and becoming more powerful was an important step in this preparation.

As soon as she heard the sound of the front door closing, Gwen lifted the rug in her room, revealing a magic circle drawn in chalk on her carpet. She opened her closet and took out candles that were positioned at strategic points in the circle. He entered the drawing and lit the candles with a match, then sat down with his legs crossed, with the open book resting on them.

He took a deep breath and let it out. He did this a few times until he could breathe without anxiety. He placed his palms one on top of the other, then closed his fingers into two "C's". He concentrated even more.

Slowly he began to visualize his own body inside his mind. The more he concentrated, the more he could see small lines drawing across it, indicating the path his mana was traveling inside of him. Almost in a whisper he began to speak:

" Juuem si, corpore ksa… "

The lines began to get more and more defined, drawing paths, spirals and deviations.

" Yuurem baa, corpore tzu… "

Gwen realized that there were places on her body where the flow of mana was almost negligible, she focused on them.

" Reserare !"

A high-pitched, bell-like sound was heard echoing through the room, and then, about the point she was focusing on, several new paths appeared and connected to each other. Gwen felt her power grow at the same instant. Smiled slightly.

She focused again. Another point where she felt the flow was more limited. How many more new paths could she open? Well, one more at least. He focused his attention.

" Reserare !"

Again the sound of the bell. New routes filled his body. His power grew incredibly. Again she smiled.

But it was already good, wasn't it?

Still immersed in meditation, Gwen took one last look at her flow before she began to finish the incantation. The mana coursed through her body with incredible speed. Next to her left shoulder was another detour. Her mana advanced quickly and then there it turned in a sharp curve towards her heart, and then, lo and behold, the sound of the bell was heard for the third time.

Gwen again felt the wave of power fill her body, this time causing her to float slightly for a few seconds. She didn't smile.

I have to stop ! ― thought.

Next to her right knee was another detour. At least there was, for with the ringing of the fourth bell, new paths appeared there.

In total, seven bells sounded.

◇───────◇───────◇

Max found himself leaving Plumber Headquarters, walking toward the Rust Bucket when a sharp sound echoed from his badge. He didn't have to pick it up to see what it was; there was only one thing that would make his badge sound like that. He ran to the trailer, sat in the driver's seat, put his badge over the dashboard, and started the car.

Barely had the garage gates opened and the Rust Bucket was already out at high speed. The badge projected onto itself a circular map of the city with a flashing bright dot. At the edge of the map, a pointer rose rapidly, pointing to what would be increasing levels of mana.

Max pressed a button on the panel and started the communication:

"Headquarters, this is Magistrate Tennyson speaking, I need reinforcements urgently at the coordinates I am sending you now. Only containment and control forces, no weapons, I repeat, no weapons."

The Rust Bucket traveled through the city with a speed and dexterity disproportionate to its external appearance. It went through red lights, skidded around sharp turns and over residential fences until it finally reached its destination.

People came out of their homes and began to gather in the street to observe the event. Questioning voices were added to the sounds of astonishment.

Grandpa Max got out of the trailer and stared at the second floor of his son's house, more precisely where Gwen's room was.

"Oh, no…" said Max.

The walls of the room were just debris floating in mid-air, along with objects and furniture. A loud, low-pitched noise propagated through the area in a slow, obedient rhythm. Floating in the middle of her own room, Gwen found herself with her torso hoisted, her arms and legs fallen inert, and her head bowed back. A strong rosy glow emanated from her eyes and mouth. His skin acquired small violet spots that clustered into larger and larger macules.

A plumber's van stopped abruptly next to the Rust Bucket; quickly, five soldiers got out and approached Max.

"Magistrate," said one of the soldiers "what are the orders!?"

"We need to cordon off the area immediately. Start moving people away from here. We will also need the Memory Control team to erase the events that these people are witnessing."

Two more convoys arrived and were soon disembarking their members.

Max continued:

"I need someone to find out where my son and daughter-in-law are, if they are not around here, I need someone to distract them and not allow them to come home."

"And what about the girl, Magistrate, what are we going to do?"

"I'll take care of the girl, now let's go!"

The soldiers nodded their heads in affirmation and went to their duties. Max, in turn, headed for the front door of the house.

◇───────◇───────◇

Gwen lost control of herself. She lost control of her magic, her body, and her thoughts. Only an instinct for survival screamed within her being. I want to live ! But living caused her fear. Being alive meant having to deal with this range of feelings and stimuli amplified to the extreme. I want to live !

She felt her chest heaving frantically, her heart pounding in her ears. Her thoughts were not obeying her and were racing down unimaginable paths. She felt trapped, certain that she would not survive this. I want to live !

She began to feel beyond herself. She began to see everything, everywhere, at the same time. She saw lines of mana in everything around her, some thicker than others. Some more tortuous than others. Some more full of life than others. She felt an immense need to reach them, as if her survival depended on it, but her body would not move. She clamored for them, she needed them. I want to live !

Slowly the lines began to come toward her, and her being welcomed them with open arms. As the mana coursed through her body, the lines around her began to taper and disappear. I needed more! I want to live !

And then a dense, shapeless dot entered his field of attention. It was small, but its interior was rich with magic. I need it! Her body leaned forward, her hands moving toward it. Suddenly, the dot expanded like a small sun, bringing with it an infinite number of lines. The streaks surrounded her and were touching the surface of her skin, feeding her hunger for energy. She would live...

Her breathing calmed down.

Her mind was quieting down.

Silence...

"Gwen?"

A small sliver of light appeared between her eyelids.

Darkness again.

"Gwen?"

She opened her eyes again. A blurred image came into focus: the face of her grandfather.

"Come on, Gwen.." said Max "Wake up!"

"Grandpa?"

The girl was lying on the floor of her room, her head resting on her grandfather's lap. Her hands held his left hand resting on her abdomen.

"How are you feeling?" asked Max.

"My head feels weird…" She tried to lift his neck.

"No, no!" Max leaned his granddaughter's head on his leg. "Don't get up now, try to rest."

"What happened?"

"That doesn't matter now, the important thing is that you're all right and no one was hurt."

Gwen lowered her eyes to her grandfather's left hand, on his ring finger, a wedding ring with a faint pink glittering jewel. She looked up and saw the orange sky of a late afternoon.

But where is the ceiling? ― she thought ― And the walls?

He looked at his grandfather with a big doubtful expression.

"I'll explain later, now rest."

◇───────◇───────◇

After the situation had been brought under control by the Plumbers and the doctors had assured Gwen that everything was fine, Max decided to explain to his granddaughter what had happened. After all, no matter how much she apologized, the girl made it clear that she would not rest easy until she knew what had happened to her and if she was in danger of it happening again.

Max sat down in the armchair of the hospital room, propped his elbows on his knees, and fiddling with his wedding ring, began to speak:

"I guess neither I nor your father has told you anything about your grandmother, am I right?"

"Grandma?" asked Gwen, "No, it always seemed like a subject that shouldn't be talked about in the family. After a while I stopped asking."

"That's your father's thing, there's no reason to be ashamed about who your grandmother is?"

"What do you mean, Grandpa?"

Max leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling of the room. His gaze visited his memories.

"Her name is Verdona… "

"Is Grandma alive?"

"Yes, she is."

"And where is she? Do you know where her house is?"

"Yes, I do," Max smiled. "In Anodyne ."

"Grandma's an alien!" Gwen got out from under the covers and got down on her knees on the bed. "Why didn't you tell me about this before!"

"Because he's afraid I'll become the grandchildren's favorite."

"Verdona…" Max got up from his armchair in a jolt.

A woman with white hair came through the bedroom door. On her lips was a smile of tenderness and joy.

"That's Grandma?" Gwen asked.

Max walked around the bed, approached the woman and said in a calm but concerned voice:

"What are you doing here?"

"It's good to see you too, Maxwell," she caressed his cheek with her hand. "You'd think I wouldn't come to visit my granddaughter on the day she awakens her true essence."

"Whoa, what's that?" Gwen leaned forward.

Max bowed his head, inhaled silently, and let the air escape from his lungs without resistance.

"I had intended to approach the subject in a less direct way…"

"Why? The girl has the right to know who she really is!"

"Yes, she does, but everything has a way of being approached. It might scare her and-"

"Hi," interrupted Gwen, "Why don't you two put your manners aside and explain to me what's going on with me?"

"You're an anodite , Gwen," said Verdona.

Max put his hands on his waist and paced the room restlessly.

"Ano what?" said Gwen.

Verdona sat down on the bed and with her left hand began to stroke her granddaughter's hair.

"Anodite, my dear."

"Half-anodite," Max cut in.

"You know very well that there's no such thing with anodites," Verdona said over her shoulder.

"Grandma... I mean... May I call you Grandma?"

"Of course, my dear!" Verdona smiled with pride.

"Grandma, what is an anodite?"

"Anodite is what you are. An inhabitant of the planet Anodyne, just like me." Verdona's eyes took on a rosy glow.

Gwen was filled with excitement.

"You have powers! What can you do? Can I do it too?"

"Calm down, calm down, my child…" Verdona held both Gwen's hands "You will learn everything I know in time."

"Verdona, she's not ready yet," Max said firmly.

Gwen and her grandmother stared at Max. There was frustration on Gwen's face, while Verdona remained serious.

"But Grandpa…"

"I'm sorry, Gwen."

"Max, she's awake."

"Yes, and she nearly sucked the energy out of everyone in the neighborhood."

"Excuse me?" Gwen slowly let go of her grandmother's hands.

"I was trying to explain everything to you calmly before your grandmother arrived, Gwen, but-"

"Max, that's exactly why she should go with me," Verdona interrupted. "Your species is not capable of dealing with…"

"Verdona, she's only eleven years old! I can't let my granddaughter go to another planet. Her parents wouldn't allow it."

"If she loses control again, we don't know what can happen…"

"I know that…"

"What could happen?" asked Gwen. "What's wrong with me?" Her eyes began to water.

"Oh, my dear," Verdona pulled Gwen close and hugged her, "don't worry, there's nothing wrong with you."

"But you said…"

"We Anodites are a species made of pure energy. We use and manipulate what we call mana at our pleasure."

Gwen moved her head away from her grandmother's trunk and said:

"Just as it is done in magic?"

"Exactly…"

"But on a level totally out of comparison," Max cut in.

"Yes, we are a very powerful species," said Verdona.

"What happened to me back home?" Gwen asked "I thought I had lost control of a spell, but it seems it wasn't just that…"

"No, it wasn't, my dear," Verdona stroked Gwen's hair again. "Would you mind telling me which spell you were trying?"

"I was trying to open up some internal limitations on my mana flow to try to become more powerful, only-"

"Only the barriers started falling one after the other and you couldn't stop it."

"Yes…"

"As I said, Gwen, we are a species that has a very intimate relationship with mana. Each pathway within our being needs to have a minimum amount of energy for it to flow with quality. A path without mana within us is like an artery without blood. Our body suffers a kind of asphyxiation of energy."

"So when I started to open the barriers…"

"Energy was lacking to fill these new arteries ."

"I thought I was going to die…" said Gwen.

"And unfortunately that's what it feels like, only our survival instinct is higher. Lacking internal mana, her body began to seek energy in the surroundings."

Gwen turned to her grandfather with fear in her eyes:

"What have I done!?"

Max came over to the bed and hugged his granddaughter.

"No one was hurt, Gwen, don't worry," he lifted her head and, staring into her eyes, continued, "I told you I'd be there to protect you."

Gwen loosened her embrace, turned to her grandmother, and asked:

"What would happen if I absorbed all of a person's mana?"

Verdona bowed her head, thought for a few seconds, and then said:

"No living creature survives without mana within its being."

◇───────◇───────◇

Five years later. In a skylight inside Bellwood Forest. A thick white smoke was beginning to dissipate.

"Gw-Gwen, st... top…" said Kevin with difficulty.

The young Osmosian's skin was covered with rock, yet the force of the girl's grip on his fingers was enough to crack the covering around his throat. His legs dangled uselessly in the air. His hands held Gwen's violet forearm in a vain attempt to lessen the effect of his own body weight on the chokehold. Kevin then began to feel that something of vital importance was beginning to escape from within his being. He was dying.