The Machiavellian Knight

Por Luis Germinal Muñoz Salvador

A loner find himself with the moral challenge of using his new found powers to change the fate of humanity. He fights tooth and nail against an alien invasion that threatens to destroy everything. On the brink of extinction, humanity toss aside all morality and ethic for the sake of winning the war and saving the species. The Knights, the men and woman who rose to the challenge and became the saviors and only hope of humanity risked their lives against an unknown enemy. Warriors become once again the most valuable members of society. However, their sacrifice might be useless. The worst of humanity shows up to guaranty their own demise. The question arise: who is the monster?

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Universo de Letras
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 3 feb 2023
• ISBN: 9788419612229

Luis Germinal Muñoz Salvador

Luis Germinal Muñoz Salvador, nacido en 1984, Neyba (República Dominicana). Médico de profesión, aficionado a la lectura de los géneros de ciencia ficción, terror y fantasía. Se inició escribiendo cuentos cortos a comienzos del año 2000. Decide pasar a escribir novelas, haciendo sus primeras publicaciones en 2023.

Vista previa del libro

The

Machiavellian Knight

Luis Germinal Muñoz Salvador

The Machiavellian Knight

Luis Germinal Muñoz Salvador

No se permite la reproducción total o parcial de este libro, ni su incorporación a un sistema informático, ni su transmisión en cualquier forma o por cualquier medio, sea éste electrónico, mecánico, por fotocopia, por grabación u otros métodos, sin el permiso previo y por escrito del autor. La infracción de los derechos mencionados puede ser constitutiva de delito contra la propiedad intelectual (Art. 270 y siguientes del Código Penal).

© Luis Germinal Muñoz Salvador, 2023

Diseño de la cubierta: Equipo de diseño de Universo de Letras

Imagen de cubierta: ©Shutterstock.com

Obra publicada por el sello Universo de Letras

www.universodeletras.com

Primera edición: 2023

ISBN: 9788419614254

ISBN eBook: 9788419612229

I

A Chance

Luca woke up panting, drenched in sweat, his heart racing, the sound of his heart beat pounding on his ears and almost blind. It took a few minutes before he calmed down. It was the same dream he had had the past weeks.

In his dream he was standing in an open space, entirely made of crystal sand. Everything around him was made of white crystal sand. A blue sky without even one cloud was over his head, and there was crystal sand for as far as he could see. The horizon was a line in which the endless plain of crystals seemed to fuse with the blue sky, and in the middle of it was a white light shining like a sun.

Luca felt that this light which seemed far away was actually close, as if he could touch it with just stretching his arm, but at the same time, he had an ominous feeling, as if he reached for that light his world would change and his life would become something else.

He had been struggling with this for weeks—maybe he should go see a psychiatrist. Although it was just a dream, it felt so real. His mind was taken by both fear and wonder. The feeling that this light was a new beginning, but the dread it produced. Maybe he had just gone crazy, maybe he was depressed or something, but it didn’t matter. Even if he had troubles and was going nuts, no one could help him; no friends, no family. Luca had a lot of trust issues, so he would rather keep dealing with madness on his own for a while.

Recovered from the nightmare, he got up from the bed, looked at his phone and got up early like it had been every day lately. All his mails, messages and phone calls where from work, like always. A proud member of the antisocial club.

I need a vacation, he said to himself, watching the dark circles around his eyes.

After washing his teeth and taking a shower, he headed to work, but that dream was still haunting his mind.

Luca left his apartment and took the train. Loud, overweight, rude, dead-eyed people occupied the wagon. He hid his disgust as much as he could. Most of these people never thought about anything. They just lived like mindless creatures.

He could not concentrate on his job, he could not focus—his dreams were stuck in his mind, so he made a decision and decided to talk to his supervisor.

Jim, I need to talk to you. Do you have a moment?

Sure, Luca, come in, Jim said, inviting him into his office.

Jim, I need to take a few days off work. I know it’s sudden, but something came up.

Jim was stunned; he sat there surprised, his mouth half opened. He could not believe his ears. Mr. Luca Barresi, the workaholic, the man who never socialized, the man who hadn’t taken a vacation ever in seven years wanted to take time off.

Sure, Luca, no problem. When do you wanna leave? Jim said after recovering.

Next week. I’m gonna take at least a month off.

Jim stayed pensive for a few seconds, and finally said, Luca, I know you are not a very social person and you prefer to keep to yourself, but I want you to know that you can count on us. I mean, you have never taken a vacation since you joined the company. Is everything okay?

Luca was a bit annoyed by that, but he didn’t show it—it was just his job. He took on extra work because of the pay—nothing else. Luca wanted to retire young, and although his relations with his coworkers was good and normal, he kept to himself. He knew perfectly well that all that pep talk about friendship, brotherhood, and human relations was all bullshit. Everyone tried to sound like a friend, but when problems really came, they were too busy with their own lives.

He learned that from his father. The old man found himself in disgrace once, just once in his life. His family turned his back on him and the boss he diligently worked for fired him without even giving him a chance. With no job, no money, sick and with little chances, his wife also bailed out, leaving young Luca with a sick father. He wasn’t good enough anymore.

Never put your life in other people’s hands. Never trust in other people’s disposition to repay your kindness and never trust a woman who is trying to seduce you, his father told him day in, day out.

At the end, the old man pulled himself together, his health recovered and he managed to use his strong will to pull through. Still, so much hardship took a toll on him and he died in his sixties, but by that time Luca was already a man and could take care of himself.

Yes, everything is okay, I’m just a bit tired and need time off. I guess I am getting old! Luca joked with a forced smile.

Good to know, Luca. Well, have fun, enjoy your vacation.

The week passed quickly. Lots of people were surprised when they found out Luca was taking a vacation, but also relieved.

He is human, after all someone joked while they were gossiping at the office.

Luca was ready to spend a few weeks alone in the mountains. His nightmares were getting worse. Sometimes he even got the feeling he could see the crystal sand plane while awake by just closing his eyes. The light was as terrifying as ever, but fascinating at the same time. The mystery behind it was vexing and alluring at the same time.

I’m gonna touch that light. I need to get this over with, he said while driving.

Sestriere was a common vacation spot for many people. It was beautiful and green in summer, and snowy and perfect for skiing in winter. The view of the mountain was breathtaking, as one of the highest points in Italy. But Luca wasn’t there for that.

Luca had a small wood cabin in the forest, away from everything. An heirloom from his grandfather. After spending the day organizing groceries and all the stuff he needed for a month or two, he grew tired, so after a light dinner, he went straight to bed. Luca dozed off promptly and found himself standing in the crystal sand plane again. The light was shining in the horizon as usual. Just looking at it made Luca feel weary. Fear was making his legs tremble, but still, he took a step forward and extended his hand. Before he could get too close to the light, he woke up like always—his body covered in sweat and his heart pounding. He could not sleep after that. Every time he closed his eyes, that light was there. He was fully awake, but the memory of this dream haunted him.

After hours, the dreadful feeling stuck with him. Luca took the first step, and one thing was sure: there was no way back. As time passed, things got worse. By simply closing his eyes and thinking about getting closer to that light, he felt dizzy and tired. It felt like every time he did this, the light was getting closer and closer to him. After a few hours, it was hard to stand it, but for some reason his fears vanished. Instead, he felt attracted to this light, and at the same time his mind and perception of the world expanded. Luca felt like he was just about to discover something that should have never been found.

After that long night, the sun came up. Luca was tired, his face was pale, but he kept trying. He hadn’t slept at all. Still, he kept trying. The light felt closer and closer. Finally, by midday, something happened. Luca could not open his eyes. A sharp pain exploded in his brain. He could not stand it. He screamed in pain before passing out.

Luca woke up a few hours later. His mind was in disarray, he was dizzy, his head still hurting as if his brain was three sizes bigger than his skull. By the look of it, he fell from the sofa and found himself on the floor. He tried to get up only to feel dizzier and feel more pain. Luca threw up and fainted again. Two hours later, Luca woke up again. Covered in his own vomit, he still had a headache, but it was significantly lighter than before. Now Luca got scared—maybe he had a stroke. Should he go to a hospital? Should he call an ambulance? Many ideas came to his mind.

After lying some more on the floor, Luca recovered enough strength to force himself to get up. Luca checked his own body: everything seemed to be normal, except for some kind of shine on the extreme corners of his eye sight. Slowly he managed to get to the bathroom. His face was pale, red eyes with blood vessels popping and a small halo of light around his iris. He tried to focus a bit on that shine; the hair on his body stood up, his mind turned active and bright, a feeling of power invaded his body. Whatever happened to him didn’t seem to be too bad, just very tiring. However, Luca knew he wasn’t the same anymore. There was something in him, something ancient, something powerful. A smile was on his face. There was more behind this. Luca could feel that he was close to achieving something great.

Luca cleaned up his vomit and took a shower, he then had a light meal and took a few hours of rest without trying anything. Luca spent some hours sitting in the porch of the cabin; that shine was still in his sight, but everything seemed normal. When he closed his eyes, the light was there, even closer than before, but nothing happened if he didn’t think of getting closer to it. It was just there, patiently waiting for him. Luca just knew this light meant no harm to him, he could feel it. An ancient wisdom and power was just there waiting for him, but his body could not take the burden in one go. Time and patience were needed.

Later in the day, Luca was still tired, but the time he took to rest left him in better physical condition. Still, his mind was getting foggy, he needed a good sleep. As he went to bed, he fell asleep immediately. His mind got back to the crystal plane, the light was right in front of him. This was the moment he was waiting; he could feel it in his bones, something extraordinary was about to happen and it did.

The moment he touched the light, it morphed into a man-sized semitransparent insect. Its form resembled a mantis, a praying mantis made of crystal. Luca’s brain was flooded with information. He had the feeling of knowing what this monster was, what it was made of, he knew its aggressiveness. This creature was made of energy; pure energy, it fed on it, it could feed on any kind of energy, but specially on biological energy, especially human brain waves. This form of life was a foot soldier and it could travel between dimensions. This salty plane wasn’t just a dream, it was the connection bridge to an extraordinary and dangerous power. Ancient power. They were there billions of years back—the invaders, the conquerors, the aliens, the guardians, the cleaners.

The monster morphed into a crystal version of Luca.

We have seen the future. Everything is destroyed, but it is not our right to choose. What is your choice? What will you do with this power? the crystal version of Luca said.

My choice? said Luca.

A new wave of information entered Luca’s mind. People, millions, the image of millions of small lights appeared in his mind. He could feel the brain activities of other people, not their thoughts, just their location and other few characteristics. Every person’s brain was a light, some as small as a firefly, others as big as chimney fire. He was partially connected to every member of his species. His mind became a disorganized maze of lights. While he tried to understand and organize it, the information was too much. Luca mind could not stand it anymore, his consciousness faded, the light turned blindly bright for a second and then everything turned black. He didn’t wake up. He fell deeply asleep.

The next day, he woke up fresh and revitalized. His body was hungry. Luca ate and ate for hours, basically eating half a month worth of food in one day. His body was better now, but he had a lot on his mind. Those creatures, the mind of the people he saw—he had a lot of information to process and needed time to understand some of his newfound powers. He thought about his life, about the world and what he should do now. He didn’t have much of a reason to like this world. His childhood was rough, his job was enslaving, fortunately he had a thick skin, he worked a lot of hours trying to save as much as possible so he could retire as young as possible. However, taxes, the increase in standard of living, inflation, the rotten society ate away all of his efforts. He almost despised everything in this world.

Luca sat still for hours, thinking. He had undoubtedly become one of the most powerful men in the world. His decision may turn the world into a better place and give it a chance to save itself or plunge the world into madness; humanity could face annihilation.

Luca could feel his newfound power. The shine in his eyes increased while his mind became active. However, when he tried to see the lights