Return to Thunder Stone

By Eugene Weaver

Trapped on the still hostile world, Thunder Stone Realm, the last two remaining hu-mans and a small Dragon Pig must traverse a dangerous land in the hopes of finally learning the hidden secrets of the supernatural stone and what it will take to defeat the entity that resides inside its prison in space, whose power is now nearly restored. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eugene Weaver Publishing
• Release date: Mar 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798988657859

Book preview

Activity Inside the Dead Star

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For one billion years, it lay in wait. Healing from the devastating battle it had fought with a centipede celestial being. Dormant, but the parasite still existed. It had died upon impact of collision with the brilliant star whose nuclear core erupted, the crystallite inside shattering.

This star was different from the billions upon billions surrounding it, only a select few were made up of a similar composition. Special. Smaller than the rest, but burning brightly in the deep vacuum of space, its core possessed compounds unlike nearly anything else in the known universe. Why this star and few others in the universe were so unique was unknown and would forever remain a mystery, a true anomaly. But there it resided. Alone and pulsating.

And then, the celestial beings had battled, both perishing in the ensuing fight for dominance. The aggressor, a large, jet-black creature covered in a sticky substance with glowing lights scattered across its wide body, looked similar to a manta ray while the creature it attacked resembled a centipede. Larger and stronger than the manta ray, but the manta ray was far more aggressive, with the sole purpose of hunting and killing any other celestial beings that crossed its path.

The centipede had won the fight but at the cost of its own life. The manta ray had spiraled toward the glowing star, smashing into it with staggering force. This was the first time a celestial being had ever collided with a star, much less one with a core made of a clear, crystal-like mineral that could only be called magical and life-giving. This was why the star itself, while much smaller than nearly all other stars, glowed significantly brighter. The tiny star imploded upon impact, shattering the crystal core. Nearly every piece of the mineral inside evaporated from the nuclear explosion upon impact.

Amid the destruction that occurred when the core collapsed, only a select few pieces survived. Most of the fragments from the explosion had rocketed through the newly-formed black hole and been destroyed by the gravitational pull of the supernova. Nearly all that actually escaped were crushed by meteors entering the event horizon.

Two pieces in particular sailed through the newly-formed black hole from the dead star where they had previously resided. They avoided crashing into meteors and disintegrating upon entering various planets’ atmospheres. Starting out as large chunks of jagged crystal, as they travelled through space many of their physical attributes were smoothed out into round orb-shaped stones. No larger than three feet wide and high, the stones were not heavy. What they lacked in size and mass, they made up for in the magical, supernatural powers they possessed.

When the creature smashed into the star, part of its own internal makeup and DNA became imprinted onto the stones, which was the DNA of all of the celestial beings that roamed the universe billions of years ago. The stones themselves, on their exit through the black hole, had inadvertently given the dead being back a very small amount of its life force. Thus, binding them together for all time. Or, until the stones or the massive creature were destroyed. For now, parts of the enormous entity lay dormant, trapped in suspended animation inside the massive black hole its aggressive nature had created when it arrogantly chose to battle with a larger creature than itself.

The magnetic pull on either side of the newly-created black hole trapped the being’s remains. Alive but dead, the glowing lights on its body still pulsed. Inside them, life existed. Life that needed a host to evolve from and provide a way of escape.

Black crystalized shards of the creature had escaped upon smashing into the star, jettisoning chunks of black mineral outward. One such chunk smashed into a desolate planet, the same planet one of the two stones had landed on. A creature was born in the black crystal rock mountain, created to obey its father’s will. Find my stone. Bring it to me, it whispered to its offspring on what would eventually be named Thunder Stone Realm by a stranded astronaut from planet Earth.

But the creature on this new world was a jealous, prideful, and covetous being. It grew larger as the many years passed, staying in the black crystal rock with which it travelled through the stars and was born in. As it grew, it began sensing the power of the stone once it was discovered many years later by humans that lived on this world.

Its name was Hyzothan, and it infected and corrupted nearly all aspects of life on the planet. Even insects fell under its power once it held the stone in its grasp. Men were turned into disease-spreading monsters and women were used to fuel the stone’s power. The stone was connected to it, and it the stone. The beast was covetous. It could have taken the retrieved stone back to its master, but it hid it inside of its mountain instead, wanting the power all to itself. Killing and feeding off of the life force of the people of this broken and destroyed world.

Meanwhile, the enormous celestial being that once resembled a manta ray remained trapped inside a prison of its own making, the remaining pieces of it forming once more and beginning to grow and heal. It watched through many years as spacecrafts entered into the massive force of the black hole only to be destroyed at once. None travelled through the wormhole the initial explosion had created and through which the two stones had traversed. If its son would not bring the stone to it, maybe a flying spacecraft could.

So, it waited in a hibernating-like state. Little by little, as it grew stronger, it became the space giant it once was. Countless ages passed. The nearly dead husk of the creature slowly, over time gained enough strength to move and eventually named itself Zîā, a name only it understood or could even pronounce. Most likely, a name it and its creations would call it as it eventually sought to conquer galaxies by way of fire and death. It would be known as the destroyer of those galaxies. Though not nearly as large as it had once been, it was still a mighty force even in this much weakened state. For now.

A large ship with the letters E.E.S. Saros had entered the black hole and only a small craft escaped from it. Then another craft entered. A sleek, shiny one. This one making it through the wormhole and out the other side. A spacecraft designed to withstand the gravitational pull on its own. It hoped and waited.

A tiny silver orb passed through again, a smaller version of the much larger shiny, silver ship. It passed the creature lying in wait. The being had hoped for a moment like this. It wasn’t strong enough yet to escape either side of the black hole, but it could send a piece of itself along with the spacecraft that managed to go back through.

The first stone still lay on the planet, however, thus holding the creature’s escape back. It feared the stone would be claimed once more by the inhabitants of that world. It sensed its offspring Hyzothan had indeed been murdered, as the stone had given it telepathic powers, even from a great distance. It caught glimpses of events unfold across Thunder Stone Realm.

The second stone remained unfound. The creature sensed its presence, though. My new child will lead me to it. It will learn and not fail like the one before it has. It watched and waited. It saw its child evolve aboard the spacecraft named the Leo after assimilating the human DNA. It saw the same spacecraft crash and its evolving offspring erupt into flames, crashing into water. It saw the man responsible. It saw a shiny stone buried on the desolate planet. It spoke to the man, taunting him, you will help me get what is mine. Then, I will kill you.

The being also sensed that it must act. The mighty black hole where it had been held captive for so long would soon be no more. It had been compressing in on itself through the countless years since the entity collided with it. Everything was falling into place. The time of the mighty Zîā’s eternal reign would begin soon. Its evolution was nearly complete.

Part 1

Back on

Thunder Stone

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chapter 1

The Man and

His Flying Pig

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Ben and the small pink animal he had affectionately named Snout made their way through the forest on their way to the volcano where, not long ago, a mighty beast had resided, controlling the planet with the help of the glowing stone in its possession. Ben, along with the rest of the creatures of this world, felt the oppressive presence of the beast no more, freed of the death and destruction it had wrought for so many years.

The sky was full of swirling orange clouds, planets could be seen above them in the distant heavens. However, above Pivoron Mountain where the entrance of Mirnare cave once stood, dark clouds still hovered as a reminder of the chaos that had once engulfed the land. Ash still fell silently to the surface of the planet and lava bubbled inside the mountain now turned into an active volcano.

Ben held the torch and sidearm left to him by one of his crewmates he sensed were no longer residents of this world. As he walked through the dense forest, he thought back to being awakened from the nightmare of being an Azid, one of Hyzothan’s disease-spreading winged vermin, and seeing the dead grotesque skin of the creature he had previously been now lying beside him. Around him lay the carcasses of countless killed Azid who were no longer Azid. They were people. All changed back into their previous bodies once Hyzothan’s power was relinquished from their minds and bodies.

A great battle had happened here. To the death. He had little recollection of it but surmised he must not have been completely dead when the destruction of Hyzothan on the mountain happened. Otherwise, he would have been left rotting with the rest of the unfortunate souls sprawled out on blood caked rock. Men of various sizes and shapes had littered the area where he was resurrected. He had quickly assessed his situation, gathered the few things left behind, and left immediately. There was nothing for him in this open graveyard.

When he had awakened from the foggy haze of the Azid disease that had wracked his body, he found himself completely naked, as were the rest of the bodies strewn about the immediate area. He recalled his body being transformed while on the small escape pod with Ramsey and Justin, when his clothes were ripped from his body.

In his unclothed state, he had searched the immediate area, and considered himself lucky to have found a small container. It wasn’t locked and the markings on it were Trilaxian, with the world symbol encrusted on the top flat section of the grey metal container. He had opened it and, to his surprise and delight, discovered an outfit. His outfit! Quickly, he had surmised this was the work of one Carol Blake. Also included in the case were several food rations and a bottle of water.

He had quickly put the clothes on: a pair of heavy-duty tan cargo pants, a white military grade Trilaxian STEA shirt and corresponding flight jacket, thermal shorts, socks, and even more fortunate, his own pair of black flight boots. He holstered the sidearm and wished he had his knife but figured that was lost during his transformation. A good Trilaxian soldier never loses his knife he thought sadly. He ate one of the food rations, drank a bit of the water then inspected the torch left behind for him.

He recognized the black crystal it was made of. If it was left for him, it must be useful, like the rest of the items. Striking two stones together several times against some dry grass he gathered on the ground produced the needed results. The grass caught flame and Ben quickly held the torch against the small fire he had managed to start. The torch immediately ignited. The fire glistened and waved in the breeze. He noticed the torch itself was empty of any flammable material, but his hunch had indeed paid off. This torch didn’t need flammable material. It was the flammable material. A torch that could stay lit indefinitely. He was quite happy this was left for him.

Having been nourished by one of the food rations left behind, he noticed the small, pink, flying pig-like creature. Well, hello there, little fella, he said as the pig fluttered its wings in front of him. The creature was small and very similar to a pig with a light coat of pink-colored fur, short legs, one of which was bandaged, and wings that jutted out from its back. Its snout was flat, and it had a very tiny mouth.

The flying pig recognized the language as that of the other space travelers that had left it with this man. It quickly flew over and landed close enough for Ben to cautiously reach out and pat it on the head. The pig liked the man’s touch, like the woman before him. It moved over and sat beside Ben as he stroked the top of the animal’s soft, pink head. What happened to your leg there little guy? Ben asked the creature, inspecting the bandaged leg Carol Blake had taken care of much earlier.

He could see by the look in the animal’s big, wide eyes, this creature trusted humans and liked the attention. So, I’m not alone after all, and someone tended to your leg, Ben thought to himself as he sat on a rock, petting the little pig and looking out at the volcano in the distance, lava flowing from its summit.

He was glad to be alive, considering those around him remained still. All of them had sustained life ending injuries. Ben caught glimpses of the battle in his head but most of it was still foggy. He hoped his memory would return fully. Ben shifted positions while crouching down causing the little dragon pig to hop on the ground watching him. You know what? I think you’re good to go with that leg injury. You’re hopping around just fine. Let me take that off for you, Ben said.

Carefully he removed the bandages and tossed them aside which seemed to please the dragon pig who launched itself into the air until it was eye level with Ben, staring at him.

Looking at the innocent little creature, he said with a slight smile, So, am I going to call you something if you’re tagging along? I sure could use a friend, I suppose. Why don’t we call you Snout? You okay with that? Because you certainly have one of those. He chuckled to himself as he gathered the small container with the remaining food rations and water and connected it to the back of his jacket. He remembered that all of these slim storage containers had clips making them easy to connect to the official STEA jackets and spacesuits when exploring planets.

He looked once more toward the volcano then down at the creature newly-named Snout and pointed at the horizon. Well, that’s where I’m headed. I need answers and I intend to try to find other survivors. There must be some out there. If you want to tag along, have at it.

Ben began walking away from the hiding spot of the Stormbringer and away from all of the carnage strewn about into the thick forest. The small creature landed then waddled beside him. Gun drawn and torch lit, even though it was still daylight out, the forest looked dark, and while he may have traversed this wooded area before in his other form, this was new territory for him now.

They walked what felt like miles through the dense forest, with few animals of any sort spotted. Insects of various shapes and sizes buzzed and crossed his path. He even spotted some thin blue creatures that resembled monkeys with long tails swinging from the branches above. Whenever he saw an animal alive and out in the open in their natural habitat, he thought, This is probably new for you too, this freedom you now have.

As Ben and his new friend Snout continued to hike, on their way to what was once known as the Pivoron Mountains, his mind wandered to the beast that had once lived in the cave on that black mountain of death looming in the distance. Ben had been completely under its control until enough of his old self was able to fight back with his mind, push the beast named Hyzothan out and regain some basic motor skills of his own.

He had saved his friend Ramsey. That, he remembered. Took him from that dreaded cave to his crewmates…his friends. And then the bloody battle ensued. His mind went to the stone. Being one of the Azid, he was privy to things the beast held close to itself. Like the stone. The stone it stole from the people of this world and used to fuel its own life force through the women, ancestors of the one that first discovered the stone many years prior. That dreadful, evil beast. He hated it then and hated it even more now. Knowing how many innocent people and animals had suffered and died under its reign.

They were all free now. But, what next? He couldn’t get off this planet. No ships. At least none that he knew of. They went through a dead star. Who knows the actual location of this planet? he thought grimly as he continued walking. He looked up through the tree cover and said, It’s probably getting close to sundown by now, we’ve been walking for hours, and I’m beat. Let’s have a seat and rest a bit. What do you say, Snout?

Ben looked down and patted the creature on the top of its head, which made the little pig snort at him, its tiny tail swishing back and forth quickly, excited at the attention.

They rested as Ben drank water from his bottle, now nearly empty. He looked over at his new friend. Okay, here you go. Have the rest. He found a large, curled-up leaf and poured the remainder of the water into it, which the winged pig eagerly lapped up.

I’ve got to find more water. And some food. We’ve got one ration left and that’s not enough. Why don’t you lead us to some more water? Ben said jokingly to Snout pointing at the empty water bottle, holding it upside down.

The little fuzzy creature leapt up and started to bound away.

Hey, wait! Ben shouted after it as its tiny legs helped it take flight. Its wings fluttered quickly as it started to head through the tree cover.

Picking up his lit torch and holstering his sidearm, Ben ran after it. Surely it’s not actually going to lead me to drinkable water? he said while zig-zagged through the forest attempting to catch up to Snout.

Luckily, the small animal was still heading in the general direction of the volcano, although now it was a bit more to the west as Ben saw periodically through the trees. If this creature kept going, he would soon give up and continue on his way, without Snout.

Snout was out of sight. Ben stopped and caught his breath, putting his hands to his sides and doubling over, breathing heavily. All this running made him rub his chest, still sore from where he had been scratched by an Azid some time earlier. The same scratches that had infected his blood and turned him.

Ben was about to give up when the small creature came buzzing back, hovering in front of him, wings flapping so fast they appeared to be a blur to Ben’s eyes. What? What are you doing, little fella? There’s nothing here! Trees, trees and more trees! he shouted in frustration.

Sensing Ben’s frustration, the little flying pig turned and slowly flew away from him.

Wait, wait! Come on! Okay, I’m sorry. I’m just, well, thirsty and hungry and lost on a planet by myself here, Ben said, exhausted.

The creature kept flying away slowly, so Ben followed. Nighttime would soon fall over the land. He had no place to take shelter. No water, no food. The creature noticed him following which made it flutter its wings more and move faster until Ben heard something up ahead. He also noticed a clearing. His walk became a trot which turned into a run as the creature had also picked up the pace once more, excited to show Ben what he had found.

They reached the edge of the tree cover and there, in front of them, was a clearing with a decent sized pond and a tiny stream feeding into it, a few trees scattered throughout.

You magnificent little buddy! Ben cried out at the good fortune the creature had brought, quickly bending down and petting the creature on the head.

Ben propped up the torch against a nearby stone and dunked his head into the cool blue liquid. The water filled his parched throat and refreshed his sweat-covered, dirty face. He came up for air after drinking his fill, kneeling at the edge of the calm pond. Snout next to him drank as well. Pulling the water bottle out of the case on his back, Ben opened it and filled the bottle to the top. Sealing it back up he looked at Snout and said jokingly, Well, can you find us some food too while you’re at it?

The dragon pig tilted its head, staring at him with a confused look in its eyes, making Ben chuckle to himself. He sat at the edge of the pond, resting once more, scanning the area. This might end up being camp for the night. Gotta find us some shelter, though, and that might be it over there. He pointed to a small hill on the other side of the pond. The tiny cliff embankment looked to have enough space to potentially sit under and get some sleep once nightfall took over.

He looked over again at the water and saw something swimming in it below the surface. Ben slowly got closer to the water. It was getting dark enough outside that it was hard to make out what it was. Then, to Ben’s complete surprise, a small, yellow, oval-shaped sea creature popped out of the water in the air before dropping back down into the liquid below. What the- Ben started to say.

Ben swatted his neck. Something had bitten him. He pulled his hand away to see a small flying insect squashed in his hand, silver with tiny wings. Looking out over the pond, Ben could now make out more of the insects buzzing around above the surface of the water. Yellow sea creatures no more than six inches in length popped out periodically into the air several inches to catch the flying insects before plunging back down, making little splashes in the water.

Interesting, Ben said, watching the feeding commence. He devised a plan, supper would be served, for both of them if this little guy next to him was a meat eater.

Quietly, he waited and soon one of the oval-shaped sea creatures bounded out of the water. Ben quickly swatted it toward him as it connected with his hand and fell to the shore, flopping around and trying to get back into the water. He did this several times, and soon his little sidekick figured out what he was doing, pushing the creatures back away from the water with its snout. Once Ben had four of them swatted away from the water he took his torch, gathered some small branches nearby and ignited them easily.

Next, he found a rock, killed the little creatures quickly and painlessly, stuck a stick with a pointed end through the first one and began roasting it, trying to avoid burning the stick with which it was impaled. Within minutes the smell of fresh seafood filled the area causing the little dragon pig beside him bounced up and down, awaiting its freshly cooked meal.

Okay, let’s hope these aren’t poisonous! he exclaimed to his friend. When he was confident the first one was cooked through, he took a bite from its juicy center. And it was good. Better than good. It was delicious.

Ben looked over at his little buddy also enjoying the meal and smiled. I wish I had my knife. This would be a whole lot easier. But beggars can’t be choosers, as the saying goes.

He cooked the other sea creatures and set the meat aside for a quick morning meal before they would continue their walk toward the volcano. He wasn’t sure what drew him to it, but he knew it was his destination.

After the meal, Ben gathered some brush, set it down inside the small overhang by the short rock basin, then extinguished the fire by jamming it into the sand by the water. While he didn’t want to be without light, having a beacon marking his location was a foolish move. He didn’t know what was out there in the nighttime forest. Better safe than sorry. His jacket and the little pig nestled beside him would have to keep him warm for the night.

Ben wondered if sleep would come to him quickly or if his imagination would get the best of him, keeping him up at every random sound from deep in the forest. Insects buzzed and something sounding like a monkey screeched.

His mind drifted to the friends he was remembering more and the mission they had been on. The devastating plummet to the surface of this planet after the black hole. Their battle with the squid creature in the water and her offspring. The loss of the Cauldwell. The Azid and the deadly scratches it had inflicted. Carol being taken. Ramsey being taken. All leading up to their reuniting for one final fight. And Hyzothan. The beast. Dead. Ben drifted off to sleep with his little companion quietly snoring next to him.

In the distance, roughly a mile away, on a cliff overlooking the wooded valley below, someone watched as the torch was extinguished by the man with the small animal at his side.

chapter 2

Morning Surprise

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Ben fell asleep almost immediately, his first sleep since returning to his human state. But it wasn’t a dreamless, deep sleep. The dreams came quickly. Of the trip through the black hole. Crashing on the hostile planet. The trees that seemingly came to life, tossing their ship into a large pond filled with a huge squid creature and her offspring hellbent on destroying them and their ship. Of the battle inside the cave with the Azid, of one scratching him and sealing his fate. Then Carol’s abduction.

After that, things became foggy. His dreams went from bad to all-out nightmares. A huge beast with horns that lived in the cave on what the natives of this world had named the Pivoron Mountains. The glowing stone. His allegiance to the beast. Ramsey and their escape from the cave. And then his death and resurrection.

Then, new images burned into his mind as he slept, causing him to toss and turn restlessly. Beside him, Snout shifted slightly then continued on in his own deep sleep.

Ben was at the foot of the volcano. It was hot where he stood as lava slowly bubbled and flowed from the top. The mountain itself seemed to be smoldering and burning perpetually. As if the rock it was formed from were the same as the torch now in his possession. The sky was grey above him. In the distance, he could see bright blue skies with swirling orange clouds and far up in the heavens, outlines of several planets. He was alone. But he didn’t feel alone.

He heard something in the sky above him. Another being. This one much larger than the parasite that had once ruled this world. It hovered in the grey smoke-filled clouds, but he could see its shape. A huge being with two large fins on either side of it and a long tail that swished back and forth behind it. Even in the cloud cover, he surmised that its color was black. White lights emanated from its body. Whatever the lights were, they frightened him. The way they pulsed as if alive and watching him. He continued to watch the entity float just out of sight above him, not wanting to move in case it hadn’t seen him yet. He didn’t dare run.

It spoke in what seemed