A plume of smoke met the open air on a balcony overlooking the Siege Capital. Leaving from a bronze face that shone in the night, glowing eyes seemed to glaze over the night sky. On the dark balcony, only the ember of a lit cigarette produced any light.
The cold air met his barely clothed body.
"ACK-HAUGHK"
A brutal cough left his mouth after inhaling from the death stick.
"Guess you don't believe everything that you read on the internet."
Aldric spoke out. It was supposed to be refreshing after a particular exercise, but that didn't seem to be true.
Behind him in the large dark room, on the massive bed, two bodies were strewn around. Only the sound of shallow breaths could be heard from them.
Dawn was nearing approach.
"It feels good to be back."
The young man was relaxed and finally back in his own body. Those months of feeling like a stranger in a stranger's body were suffocating. Seeing that onyx skin, those fiery red eyes. It was a disturbing experience.
Taking his mind off that, Aldric looked back on the past few hours since returning. Crashing the party meant to celebrate the anniversary of his own organisation late was fun. Seeing the familiar faces was fun.
Looking behind him, it was clear that his hormones got the best of him. All of those months of not feeling a single want or desire sexually, as well as the feeling of ascension, made him do something out of character. After all, Aldric was all but a man. A young man with wants and needs. It was most definitely not the first time; he was already nineteen, for God's sake.
Besides, the second nightmare had taught him something valuable. To stop living life as though he would live forever. With his own mortality on such thin ice, who knew when this journey might end? Even so, what was the point of achieving your goals if you could not satisfy your desires along the way?
The light of dawn broke through the clouds and met his eyes.
'I swear, fresh air never felt this good.'
---
Saint Cor POV
In the centre of the Siege Capital, a singular building was the tallest. Reflecting the might of the world government, the very top floor is the place of interest.
Like a penthouse, the entire floor was open plan, with only a long meeting table near the edge. The view was expansive and seemed bigger the longer you looked at it, as the floor-to-ceiling windows looked over the city.
DING
The elevator opened and two people walked through. Two people that the Saint recognised.
The air in the room subtly shifted. Even in a room inhabited by a Saint, the air still changed when he entered. Short, dark curly hair was positioned perfectly on the young man's face; the person had a look that would take a team of professionals to emulate. But Saint Cor did not care for things like that.
On the inside, a feeling of respect and admiration slowly lingered within him.
'Just seven months after being an Awakened, he did something that traumatised an entire generation.'
Cor was a man that had been here since the beginning. Since the first wave of dreamers conquered their first nightmare and returned to a world of chaos. To when those same dreamers were systematically sent to a world beyond our own. Escaping those harrowing trials was an achievement that put you above the entire human race, yet some still wanted more. Those that wanted to push the frontier of what humanity was capable of prepared, prepared and prepared.
From the hundred that tried and failed to Immortal Flame, who was the first to succeed. What took years of preparation was done in seven months. But that was not all.
If this was a scion of a great clan, the backbone of the government would not raise an eyebrow. Yet, that was not the case. Aldric had no such affiliation.
An orphan raised in the faulty gears of the government's social services. An echo from the past when the world was a kinder place.
But the Singularity still rose. In the mediocrity of the schooling system, he somehow did it. Stood toe to toe with the heir of the Immortal Flame and has been on the rise ever since. To Saint Cor, this young man was a golden egg that continued to grow and shine.
'Even with 'that challenge' I sent his way, he passed it and then went to conquer the second nightmare... How ridiculous!'
He almost wanted to chuckle.
'He gives the same air as those ones. Those ones... That brat Anvil and the cold witch. Even that shy Nightwalker and Broken Sword. That same air of importance.'
The Saint could feel it, that with his momentum, the gap between them was not so insurmountable. But that was neither here nor there. After all, what Aldric represented the most was a sword still being polished. A sword sharp enough to deter the great clans and protect the government.
It was time to start talking.
"You are an ascended now, young man."
A deep voice spoke from the chair at the end of the table. Going near it, Singularity took a seat on the opposite end that was closest to the elevator.
Beside Wake of Ruin, two other men sat beside him. With no feeling of strength or power coming from them, it was easy to conclude that they were mundane. Yet for them to be here, they must hold a different form of power.
"Yes, it was hard and long, but I made it out. Forgive my impatience, but why were you so eager to meet me?"
With his tone laid back and carefree, Singularity spoke as though he were a different person. The old kid was full of double meanings and well-thought-out responses. But now, it looked as though he let go and relaxed his grip. His grip on the emotions displayed, his grip on the idea of holding back.
'How cheeky...'
And Cor could tell. The assuredness of becoming a Master was something that he had once experienced. But that was only the beginning.
"A master at the young age of nineteen. It is unheard of for an awakened to challenge the second nightmare so soon. And to reward that bravery, you've entered the big leagues."
Saint Cor spoke.
And Aldric listened.
"Orphaned after the death of your awakened parents, you were nothing but a future cog in the machine. But now, now you have become something. Become someone. And the world will not take that lying down. People will want you in whichever way they can imagine. To me, to the Great Clans, Event Horizon is nothing but a group of kids playing a clan."
Cor continued to speak. Bringing all his experience and wisdom with him.
"In fact, they love what you are doing. Rallying a group of high-potential awakened, taking up the work that they are willing to outsource, and challenging your second nightmare quickly. Seeing you and Event Horizon grow without needing to be invested in, like a farmer, they are waiting for the day that you become just big enough to harvest."
Saint Cor took a deep breath next. Knowing of what was coming, the storm that would bring a rapture to the earth and the powers that be that would take advantage for their nefarious purposes. Cor understood it all, and it was time this young man did as well.
"Young man, I'll just say it how it is. There is a storm brewing."
And the young man responded in a questioning tone.
"Storm?"
"A storm that could be the solution to your issue. Have you ever heard of the Obel scale?"
Sain Cor POV End
---
"And that is what the scope of this destruction is. This has been modelled by all our analysts these past few months."
Wake of Ruin had revealed it all to Aldric. From the chain of nightmares that was soon to descend on Antarctica, the growing unrest between the Song and Valour domains, as well as the likely clashes that would begin between them with the fate of the world as their backdrop.
It was ridiculous to hear from the perspective of a Saint, but Aldric could only adapt.
'Why couldn't I be born years earlier?'
Aldric lamented. He felt like a new player on a game that was released ten years ago. It was brutal.
"I am telling you this so that you can prepare. Prepare the next move for yourself and for your group. Those hounds will not be waiting much longer, and since you ascended, you are fresh meat. And this path that I'm giving you is just buying you some extra time."
Saint Cor finished.
This was not new to Aldric. Even Saint Tyris had warned him. She had warned him that he would have to pick a side on his return. Using the government as a shield was no longer a viable option. While that worked for Sunny briefly, the divine shadow still got caught up in the mix of things towards the end.
---
In his office near the top of Event Horizon's base, Aldric was feeling restless.
Closing his eyes, it was time to try something that only a Master could do. A few moments passed as he focused.
"Iris, take the rest of the day off. Call all the executives for a meeting. I'll be back in a few hours."
With Iris sitting across from him. She felt it before she looked. A shift in the air. With one glance forward, he was already gone.
---
Back in the dream realm for the first time in months, Aldric was now inside of the Ivory Tower. The interior of the tower had a certain feel to it. A ruin lost to time yet somehow so immaculate. Overgrown weeds and flowers seemed to be positioned perfectly as though they were placed in a fantasy.
There was so much on his mind. So many things that were squirming on the surface.
His new abilities, what Hope had done to him, the looming chain of nightmares and the great clans.
But he would take it one step at a time. And that started now.
Walking up the steps, the top floor of the tower opened up. Reaching the platform where the bridge between the two towers existed, waiting to be activated.
Summoning the [Stone Coffer], Aldric took out some of the equipment that he had confiscated when first entering the Ebony Tower. Bring out the small chisel, needle and string; it was time to study the portal. Charged through divine flames, Aldric looked at the dark wall that controlled the portal.
And it looked completely different. What were random nodes of light and string now seemed to make sense. Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle realigned to form a picture, it was a feeling of genius. His understanding and comprehension of Diamond Chaining would exponentially increase the more he studied it. Aldric could feel it.
With his physiology, everything looked different. The nodes and strings seemed to show him more. Aldric could not explain it or describe it; it just made sense on a deeper level. As though he could see what he was previously blind to. And only one attribute made that change: [Child of Nether], or rather what it evolved to. [Herald of Nether].
It was the proper lineage stolen from Nether and his children. And what Aldric didn't know was how small of a chance he had of receiving it. From gaining the Tesseract that would lead him to the remnants of Nether, being transposed into the body of a Marble Saint and deciding to consume the soul core of a commander of Nether's army. These factors alone were unlikely, but together they were like a grain of sand in a desert.
Taking his time to study the mechanism behind the portal, Aldric knew that he would not understand the spatial aspects; however, that was not what he was after. With Aldric taking claim of the Ebony Tower, Cassie and the Firekeepers would be his unwanted neighbours. So it was here that he was looking for the aspect of the mechanism that acted as the gateway. The part that accepted divine flames as fuel.
And as he studied it, his mind wandered...
'Ephemeral Mandate... What an ability. A true ace in the hole.'
Aldric's thoughts went to his new ability. The one his aspect had granted him after ascending.
[Aspect Ability: Ephemeral Mandate]
[Aspect Ability Description: The spark you contain holds the concept of infinite possibilities.
A singularity does not follow the flow of fate and struggles against what has been ordained.
Your actions have taken you down this path. That divine act has cemented itself within your being and changed you.
Just as the incarnations of flame did, create your own laws and concepts. Restrain and seal parts of yourself, and the Origin shall reward you.]
Recalling the runes, nothing would prepare him for what it actually did. Unlike the rest of his abilities, this was not tied to darkness. Esoteric in nature, Aldric had to focus on the idea of the ability first.
At the cusp of dawn, Aldric had tested out his ability in the bathroom. With feelings and signals from his aspect, he could tell what it would do. But he had to learn to what extent.
With an exertion of will and essence, the anomaly began the ritual.
The ritual of transmutation. The ritual of equivalent exchange.
A ritual of sacrifice.
Perhaps it was something from his aspect or something that formed as a result of his imagination, but on his left palm, a strange sight formed. A blood-red design much more complex than a pentagram criss-crossed with unknown symbols and glyphs. Just feeling it activate drained and imposed a weight on him so large that it felt as though the entire universe was watching him. And in some parts, it was.
As though something was listening to his every word. He began to speak and phrase his next words in a way that came naturally.
"I..."
That same feeling of something watching was amplified by a thousand in that instant, and a spark of red exploded across his palm.
From the hair that he sacrificed, Aldric felt a tentative gain in the quality of his dark essence. A gain accounting for a ten percent increase in the essence's quality. And in roughly thirty minutes, that gain evaporated. Truly ephemeral and short-lasting.
And from that short experiment, Aldric came to the conclusion of one thing and came up with a question for another.
The hair that had grown while he was conquering the nightmare held significance. Representing his idle body at a time he was vulnerable. Representing the concept of patience and not doing anything to it. However, the answer was right there. This power of sacrifice and reward was not based on objectivity but rather subjectivity.
Was the hair valuable to him?
That was the question.
After all, it was not about the hair itself but rather what the hair represented and meant to him.
The core of this exchange was sacrifice. But that was not all. He knew that there was more to it. That he could, while in this state, impose rules upon himself for gain. But this was not something Aldric was willing to test yet.
But Aldric knew what the core of this ability was. That through sacrifice and self-imposed rules, he would be able to gain anything that his aspect deemed worthy. Perhaps memories, an echo or even attributes. Gains in essence or abilities were also on the table. It was just a matter of what to sacrifice for that gain.
Moving past that, Aldric's thoughts shifted to the conversation that had just occurred with Saint Cor.
'Even Antarctica won't save me. Just like Nephis, I need to choose a side. Valor is a complete no-go after what I did to their prince; they might not know, but I'm not risking it.'
He let out a deep exhale as he continued to work. Having identified exactly where the stopgap was for the divine flames, it was time to block it off.
'So it's Song or the House of Night.'
Flashes of arguments and negatives rushed through his mind after thinking of either option. But Aldric would have to make this move soon. Real soon.
When he returned to the waking world, it would be time to discuss everything with his executives and make a choice.
Beginning to feel overwhelmed by the questions that were ruminating in his mind, the ascended chose to focus on the work at hand.
'Ahh... There you are. With a bit of essence, that is now shut.'
Aldric had overlaid a pseudo-gateway over the nexus that controlled the intake of divine flames. Now, like a lock and key, only he could control whether the mechanism would run at all.
However, it was not over. A more challenging goal came up, though. While this was not needed, Aldric still wanted to stretch his capabilities and change the fuel source from divine flames to darkness. But in his focus, something changed in his surroundings.
A presence loomed behind him.
"I knew that you would be here."
A familiar voice spoke out softly.
Cassie stood there, with a river of gold cascading down her shoulders; her beauty only seemed to grow as she became a master. What was once a warm beauty was now otherworldly. A true one of a kind.
Turning around, something happened that Aldric would never have expected but also should have at the same time. Something that was a long time coming for the young woman.
A set of ruby red lips met his own in a flurry of passion and emotion. Bruising, Cassie dropped all the weight of her miniature frame onto Aldric.
And all that Aldric could do was respond in turn.
***
Thanks for reading.
The time is upon us. Who will he choose... Song or Night?
Cassie made her move. What is she thinking and how will Aldric respond.
Just as a note, I am in a really busy season of life right now😭. After the next 10 to 12 weeks, I should be able to return to my usual schedule. I will continue to post but it will likely be sporadic in that time. I appreciate the patience🫡.
karr_knight: Hi❤️