"Thousands of years ago, a mathematician challenged God himself, Into a sort of Duel you could say . The duel was simple. Each had to take turns writing numbers bigger than the previous one. Whichever number is overwhelmingly larger, the writer wins. There are rules too:
1: They cannot use the same method as the previous submissions.
For example, if one uses combinatorics, factorials, exponentiation etc. etc., the other cannot use it.
2: They cannot reuse the previous submission.
3. They cannot use wordplay that causes loopholes for example:
Whatever number the other person gives
+ 1
is not allowed.
The challenger started off by writing 1.
God wrote 2.
The challenger had to do something new now.
So he wrote a long chain of 1's
111111111111111111111111111111111111
God smirked. He came up to the blackboard with no chalk in his translucent fingers, and simply erased a small portion from 33 of the 35 1's
"11! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"
This was a number that cannot be described by humans.
God thought that he had won. He'd exhausted a very powerful weapon. He didn't need to use that..
The human, unphased, came up to the board, erased the entire blackboard, and started writing.
Whatever he wrote down was a mystery.
But,
The sheer magnitude of that number was so stupidly big, the universe had begun to shake.
The number far surpassed the number of atoms present in our universe..
Now, since the beginning, and till the end of everything.
Every thought that could've been thought of,
Every possibility that could've occurred in an infinite amount of time,
It is all meaningless compared to
this monstrosity of a value…
The number was so incredibly huge that God himself was shocked.
God couldn't run away from the rules He made himself.
He asked:
What do you want…?
The mathematician , shrouded in deeper mystery than God himself asked-
Give me the power to create .
Give us the power to rewrite the laws .
and-
Save us from ø…..
Do you want to know why I'm telling you this?
The world doesn't know, and doesn't want to let you. Because ø will return
Once he returns, Annihilation will be brought to this world.
ø isn't forgiving. You can't reason with it, just as you cannot reason with a hurricane.
It's very existence is to destroy Everything.
Everyone who came to Zahl Academy probably joined to get stronger, to become wealthy, or just wanted to be a slave to society.
Whatever your reasoning is, know that Peace will never last.
This isn't a warning, it is a promise.
Will you run away?
Do you want to defy the shadows?
𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨 𝕚𝕥 𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕤.
"
>
.
.
.
"Atlas. What did you think of that speech?"
"Atlas?"
.
Finn grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me violently.
I snap back to reality.
"Sorry... I spaced out.."
"Some publicity stunt, huh?" Finn giggled, adjusting his collar.
"Yeah." I let my voice trail off. For some reason my mind felt completely empty.
It felt off.
Almost like a blank slate.
>>
#####
##:##
There was nothing.
No sound, no sensation of touch.
Nothing.
The warmness that had covered my face and arms and legs slowly faded away.
I didn't know what was reality and what wasn't.
That's right!
Aunt Kela gave me a hug before I 'teleported' here. She should've warned me about how sudden this would be.
>
4 hours ago
"Where's Aunt Kela???"
I shouted from the balcony. Uncle Pit was plucking the weeds out in the backyard. After breakfast, I told Heet to meet us near the foot of the massive hill for the picnic. Aunt Kela bolted right after eating, only after whispering something to Uncle Pit.
"Uh.
She's working." He shouted back, which drowned in the sound of hammers and builders yapping in the neighbor's house.
I sat on a 6 foot boulder, swinging my legs like a child. I mean how could I contain my excitement?
It's the first time someone Normal is getting a Function.
No Normal has ever witnessed Domain around them, apart from me!
It feels good saying that, to be honest.
I suddenly whip my head up, to see a figure tearing through clouds, headed towards...
me...
Aunt Kela slammed on the ground from god-knows-where, debris flying everywhere. I leaned over to where she landed, and it was as if a meteor struck the porch of our house.
"You bought a new sundress?" Uncle Pit asked, leaning on the mud covered hoe.
Aunt Kela rolled her eyes and patted me on my shoulder.
"I'll change and come back."
"Nice red dress by the way, Aunt"
"Thank you."
I sat there confused, as she closed the front door.
"Hey Uncle Pit. Didn't she wear a white dress before leaving?"
"That's why I let her win during game night."
>
I sat in the emptiness and tried to remember what Aunt Kela told me.
"Whatever you do. Do not be afraid. Do not run away
Do not lose yourself."
When I asked her how she remembered and not the rest of the Defined, it felt as if she didn't have the answer herself.
Or maybe something stopped her from answering.
.
.
I might be going insane in this mindscape.
I tried to wiggle my fingers, but I couldn't. My mind registered me wanting to but, it was as if it didn't recognize the nerve endings of my hands.
From the corner of my conscience, I could hear murmurs.
"Lost!!?"
"Lost, get your ass down here! It's dinner time!."
"Brother? Mom's calling you. You can work on your paper later. Please?"
.
The hell...?
Slowly, sensations began flooding.
Something opened the floodgates.
I could finally smell. But it wasn't the leftover food we had in the basket.
I couldn't hear the trees rustling in the wind.
All I heard were unfamiliar voices, beckoning for someone.
Flashes of images popped into my head, of the hillside completely dressed in red. Images of a monstrous figure, completely opaque, holding something that resembled a head.
"No.
That's not what happened..
This has to be one of the tests.."
I finally mustered up the courage to open my eyes. I took in deep breaths, and the sudden sunlight knocked me back.
I fell on what seemed to be a wooden floor.
Pattering footsteps slowly approached me, and I could hear the person, pawing at the door knob.
"Brother, are you okay?" A sweet little voice emerged from the door. I scanned the environment around me.
Rows and rows of books surrounded me, with a window that displayed an urban setting. What I stumbled on was one of the legs of a chair. I propped myself up and sat on it, bringing it closer to the table. There were countless ink bottles, parchment paper, maybe 3 or 4 roughed up books, filled with mathematics.
The voice spoke again.
"Mom will be very angry if you don't come, the first time she called."
A thought that felt so silly at first, slowly started to get its grasp on me
"There's no way this is real.."
I began frantically searching for a mirror, and there it was.
>
"So you're telling me you hit your head and now you've forgotten who you are...?"
"Son. Don't play cruel jokes like that. Your Dad and I are really concerned, not to mention Nera."
"Brother, do you remember me at least...?"
I wiped my mouth with the handkerchief I had in my shirt pocket.
"I would never do that, Nera.
Give me some time, Okie?
I'll take a stroll around the area and the memories will naturally come." I patted Nera's head gently and left the alien abode.
Once I closed the main door, I dropped to my knees and covered my face. I was hyperventilating too much. My heart felt like it was about to explode.
This is incredible..
I'm actually in someone's body.
If I need to satisfy 'them'..
I need more information..
I need to find out who exactly "Lost" is.
>
This was the city of Ophera. An ancient city that was at its peak, centuries ago. The statue, that doubled as a water fountain, said it all. It was an abstract mold of the Hero of Ophera, who introduced trade to the city.
It was because of him, Ophera became the biggest trade center of Jead. He introduced currency, access to other major cities and their amenities, and most of all, knowledge. He was apparently a Mathematician who was very eccentric. He wanted to show everyone how anyone can excel.
The majority of Ophera's population quickly went from being farmers, to now negotiating trade routes, teaching the masses, and even spreading religious beliefs.
Lost was a student at the City School, started by the Hero. It was his day off today, according to the crumpled up note he had on the desk.
I walked along the creek, brimming with the smell of salt, hands in my pocket. I was wearing a red and brown checkered shirt, tucked with a leather belt, fastened with an expensive looking buckle, with neatly ironed black formal pants. Seemed like he was a better dresser than I was.
The town was completely covered in villas, with people smiling as they enter and leave them. Everyone was at peace here. It felt completely different to the environment I was brought up in. I stumbled into the marketplace. The smells honestly made me want to puke due to the pure clusterfuck of smells.
Wait...
Surely the Defined would love to show their status around, right?
I approached a butcher stall, and raised my hand.
"Oh, Lost. Nice to meet'cha again. I already gave you the mutton yesterday. Was it spoiled or something?" The lumberjack grumbled.
"No, nothing of the sort. I just had it and I wanted to tell you it was incredible. You were right." I chuckled.
Thwack!
He brought his massive cleaver down on the table, and patted me on my back.
"Flattering won't pay the bills, Kid" He handed change to a stranger beside me, with a bag, dripping with fat.
"You wouldn't mind telling me where the library is?" I asked cautiously.
"Wouldn't you like to know. You practically live there!
You can't miss it, right along the horse stables, westbound.
I guess that thesis you were talking about or whatever, took a lot out of you, eh?"
'Thesis...?'
"I'd rather not admit it. Well, I'll see you later!"
>>
Dorm Room of Zahl Academy
"I'm sorry, your mother was found dead on the hillside of the outskirts."
2 hours after the death of Kela Oris
"As soon as we heard the news, the entirety of the Real Set is searching for the culprit, but I'll be honest. There are barely anyone who could stand up to her."
...
..
.
I am so sorry for your loss.
Mourning death is a stage. A very shitty stage.
But you will get through it.
Just know that you have people by your side."
My voice came out hoarse.
"How did she die...?"
I asked again.
"How did she die, Mr. Crey..?"
"Her head was nowhere to be found...
All we could recover was the rest, even though there was a gaping hole..."
My dorm room never felt the coldness of reality. My reality had never faced something like this. I couldn't move an inch. I sat there, hands on my knees, taking in this information, trying my hardest not to cry.
"My..
My dad and I knew she would die. She's made enemies of..
Of very strong and influential bastards.."
"Your mother was the strongest of us. It almost made me pity our foes." I could hear it in Mr. Crey's voice. He owed his entire life to Mom.
So many people owe their lives to Mom.
"Mr. Crey.
Have you ever faced loss?
Something like this...?" I whispered, slowly shaking. He could see through my calm facade and grabbed my shoulder.
"Yes."
"How did you get past it...?"
"You don't...
You can only accept it."
I couldn't stop the tears rolling from my cheek.
"It's December's birthday....
He wrote to me, you know?
She made omelets, his favorite.
And apparently, Heet likes him, and he made that very clear in the letter...
I've been telling him for months to make his move...and I'm so happy he did...
I thought of surprising him by asking the Headmaster if I could go back home for the day..."
I couldn't speak further. My voice kept choking.
I sobbed pathetically in Mr. Crey's arms, snot dripping everywhere. All he did was pat my back and embraced me.
Then it happened.
A small urge that itched the back of my head..
I couldn't process what it was exactly, only after minutes.
For some reason, what I felt inside me was not depression.
It was not sadness.
It was not regret.
It was an unbottled, raw form of an emotion.
My voice came out so guttural, I barely recognized it.
Neither did Mr. Crey.
"Mr. Crey...
Train me..."
"What..?"
Mr. Crey pushed me and I could see the shock in his eyes.
He didn't expect my face to make such an expression.
"I want to kill it.
I want to rip it to shreds.
You can do it.
You've been her number 2 ever since you've met her...
You're as brutal as her..
That's just what I need..."
Beads of blood spattered all over the cold flooring.
I read about it once, an old wives' tale.
A smile, so devilish, it rips through the flesh to show its resolve.
What Mr. Crey saw was me, my eyes filled with tears and my mouth freakishly morphed into a flesh tearing smile.
I couldn't care less about how he felt about it...
It didn't matter.
As of now, Nothing will ever matter to me anymore.
"I want to fucking tear it apart..."