Chapter 2 - The Vision

However, for Veles, everything became a scream.

A loud, gruesome, never-ending cry that pierced the brain, not leaving room for any thought.

It took him a while to recognize that it was his own voice.

Suddenly other voices joined in. All of them carried similar stories of pain, defeat, and unwillingness.

"The future. Let me show you," thundered one of the voices.

With the voice came the Vision.

Ruined cities filled with rubble where all the buildings were either leverage or left with huge holes in

walls.

Human bones, skulls, and clothes were scattered throughout the area.

"That's what we'll become!" yelled another voice in a pained yet dignified manner.

A change of scene.

A group of skinny, dirty children chasing with sticks a massive rat in remains of a once-grand villa.

They finally caught the rat and cornered it. The animal squeezed, stood on two legs, and jumped at the

closest, seven-year-old looking boy.

Before the children reacted, the creature manages to bite the seven-year boy’s arm. Deep, red blood flew of

the wound like a stream.

"It's okay. It's just blood, a fresh human's blood. " Said the wounded boy looking at his hands dyed in red.

His eyes were very calm and very sad.

"You heard him! It's just human blood! Such blood is worth less than water!" yelled the voice in a raged

manner.

Another change of scene.

A group of soldiers running through the fields. The smell of sweat and old, unhealed wounds is

surrounding them.

Why are they escaping?

One of them falls, his companions hesitate just for a tiny second before the stop and come back for him.

But it's too late. The enormous hound like creates are too close. The escape was always impossible.

Soldiers look at each other, their eyes are saying the last farewell. They thank each other for the shared

journey, with its hardships, the joy, the support received, and taken.

But mostly, for this last chance to die with some remains of dignity.

Those soldiers refused together an order to wipe a village on some unknown planet.

Now they were being hunted for it by their masters. The same people that caused the river of blood on

Earth.

The hounds are approaching, they are massive like a train's wagon. Their long fangs are visible from the

far, their fur thick and sharp like daggers.

The soldiers make a stand, prepare their weapons, take an aim, and start shooting at the incoming alien

hounds.

In the beginning, the sounds of their rifles fill the air. However, that last a few short seconds. After that,

what remains to be heard are beasts feasting on the newly hunted prey as they are slurping the human

blood. Blood that soaks the surface of some unknown planet.

"They died far from home, on a mission they did not care about. Like thousands of us who were unlucky

to survive the Vault War." Yelled another voice, his sorrow reaching heaven.

Now the scenes were changing rapidly. They were a lot of them, an infinity amount. And Veles saw it all.

He saw miners being worked to death on some planetoid.

He saw slave girls serving their lords days and nights alike.

He saw mothers weeping next to the bodies of their children.

He saw empty eyes of mercenaries bidding their master orders, bringing mayhem and carnage

whenever shown.

He saw empty cities, lost war, and humans scattered in the universe living faith of those with no strength

to resist.

And he saw rivers of blood.

"It's just human blood," Said a young boy with bloodied hands, and his voice echoed and grew stronger

each time until all visions and cries stopped.

Everything became darkness again.

Veles opened his eyes, still trembling, his face paled. He was back in the research centre, standing in

the middle of the tank. His hands no longer touching the Aether Orb.

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He looked at the Aether Orb with a hint of dread.

The visions were too real and too awful to shake them off quickly. Veles never experienced anything like

then, even in the most realistic dream.

"Congratulation! “Robot announced merrily waking Veles from the stupor. "Seems you are a proud owner

of a Aether Roots! Numbers tell me that tour talent is a rather average one, however, on the path of

cultivating the Aether, everything can happen."

"Right," Veles responded, still a bit absent-minded.

The Robot was scanning him carefully, and he must have noticed something since he added.

"Sometimes, the first contact with the Aether is accompanied by the visions. It's not common, however,

not unique either." Robot said.

"Some say it is Aether speaking, some say it's nothing more than a dream. It could also mean you have

some hidden ability, but none of this has been truly confirmed. The old monsters who have a deep

understanding of Aether and could explain those visions are too powerful to be bothered for every case

like that." Robot finished speaking, still watching Veles closely.

"However, it is a lucky day! You get a connection to the Aether. You are now part of something grand,

mysterious, that enables you to become powerful, even immortal. This is also a privilege that many can

only dream of having. What you need to is start comprehending your connection to Aether, that is the only

path for those with awakening Aether roots. Sooner or later, everyone realises it. " Robots expression

suddenly changed, becoming more serious, as if some different script inside him got triggered.

"You may have a little power over what you get as input from connection with Aether, but you can become

the master of you make out of it." Voice continued.

"But don't get me wrong, it is also a challenging and dangerous path on which countless lives perished.

Let the Aether guide you, make the connection strong, that's what matters in the end." He concluded in deep, powerfull voice, that seemed to be ancient and wise beyond like the universe itself.

"Who are you?" Veles asked.

"Oh my, I have not introduced myself properly, haven't I? Pardon me. " Robot's expression returned to

normal, being back the cheerful and overly polite android. " I am a 4th generation android-teacher,

Kenji."

He replied, and after a moment of silence added.

"Initially, the 4th generation series was created as a vessel to migrate the brain of one of the late Grand Sage after he received a

fatal injury. However, that migration failed, and only a small portion of Sage's mind was transferred. The

mind transfer technology is still a rather unstable branch of science."

There was a moment of silence, and Veles felt that too many things, happened too quickly.

"Let's start with the next step and then take it from there. One problem at the time." Veles thought and

said out loud.

"That all is a lot to process. The first thing I need to understand is what is going to happen with me next?"

Veles asked, and his hand subconsciously tighten around his cellphone. He already knew he will be cut

from everyone and everything dear to him yet was hoping that it won't be without at least a few days for

preparations.

The Robot sighed and clicked something on the console opening the door.

"You will walk through that door, it’s a different one from the one you came here. That door will lead you

to a spaceship which will take you to one of our training facilities." Kenji said.

"But I am sure you know all of this, so say your goodbyes to the one close to you, you have time until

tomorrows morning to make calls. This world is no longer a one you will live in." He added as Veles was

slowly moving towards the exit. Just when he was about to leave the room, Veles turned around his head

and asked the last question.

"Tell me, based on all the planets you've been so far - will I ever come back here? Is there any chance". There was an

unwillingness in the young man's voice.

"There is. However, you must get strong, very, very strong. You are entering a world in which strength

matters the most." Kenji answered, looking straight at him, a glimpse of seriousness was again behind his eyes.

"I'll take that advice to the heart Kenji, thanks for it. I wonder, are all androids as sharing as you are?"

Veles asked.

"Good question" Kenji smiled honestly. "And yes, that stuff about strength is not only true but also aligned

with the Federation agenda. We want you strong in Aether, so you can wage wars for us." The Robot

said, waved his hand and the door closed with a 'woosh' sound leaving Veles in a corridor connecting

the facility with a spaceship.

"That's is not how I imagined it will go, the chances to have those Aether roots were so small. Now I have

an afternoon to call my parents and friends to say goodbyes. Those are calls I'm not looking for to make." Veles thought while

he was walking through a bright corridor with walls made of metal.

"However, I would be lying to myself if I say that the promise of power, long life, and using the Aether is

not tempting. There is also the case with that Vision. Nothing I can do about it now, but if that was a

warning, then it truly gave me chills."

After a couple of minutes of walking, he entered a spacious room with around 10 other people of different

ages. Soon a young, rather pretty lady dressed all in white approached him. She was very small, barley 160 centimeters, but also very charming.

"Hi Veles, I am Eve, and I just got notification from Kenji that you positively passed the exam.

Congratulations!" She said merrily, giving a warm smile and moving her brown hair back behind the ear.

"This is a waiting area, and in about 4-5 hours you will be transported to the spaceship by the Shuttle. Till

that time, you have a cafeteria available, PC stations with internet and a few, small quiet rooms to make

some calls."

"Thanks, I'll go straight to the quiet room." Veles replied, already a bit tired by this whole situation.

It took him most of the 4 hours to say farewell to his parents. It was a terrible experience. The Federation

still allowed contact to Earth, however, depends on how far away he will be stationed, the

correspondence may take a while to arrive.

"Son, whatever the situation don't be afraid or hesitant to act on your judgment. I have full trust that both

your wits and heart are in the right place" Veles's father told him just before the end of the call. Veles felt

his heart was being squeezed at that moment yet made him happy to have such doting parents.

He also called a few friends, but those chats were short ones as there is not much to say in this situation.

Most likely he won't be able to see or contact them much in the future.

'Knock, knock' sound to the doors of the quite room, meant that the time to about the Shuttle arrived.

The time to leave the Earth has arrived.