The last of the Season of Frost’s snow fell gently from the clear blue skies, brightened by two discs of gold and puffy white clouds. Basking in the sunlight as the sea breeze caused his dark hair and hooded cloak to sway, Zexus walked across the extensive length of a bridge, heading towards an emerald island in the near distance. Polished yet rustic wooden boards creaked under his weight, but he was in no danger of falling into the clear waters just half a metre below.
Still, he could not help but feel cautious, ready for the moment one breaks as he continued his march. Part of that was consciousness of his own unnatural weight. The other was that he had never been fond of the sea, or any large bodies of water in general. It was not so much the depths he feared, but of what potentially laid dormant below.
“What a horrible day to be alive.” A feminine voice, sultry and sleepy, spoke within his mind. A moment later, the flaps of his backpack would open, allowing a snow-furred fox with two tails to crawl out.
Dangling her paws, the droopy-eared canine yawned, her lush pink eyes having difficulty adjusting to the warm light.
“I hate mornings…” Lavenna whined, hissing when the cool winds hit her. “And the air…so salty…bleh.”
“You didn’t have to come.” Zexus said, his voice stoic and almost mechanical, courtesy of the silver mask that hid his face.
His voice would have offset anyone who heard it for the first time, but his companion was more than accustomed to it, having been with him for as long as he could remember.
“Oh please, as if I’m just gonna stay home with mum while you go off to join Athena’s little project.” The Kitsune scoffed. “What’s she trying to do anyway? Pretty sure everyone in the Skye Alliance is involved.”
“All she told me was that it’s a program designed to raise the ‘strongest’.” Zexus replied, unsure of the answer himself. His foster cousin, an older sister in all but blood, was rather secretive about her work. Still, her intentions have only ever been good towards family, and he trusts her unconditionally. “It’s a place that’ll let me evolve.”
“You say that as if you’ve hit some sort of rut.”
“I have.”
“Really? You seemed to be doing well.” Lavenna noted, tilting her head in ponderance. “Maybe it’s just that you’ve run out of things to learn in Hearthwood. I mean, you’re pretty decent and well-rounded for a twenty year old.”
Zexus subconsciously lowered his head. At the same time, the eyes behind his mask narrowed as his expression turned cold. “I can’t just be decent.”
“Ooh~. So serious. What’s wrong with being…I don’t know, third or second rate? It’s not a bad life just lazing about.” She paused. “Actually, now that I think about it, staying at home sounds pretty good. With most of you gone, I could sleep allllll day long. When I wake up, mum can make me food while I go collecting and researching Egos.”
“Since when did we share a mother?”
“That’s how Bonds work.” The Spirit Beast shook her head, attempting to chase away her lingering drowsiness. “You Bond with someone, it’s pretty much a pseudo-marriage.”
Zexus raised a brow, doubtful. “You didn’t even get me a ring.”
“Uh, that’s my line.” Lavenna scoffed. “As far as husbands go, you’re sucking so far.”
“Someone has to suck in this relationship.”
“Ha. Ha. Very funny.” Lavenna rolled her eyes, hitting but not scratching the back of his head with her paw. “I guess I should be thankful you’ve actually developed a sense of humour after fifteen years… even if it’s totally cringe.”
“You were the one that taught me.” Zexus retorted, trying his best to sound betrayed.
“Oh yeah…I regret nothing.” Her laugh was musical in his mind. “Seriously though, please don’t ever say that again. At least while I’m in this form. When I’m all human and pretty, then maybe.”
Zexus shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“Pft. If you really want me to suck that bad, I’ll siphon all the mana from your Soul right now.” The Kitsune threatened, a spark of blue flame appearing above her head and making circles like a halo as she channeled her mana into her Ego.
Zexus was unfazed. Against a normal human, her Spiritfire would scorch their skin upon contact and burn through their Soul. However, even if his Bonded intended to hurt him, her magic would not reach him. “Try your best.”
“I fucking will!”
Following their banter, the conversation would die out for the next few minutes, settling into a comfortable quiet as they traversed the wooden walkway. While Zexus kept his gaze ahead, Lavenna enjoyed the scenery. The ocean waves, gentle on the calm day, swayed rhythmically with the wind that carried small particles of grey light. Once in a while, a flock of seagulls would fly overhead, squawking as they searched for food hidden within the shallow yet vibrant reefs below where the lifeblood of the world, mana, permeated every crevice in abundance. All of this occurred under the watch of the giants.
In the distant skies, two planets looked down upon the world. The bigger of the two, the ‘Blue Giant’, loomed over the land, its lower half hidden below the horizon while its length stretched as far as the eye could see. Across its smooth surface, patches of yellow and light red separated themselves with the aqua hues. No one knew what they were, but every so often in the dead of night, they formed the structure of an eye.
On the other hand, the ‘Red giant’ was a much smaller sphere but still bigger than the suns. It always sat closer in comparison to the Blue Giant, and was loosely encircled by string-like rings of silver.
“It’s really pretty.” Lavenna spoke up, her tone laid back as if she were sitting down for a cup of afternoon tea and reading a good book. It was something he had seen her do countless times in their home. Whether her form was a fox or human, she loved to curl up between the cushions of a porch swing.
Following her gaze, Zexus looked to the horizon, taking in the scenic view while the two suns shone down upon them. Something stirred within his heart, but the feeling was fleeting, going away just as quickly as it had come.
His eyes returned to the walkway, indifferent to the world’s beauty. However, his mind lingered on the thought of home. “We may not go back for a while.”
“No matter what you say, I’m still sticking with you.” Lavenna hummed back. A second passed before she smirked at him. “You powerless boy.”
Zexus would have snorted at the jab if he were a more emotional man, but remained stoic in both demenaour and mind. “Egos aren’t the end all be all of existence.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Maybe not, but they sure make everything easier. Superpowers are like that.”
He smiled faintly, the hidden amber that was his eyes sparking with light. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not searching for ease.”
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Onward they went, traversing past the body of water and arriving on a beach of white sand littered with colourful seashells and bits of seaweed washed up from the reefs. There the path continued into the treelines, the floorboards morphing into a beaten forest trail running next to a quaint stream. A young woman awaited them ashore. She had a mane of raven locks, and crimson eyes shifting across blackened sclera.
“Good morning, dear family.” The familiar swordswoman stood up with a faint smile, her boots digging into the sand.
“Ella.” Zexus nodded at his twin sister, their matching black cloaks swaying like flags as the wind picked up. “Did you wait long?”
“Long enough for my hair to dry.” Ravella said, dusting off her loose shirt and leggings and adjusting the long, curved blade sheathed on her back. “So which one of you slept in?”
“Do you really need to ask that?”
“I think it’s a fair question.” Lavenna chimed in. The dark-haired woman could not hear her, but Zexus’ glance back at the fox clued the swordswoman in.
“No, but it’s funny to imagine you being the lazy one. Let’s get going.”
Songbirds sang with cheer as the group of three navigated the dense foliage, passing trees of pale bark and green leaves as the track ascended and twisted. They would continue on it for more than an hour before reaching the heart of the island. Traversing a mountainpath, a great cubic structure surrounded by the range of snow-capped alps awaited them. It was massive, as big as the mountains themselves, and constructed from dark steel that absorbed all light. Zexus had seen the material before in the museums in Skye. It was of the Lost Empire, a civilisation more advanced than any other.
When they neared, the sights and noises of people became all the more numerous.
“Hm. They don’t look like they’re from the Great Isles.” Lavenna commented after spotting more than a few groups of people. “Peasants, nobles, merchants…humans, elves, dwarves, beastkin…damn, there’s a lot of them. No Spirit Beast though.”
“Your kind isn’t exactly common.” Zexus noted.
“No shit. All those barbaric fools hunt us for our Core Egos and whatnot.” The Kitsune huffed. “That reminds me, I should really stop getting sidetracked from repopulating my kind. I think I’m almost ready for the first actually.”
“Right...” Not wanting to continue that line of conversation, Zexus returned to his assessment of the crowd, noting their diverse clothing and features. “Most seem to be from the continents.”
Linen, cloth, leathers, furs, silks - clothes of all kinds suited for the frigid north, the heated south, and the climate east and west were worn on their backs. Some looked as immaculate and decorated as Kings while others walked about in rags. The only trait the humans shared was that they were all around a head shorter than the masked man.
The cogs of Zexus’ mind turned as the trio followed the crowd. “Perhaps this is a new induction program.”
“Seriously? At this scale? And why would we be here for something like that?” The Kitsune asked, ducking back into his bag. She was not one for mass gatherings, at least while she was a tenth of the size of everyone else, like an infant amongst giants. That, and her sensitive nose. “All these people stink! I’m gonna hurl…”
“You going to be alright?” The amber-eyed man asked, concerned.
“Probably…I’m just gonna assume the fetal position and smell my tail for a while.”
Filtering into the grounds just before the building’s assumed entrance, Zexus raised a brow as he discovered that most of the people there were sitting or lounging about on the grass. Some were even having outright picnics, using their clothes as sheets and happily conversing and eating in their cliques.
He quickly realised that they were likely not permitted entry. The distant doors, merely specks of shadows from where they stood, were shut tight. The ‘program’ clearly had not started.
Still, despite the abundance of people, there was more than enough space for each person to move freely. Whoever had mapped out the forest clearing may have expected even more participants to show up.
Navigating through the crowd, the trio approached the cube-shaped building as big as the surrounding mountains. They tried to keep to the side, but found that the crowds stretched all around the structure in a complete circle. From Zexus’ estimates, there were no less than one hundred thousand present.
Out of those people, most of those they passed had looks of excitement, anticipation or nervousness. Many were in groups - family, friends or acquaintances, or even striking up conversation with their neighbours as they spoke about what the Isle of Skye had in store for them. That being the case, the smalltalk amounted to little, if any useful information. The most Zexus got out of his subconscious eavesdropping was that many of the assumed participants were here in the hopes of becoming citizens of the Isle of Skye, or at least surrogates in some form or another. He had no idea why some even spoke excitedly of being a ‘messenger’ for the Great Isle. Besides that, what families and friends that could afford to tag along were there in support for those who would brave the path ahead.
Coming up to the structure, Zexus was surprised to find many vacant spots by the building. The twins glanced at one other, shrugging before taking a seat by one of the doors. Just as they settled, the screeches of turning gears from within the cube suddenly echoed across the mountain range.
All conversations ceased at that moment, as the hundred thousand faces turned to look at the building lit up like the last day of the Season of Rest.
Nothing happened, at least for a few long seconds. Then, as the tension rose to an all time high, the four walls beamed to life displaying the image of a woman with chin-length blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Sat back on a lavish sofa with an apathetic look on her sculpted face, the four images of the beauty spoke in concurrence.
“Hologram Egos?” Zexus immediately recognised, his eyes picking up the barely visible traces of mana that drifted across the walls of the building, gathering in force every five or so metres. He did not focus all too much on that however, as the appearance of the familiar woman drew his attention.
“Greetings, everyone. Thank you and congratulations to you all for making it here today.” Despite her polite words, the beauty’s tone was stern, carrying an air of authority and regality befitting of a Goddess. “I am Juno, one of the people that will be overseeing the Isle of Skye’s new ‘Ascendants Program’.”
“We are here to create specimens worthy of being called the ‘greatest’ in the world, and you are here to become those specimens.” Resting her cheek against a propped up hand, she raised what looked to be a piece of paper in her other hand. Deaf to the murmurs running through the crowd, the blonde continued. “Now, to crush any misplaced excitement you may be experiencing right now, let me read out exactly what you’ll be subjected to. I will only say this once so listen closely.”
The mob quieted.
“Joining this program will see you live out your lives for the next five years within the Black Box. Everything that is not ‘you’ shall be forfeited upon entry, as will any communication with the outside world.” As the woman spoke, images appeared next to her, depicting the hundreds of layers and thousands of rooms of the cubic building.
“Throughout your stay, you will partake in training regimes designed specifically to improve your skills and overall power. You will work by yourselves, in groups, and against one another to gain experience. Whether it be your physical prowess, mental fortitude, intelligence or even your mastery of Egos, all resources will be provided for your progress.” Juno seemed indifferent as she read out what was assumedly a script, but her expression took a turn as she read out the next part. Impassiveness morphed into coldness within an instant. “Now, let me be clear. The ten thousand of you gathered here are not special. You were not chosen for any grand purpose. Most of you are fodder for the rise of a few gifted individuals. That said, you have all been given an opportunity to become something right here and now. Regardless of rank, wealth and power, we will support those that meet our expectations.”
The woman’s statement sent a bout of confusion and shock amongst the crowd.
“What’s she going on about?”
“Forfeit everything? Is she serious?”
“So we’ll basically be prisoners. Can’t believe I came all the way from Ryke for this. Shit, I spent ten gold on the ship here.”
“But to have all the resources provided to you for free? That’s hard to pass.”
Some of those who voiced their thoughts even seemed angered, but none were loud enough to be singled out.
Whether Juno heard them or not, she would continue on without pause. What were the opinions of a few worth out of a hundred thousand people?
“That said, those of you who are unhappy with these conditions can fuck off right now. I really don’t care. Those of you who have the ambition to chase after the power of Gods, come through the doors and begin your ascension.” Lowering the page, the regal woman glared at them or whatever device or Ego was filming her. “Make your choices within the hour. Anyone still in this area after the time limit will be automatically evicted. We don’t need spineless hicks.”
With her piece said, the woman vanished and the building returned to its initial state. At the same time, the dozens of doors at its base flew open. From within, three metre tall humanoids in silver armour emerged with pikes in their hands. They stood at attention by their doors.
“The Knights of Skye.”
Zexus, still in the same spot as before, surveyed the crowd. Many seemed torn, unsure of what to make with the sudden and strange address. Others, specifically those of the lower classes, seemed keen. This was their chance to rise above their station, after all, and if the only condition was to be confined for five years, many of them would accept without a second thought. On the other hand, those of the higher classes such as nobles and wealthy merchants were understandably more hesitant. No one wanted to let go of the power they held, even for the potential of more.
“Only those with resolve or nothing to their name can put everything on the line. The more you have, the more you are chained down.” Zexus recalled from one of his mother’s lessons. She had a tendency to spout points of philosophy when they spoke. Some may have found that aggravating, but the woman’s pleasant nature always captured his attention. “I think I understand a little of what she’s saying now.”
“Man…aunt’s always so blunt, but a lot of it didn’t sound like her. I’m guessing Athena asked her to read off those pages.” Ravella chuckled from beside him, bringing him out of his contemplatinos. Her voice hushed to avoid drawing attention, not that anyone would notice them at that moment. Most of those within close proximity were quite busy planning their futures, while a select few had already either begun their departure or raced into the Black Box. “What are you going to do? Ma will probably be happy if we just left now.”
“I’m sure mother would be.” Zexus agreed, an arm around his backpack while his free hand scratched the back of Lavenna’s ears. The fox purred beneath his touch. “But…”
He looked up at his twin, their eyes meeting.
“A place designed specifically to improve ourselves, it’s…” The masked man hesitated, trying to find the right word for how he felt at that moment. His heart beat faster, pumping adrenaline that boiled his blood. “Interesting.”
Ravella’s lips curled into a devilish grin, mirroring his emotions. “It does sound rather fun.”
Her gaze turned towards the entryways bearing the silver crosses where more and more people began running into like a flood. “Shall we go see what all this is about then?”
“Sounds like a total drag but fine...” Lavenna sighed. “If they’re actually going to give us Egos, then I’ll be content.”