SCC Chapter 22 Sparks(1)

The man had a broad chest, covered within a clean white shirt. His face was handsome, with a sharp jawline, crimson eyes and red hair, trimmed short. Currently, there was something brewing within those eyes of his as he spoke.

(Today! A terrorist incident occurred within our borders. And a Federal citizen was kidnapped. While a talented man was almost taken from this world.)

(Mr. Mumaso Reed has done so much for the Federation. Yet, a group of terrorists almost claimed his life!)

(That's something that the Federation can never tolerate! An affront like that can't go on without being properly addressed!)

Within his spine, Declan felt a tingle. The man had a way with words that managed to induce a chill.

(In my capacity as the President of the Federation... I declare that this act of aggression will be answered with force! Before the start of the next day, Pantheon must return the captured citizen and provide compensation, while also, handing over the two culprits! Should any of those things fail to be accomplished within this time frame, the Federation is going to attack! Anyone who plans to aid Pantheon will be considered an enemy!)

With those last words, the transmission was closed, leaving everyone in the room silently shocked. They hadn't expected the President to actually think of starting a war!

Latniss was the first to stand up from her seat. Her face was was alight with a maniacal smile as her eyes gazed into each and everyone else's eyes, including Declan's.

"The time has finally arrived. We will be getting revenge! All of you should also prepare. War isn't child's play. Though the gods aren't many, they are powerful, and we have no idea of the technology behind them." Leaving those words behind, she left the room, no doubt going to contact the comrades in the state of Greece.

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FCY 437, 2nd Month, Day 19, 8:42

Ektaktos had been trying to get some sleep but to no avail. With the reason being his many runaway thoughts, and the fact that the day hadn't been particularly filled with hectic activity to bring him tiredness. There was also the fact that entertainment was nonexistent in the village.

There was a knock at the door, with his wooden bed creaking as he pushed himself off of it. He silently and stealthily picked up a knife from the wall and stood just behind the door. This caution was warranted as he knew that there was always the chance of a thief, or the enforcers of the gods.

"Who is it?"

"... Ektaktos! Good thing you're awake! We are being gathered. You should hurry up so we can go together!" shouted a familiar voice, his neighbor, taking away some of the weight in his chest.

The knife wasn't left behind though. It was tucked within the side of his pants, somewhere he could reach it easily, before the wooden bar was lifted away from the door. Upon opening it, the bright light from the lantern brought a squint to his eyes.

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"Get the damn thing away from my face."

"Ah! My bad." the man said before starting to lead the way. That allowed Ektaktos to take in his surroundings, where others were also making their way in the same direction as themselves. Some polite greetings were exchanged before everything fell into silence except for the night sounds and the steps upon the ground.

He reached within his secret pocket, thumbing the knife within to encourage himself. The dark was scary in these lands. Beasts roamed the night, requiring sacrifices and worship at the temples in order for them to be kept away. But now that he was outside the village, he was scared.

"What happened to the temple priests?" Ektaktos asked.

"They have vanished. No one knows where to. But it isn't just our village."

"When did that happen?!" he asked in bewilderment.

"Around an hour ago. We spotted some flying thing, then they all boarded and disappeared."

A familiar cave appeared before him, with all the others entering within. He too, and his neighbour, entered it. Many questions swirled within his mind, yet they couldn't be brought to the tip of his tongue because he knew that the man holding the lantern didn't know much.

The cave was damp, with the mud especially being a pain to get through. It clung to his wooden sandals, invading his toes when his weight caused them to sink. Just thinking about the fact that he would have to bathe once again before heading to bed, made him feel anger to start building up. But Ektaktos suppressed it back down. Whatever they were being called for appeared to be important enough to wake them in the night. And connecting that with the disappearance of the temple priests alluded to the fact that some extraordinary circumstances had occurred.

The long tunnel opened up into a cavern already filled with quite the crowd. Murmurs were abound, with most of them containing discontent. After all who would love being woken up in the night?

Ektaktos seamlessly joined the crowd, with his eyes drawn towards the platform at the far end of the cavern, where ten hooded figures were situated, appearing to be discussing something. His intuition told him that they were worked up, apparently excited about something.

Since he couldn't listen to their conversation, his eyes traveled to the curious crates at one side of the platform. They were sealed tight, but that didn't stop his curiosity, only fuelling it. He could catch the murmurs of speculation within the crowd. With many of them alluding to food. But he didn't think so. There had to be something more to this.

"Fellow brethren. For years you have been forced to hide within shadows, scared of being found out and slaughtered like pigs, just like the other ignorant villagers! But today, we come bearing news. That situation will be no more starting today!"

One of the hooded men started speaking, with his words bringing about the pounding of Ektaktos' heart. Something was about to change! He could feel it within his bones!

"Our motherland, the Federation, has declared war on Olympus! Meaning, there will be no more oppression! No more grovelling beneath a mere person's feet just because they hold a bit of power! You will be able to gain the same power as them, openly, without having to look over your shoulder!" a cascade of cheers resounded, ones that even caused the walls of the cavern to tremble minutely.

"Materials capable of allowing you to start your very own cultivation journey have been brought. Line up and receive one each!" One of the hooded figures requested.

Then one of the chests was opened, releasing a green light visible to everyone within the cavern. Such light, and the refreshing aura, reminded Ektaktos of the temple priests. The aura was uncannily similar to the one they used when they were healing injuries after giving them coin.

A small rectangular paper, capable of fitting within one's palm was drawn to the black hooded person's hand. He presented it to everyone expounding upon its name, the Auto-Cul talisman, with the capability of granting the same abilities as the gods, to people.

For Ektaktos, that was the selling point. And when he was finally presented with one, he scrutinized it. It had dark green veins, through which a green light pulsed, vibrating within his hand like a living organism, almost startling him into dropping it.

He followed the instructions, pasting it across his stomach, upon which the emerald light intensified, with the green veins, growing across his entire skin, before the talisman sank within his body. After that, he was given an out of the body experience, where he detected multiple crystalline veins within his body, all eventually leading to a space within his navel. And he felt some sort of energy, which they had termed as spirit energy, entering his body through his pores, bringing about a refreshing feeling to him, as if he had turned twenty years younger.

And what made him even more elated was the fact that the process of absorption continued passively, with him feeling his dantian, as they had termed it, filling with the energy absorbed from the surroundings. And it didn't just end there but he felt a slight increase in his physical strength, giving him the illusion that he could probably beat up his neighbour if they ever got into a fight.

"You have just started upon the path of cultivation. Meaning, that you will not be able to fight those so-called gods who have decades on you. That's why, we have even brought weapons. They will allow you to atleast hold your own when fighting. But, we caution you. Only fight priests. Don't fight the gods. There will be those from the Federation that will engage."

Ektaktos took that advice seriously. He didn't want to die now, when he had just discovered the wonders of cultivation. That would be too much of a pity.