[Royal Chariot Crash Site]
Chronos groaned, his head throbbing with pain as he slowly regained consciousness. His vision was blurry, but he could make out the dimly-lit interior of the Royal Chariot. A brief moment of panic set in as he remembered the crash. Quickly scanning his surroundings, he noticed that Sophia had already burst out of the Hover Vehicle, or what was left of it, and was standing in front of a group of cloaked beings.
The angelic amiable sister he remembered was now levitating mid-air in imperious fashion. Her body crackled with a regal white aura as her pristine white hair flailed behind her like menacing tentacles.
The royal vanguard had already fallen into line, they stood in a battle position behind her, their weapons gleaming under the afternoon sunlight, ready to pounce on command. Chronos’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation as he crawled out of the opening Sophia had burst out of.
The first thing he noticed was that the gazes of the ten cloaked ambushers instantly fell upon him. It was at this moment that Chronos realized that he was the target. Before he could react, the leader of ambushers let out a wave of familiar purple energy that froze everything in its path, dying the air in the vicinity an oppressive deep purple.
Sophia let out a roar as she struggled to fight the shackles of this purple domain, but the best she could do amidst this area of stasis was to turn toward her little brother.
Suddenly, another of the cloaked figures let out a deafening screech. The sound echoed through the air like an array of invisible blades, knocking the vanguards unconscious almost instantaneously.
Chronos bit down on his lips in an attempt to stay alert but his consciousness was slipping away and there was nothing he could do about it. The last thing he saw was the leader of the ambushers teleporting behind the berzerked Sophia and rendering her unconscious with a hand chop to the back of her neck.
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Astral Year 372 5th of January
This was the day that shook the entire Tertius. All across the 5 great allied nations, Astral, Onogoro, Yoruba, Kailash and Daddiri, a chain of kidnappings occurred. The concerted and simultaneous abduction of children up to the age of 10 numbered in the hundreds.
At first, it was dismissed as a random occurrence, a series of isolated incidents. But as the day wore on, it became clear that this was something much more sinister. Parents frantically searched for their children, schools and colleges were in chaos as students failed to show up for classes, and the authorities struggled to keep up with the ever-growing number of missing persons.
The kidnappings were not limited to any specific demographic or geographic area. Talented young people from all walks of life were disappearing at an alarming rate, leaving their loved ones and communities reeling in shock and disbelief.
The rumors of cloaked shadowy figures of some sort of secret organization being behind the abductions spread like wildfire. Panic began to set in, with families barricading themselves in their homes afraid that their child would be the next victim.
The day of the mass kidnappings would go down in history as a dark chapter in Tertius’s collective memory, a time of fear and uncertainty that would leave a lasting impact on its people.
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[Chronos’s Mind]
There was a blinding flash of light in the sky as a giant spaceship approached. The forcefield gave way, unable to withstand the sheer power of the alien vessel. The ship roared triumphantly as it broke through, descending rapidly toward the planet.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
As it hovered closer and closer to the surface, a door on the side of the ship opened with a hiss, a sleek device floated out, glowing with an eerie red light. The device descended towards the ground, emitting a faint humming noise as it went.
And then, with a blinding flash of light and an ear-splitting explosion, everything changed. The world was plunged into chaos as the futuristic bomb unleashed its devastating power, obliterating everything in its path. Buildings crumbled to the ground, cars exploded in fiery wrecks, and millions of humans were vaporized on the spot - including Chronos.
Even though destruction befell upon him in less than a second, he felt the excruciating pain of each cell in his body vaporizing into nothingness. The split second it took for the fibers of his being to completely be eradicated sent a burst of profound pain that was intense even to the hardened consciousness of Chronos.
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[Unknown Location]
*Beep* *Beep*
“Attention all cadets, please follow the neon markers on the ground and make your way to the main hall now”
“Attention all cadets, please follow the neon markers on the ground and make your way to the main hall now”
Chronos slowly regained consciousness, his mind foggy and his body heavy. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the room, he took in his surroundings. The walls were of a smooth, gleaming white metallic material, there were no windows in this stark and sterile room. There was a fluorescent blue trail which led out an open door.
These nightmares have become a part of his life these past three years. It started off as agonizing nightmares, it then turned into a deterrent to sleep at all. But as his mind broke down and consciousness healed constantly, Chronos started to gain a degree of immunity. The daily nightmares started occurring once every two days, then once every four days to once every month.
As his mind grew stronger with the destruction and repair, the nightmares of death occurred less and less.
The memories of his abduction flooded back to him as he sat up on the bed. The first thing he noticed was that there were no restraints on him, the door was wide open so he might not be a captive? Upon further scrutiny, he found something peculiar about his kidnapping, no one was actually hurt? The Royal Vanguards were put to sleep and Sophia was knocked unconscious, if the ambushers were really enemies…
“Are you [ Prince ] ??!” A high pitched voice interrupted Chronos' thoughts.
Turning toward the door, Chronos saw a pair of Yorubian twins. The male and female twins were dressed in a manner similar to the warriors of Wakanda, the flair of tribal African influence in their outfits contrasting sharply against the sleek, futuristic surroundings. Their glorious dark skin gleamed against the neon fluorescent markers lining the walkway.
Chronos nodded at the excited female as her twin brother stood stoically behind her. He stood with a confidence and pride that spoke of a deep connection to their culture and heritage. The Yoruba were a high-tech civilization famed as a warriors class who embraced their roots and heritage alongside their technological advancements.
“En-Le! I’m Taiwo Ibeji and this is my brother Kehinde Ibeji, I’m your biggest fan!”
Taiwo shrieked like a typical fan girl, completely forgetting the confusing situation they were all in. Her skin was the color of rich, warm mahogany, and her eyes sparkled with an intelligence and determination that belied her youthful appearance.
Chronos replied with a smile,
“Call me Chronos, do you have any idea what’s going on?”
“Prince Chronos! We were abducted by a group of cloaked people while hunting and … we woke up here… what about you?” Taiwo replied excitedly as she took a step into Chronos’s room.
Kehinde placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. In a deep and hoarse voice he said,
“Main hall… now…”
Chronos nodded his head and jumped to his feet.
“Let's go check what all this fuss is all about.”
‘What’s going on? It doesn’t seem like we’re prisoners…’
‘Where are we ? The walls look foreign even after three full years in this futuristic sci-fi world…’
Chronos’s mind went into overdrive as he took in every nook and cranny of his surroundings. Taiwo on the other hand seemed much more carefree, hopping excited behind the lead of her idol.
As the three followed the blue neon fluorescent markings on the floor, they noticed more and more people stepping out of their rooms and joining the crowd walking down the hallway. Chronos noticed that the people in the group were all kids pacing forward along the neon markers which seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, beckoning them forward into the unknown.
The hallway itself was a masterpiece of futuristic design, with sleek angular walls and an almost clinical cleanliness. The air around hummed in a quiet orchestra of almost organic movement. The walls themselves seemed to shift and change, as if they were alive and responding to the presence of the group.
Soon the hallway opened up into a massive, expansive main hall unlike anything the kids ever saw. Muffled gasps of awe echoed amidst the uncertain footsteps of the group. One thing Chronos noticed was that even though the people around him could not have been older than ten years of age, there was a lack of… fear in the air.
Although there was uncertainty and caution, alike the Ibeji twins, what shone brighter was the confidence in their step and determination in their eyes. Scanning his surroundings, Chronos noticed 156 kids standing ahead of the luxurious stage in the main hall, its sleek, metallic surface gleaming in the ambient light. Seven elders sat on top of the stage, their presence commanding respect and admiration.
Before he could continue investigating, a familiar smile from on top of the stage caught his eye…
It was…
Grandmama??!