Cant believe I am finally able to post this. So I decided that I am not going to spend too much time on editing anything right now. I did get to editing about 16ish pages but theres roughly 69~70 pages and I wanted to write something else but life. 

I will actually add a parable 2 dateline for me 12/25/2025. So lets hope I get to finishing parable 2 by then. 

Anyway, I have a life long plan for this so buckle up. I wonder how far ill get?

Oh yeah all parables moving forward will be in constant flux (LMFAO not at all, if I edit or am able to hire someone someday ill edit but until then itll be when I am extremely bored.) listen these people will change as we go...I am figuring them out.

Hopefully in the years to come my writing gets better but I think its serviceable now. The things they say and the how they act are going to be in constant flux.

I havent even fully decided on their personality and traits, backgrounds etc. I have them somewhat in my head but theyll evolve and one day well have a point of reference where I wont ever need to edit again after that parable, itll just be the final product with every launch.

I gave up on the spacing lmfao.

Also this is different from the all AI one where this has 0 AI. One day the vision will be more clear, until then just wait on it.

Also I am  adding a last POV on these that wont be editable. That will be added after a few parables in. (it will start in Parable 1 though)

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The One Above Truth and Objectivity 

Parable 1: Continuous Action causes Reality to Materialize.

A natural disaster, a kindred apparition, Herr.

Past

“A seed can only grow when love and luck nurtures it…” Zeven whispered, her brain kept going back to her gardening days.

The room was quiet, a beam of light emerged on the ashen table. Zeven looked for its source and it was straight ahead of her. A speeding basillicar had zoomed through a resting cloud, laying its head on the giant megalitic structure that is Teneyed Tower. 

Zeven raised an eye as the beam landed on a note. Highlighting its denizens:

 “Have at a minimum 7 different types of chairs for the family. PS—”

She wanted to think about it, why seven?, but she got distracted by the dust dancing between the shadows to read into it. She thought about pounding on the table and making a beat for her private dancers. Zeven let out a giggle, maintaining her hands on her lap, underneath the table. 

She was the first one at the corner office of the newly constructed tower. So much time had passed since she arrived that she began to have thoughts of her family and her father.

“That’s beautiful, Sevvi, where's that quote from?” a quiet and serene tone filled the air, Oab.

Zeven turned her head up so fast that she didn't realize how close her sister was. She had to grab the bottom of the table to stop her chair from swinging and hitting her precious sister in the face. Zeven’s hand slammed underneath the table and made a thud. 

“Jesus Oab, can you not?” said Zeven as she removed her hand from the table and grabbed her heaving chest, her breathing was constricted due to her uniform.

“Jesus Seven, can you not wear work clothes to a will reading?” Oab said through her smile.

Zevens slowed her breathing down as she heard the others' come in. She saw her sister smiling and it warmed her heart but she avoided looking directly at her sister and her piercing green eyes.

“Sorry Sevvi, didnt mean to eavesdrop on you, I was about to say hello but I didnt want to stop your poem. Is there more to it?.” Oab said with a confused look, her long hair swatting Zeven as she grabbed the closest seat. 

Zeven stared at her sister's long curly hair, they were ombre today. She wondered what they would be like the next day or the day before but her brain snapped back and she realized her sister didnt know their own fathers words.

None of you ever cared for him Zeven thought 

“It was dad, Oabbi.” Zeven said in her most official manner, the voice she used to carry out sentences, the voice she used when she ended lives, the voice of an arbiter. Cold and Empty.

Oab hugged Zeven tighly and whispered“ I understand Sevvi, this is hard…but…we have to get over this so we can properly mourn dad,…we can go watch those super old movies he loves, I mean loved, the ones from his grandfathers time, you know the ones.” She then reached towards the middle of the massive table and grabbed a napkin for Zeven. 

“Oh god, you two are already crying?” 

Zeven knew exactly who it was, his fake deep and callous voice worked overtime to hide his feelings from surfacing, Tor’jah. 

Messiah of being a bitch Zeven thought.

“Shut up, Torj Mahal, let them cry. Dad is dead. You gonna say that when mom comes here?”

Another one.

“Its Tor’Jah the Messiah of the Ring, Sakura. You all make fun of my branding but I dont remember anyone giving you guys shit for your plans. “Voice of the People” , “Princess”...” his eyes jolted to Zeven “Murder…” he laughed and continued “if anyone ever saw you for who you really are Sakura they wouldnt be so quick to label you something so…unlike you.” Tor’Jah laughed and sat down across from Zeven. He had on one of his fighting capes and a golden suit underneath, he displaced the dust and blocked the light with his lank.

Zeven fought to get her sister's hair out of her face before she could properly address Tor'Jah 

“Move or would you like to see why they call me that?”  Zeven gave him a cold stare, her brother jumped to the next seat with feral speed. 

Sakura bursted out laughing and sat next to her brother, away from the light chair. 

“You look beautiful as ever Sakura!” blushed Oab, she let go of Zeven and grabbed her sisters hands across the table, large popping noises echoed in the room, she had dislocated her shoulders to reach Sakura.

“Can you not do that Oab? Its fucking disgusting…but…while were talking, I need you to listen to me, can you please for the love of all that is holy shut the fuck up on Tataloz? I do not need my own sister, highest viewed fucking creator on that dog shit platform to be speaking ill on me and my mov…moment. Do you understand me Oabeez?” Sakura stretched out the last bit as she threw her bag on the table and rubbed her face incessantly before crossing her arms. Her face was flushed, she looked like she was seething.

Always so loving, sister. 

Oab retracted her arm and fixed her shoulders. She slumped down and sat in the chair. “I wasnt talking bad Sachi, I was just explaining what you all…” she whispered until she was interrupted by Sakura, slamming her hands on the table. Her eyes were erratically switching back and forth, searching.

Sakura’s blue eyes were being overtaken by red. 

Malice from the looks of it, Zeven knew that she was going to do it. 

Sakura threw a coaster at Oab but Zeven caught it and put it on the table, staring at her light beam.

Oab ignored her sister and began to have small talk with the now focused Zeven, mainly on what movie to watch and whos house they would go to, in between her sniffles. Zeven felt bad and decided to entertain her…again.

Crying over her but not dad, its so…you

The last of the siblings and their mother arrived with the lawyer. Their mother was embraced in darkness. A flowing black dress and a shawl over her now ashen hair, aged like the bonsai that littered the room, gracefully and attentively. You would think that she was a shadow with how dark her dress was. Only her fair skin and excessive jewelry showed any light yet her hair weaved through the night like comets.

They walked in one by one with the aydham lawyer first who went straight to her seat, mother, Nerab, and the twins, Errant, and, the most loved, Juniper. 

Zeven looked down as her mother made her way and sat down next to Tor'Jah, blocking her light. Nerab, Errant and Juniper just stood behind their mom instead of sitting at the open seats.

The lawyer who goes by the name of Agatha Zoolin fixed her glasses, sneezed, dropped her glasses and ruffled the papers in front of her before she fixed her glasses once more. Afterwards she pressed her intercom and buzzed for better chairs for the 3 standing but Nerab had already signaled her to press on, his hands covered by his new allegiance, Serafate, its giant gaudy emblem sticking out like a piece of shit in a bucket of water. 

Zeven chuckled.

After signaling Agatha, Nerab walked away from the group and walked towards the window.

1000 floors for each year of reign, Nerab must be seeing earth from the heavens right now

“It's bad enough to do this in this damn closet, get this over with Agatha.” Nerab whispered with nettle in his voice, his back towards the group, his hand reaching towards the bar by the window.

“This was the only room that's been debugged and proofed for this type of  conversation. Your  father wasn't supposed to die until the completion of the tower at a minimum…” Agatha stumbled and then mumbled her words before she made sense again “ …Mrs. Alhafa-Zudoloz…i sincerely apologize for my callous tongue there. Mr. Alhafa was very strict with what we could do while he was alive…I…youre all probably wondering why it was done this way, well, this is, was, his final request.”

All 8 of them stared at Agatha, her sweat rolled down her face and fell towards her neck. Agatha fumbled around the papers again. The room ruminated, Zeven deliberated on what their thoughts were. Will they get their shares?Who’s the new CEO? She studied who she could see. Errant bit his lip, Juniper twisted her hair, Tor bit his fingers, Sakura gave a death stare to Oab. 

Agatha broke the silence and contemplation with her scraggly voice. She adjusted her seat and buzzed for her aydhams to keep the floor secure.

“My  beautiful family, this will be quick. This must be a tough time for you all. I couldn't imagine that I would be the first to go but if you are reading this version then it must be so. I have left a letter for each one of you to read on your own accord. This letter is strictly for the demand that I have for you to attain your inheritance. As of writing this, our corporation is one of 12 corporations allowed in the new country of CUMS...”

All 7 children giggled.

“Dont mind them Agatha, go ahead.” Mother said with refinement, yet she also had a sly smirk hiding. 

Agatha cleared her throat and continued reading “...therefore we have a massive responsibility to ensure we do what we can to support the mission of our new home. My request will be heavy handed, you will not want to do it but it will make you all closer. It will help you understand your place in the universe and your role in the new world we will grow. You do not have to do it to attain your share but it will come with other…consenquences. 

The board has 35% of the company, leaving our family 65%. 13% of that will go to your mother, giving her the largest share. The other 42% will be distributed evenly among the kids, giving them each 6% of the company. That should roughly make all of you trillionaires, from 1 trillionaire to 8 of them in the span of a paragraph, how you like dat kids?”

“The letter continues with…some interesting request…now I want to assure you all that no one knows what he is speaking about or how to fulfill this request but his letter to us states that we are allowed to disclose and that Ms. Alhafa will know how to finalize this. We are tasked to wait for Ms. Alhafa’s instructions. Now for the remaining portion of the letter…” Agatha said as she scanned the faces of the family. 

“To attain your percentage you must do one thing. Consume the flesh of time. Mother will know what to do and she will inform Agatha once each member has performed the rite or has refused it, no matter what this will unlock your shares. You can read your individual letters once you have decided on your action, Agatha will contact you if anything further needs to transpire.

Remember my seeds, a seed can only grow when love and luck allows it.”

A large crack can be heard from the window where Nebar looked over, he lowered his hand and blood pooled out of it, dripping on the carpet. 

“Nebar…” mother said quietly

“Its not a b…” Juniper says outloud 

Nebar responds before Juniper could finish “Is this a farce? Equal? Mother is this over? When can we claim our percentages? Are we locked from selling? Anything useful from this? I took time off my day and cleared an afternoon just for you all to tell me nothing useful. I feel like this family doesnt realize what I have accomplished, What I have done for us. How I have expanded our reach. Yet I am mocked with an equal?”

“We can take this outside Nebar, why are you talking around it? Do you think you have done more than any of us? More than me?” Zeven said as she stood up, she balled the napkin that Oab handed her. 

“Breathe sister.” Sakura said quietly as she also stood up to leave.

Mother did not respond, she remained quiet and composed as she stood up and watched as Agatha called for help with Nebars hand. 

Agatha had one of her associates come in and clean up the carpet and hand Nebar a rag for his hand. Ms. Alhafa left a note on the table for the lawyers and left with Juniper and Errant following her. She looked around again and spoke.

“You fail to listen to your father yet again. I see why he chose this Florida location. You all need to remember your roots and humble yourselves. Come children, its time to visit grandfathers house. Clear your schedules for the next few days.”

Ms. Alhafa left the room with 5 of the 7 children following her and Agatha closing the door as Zeven and Nebar stayed in the room. Nebar turned around and walked towards the door before being stopped by Zeven.

“He loved us equally, Nebar. You were his first, he always told me you were his favorite. Just too absorbed and too loud to hear the quiet hurt of others.” Zeven said as she grabbed her brother's hand.

“I am more than you. Seven. I will always be more than you..” Nebar said as he walked away, the associates helped as best as they could as they walked alongside.

“Now let's stop feigning love and go see that old summer house so we can go our separate ways. Let's not miss the moment before its vaporized to join nature.” He finished talking and smirked a familiar face.

“Just because you act like father, doesn't mean you will ever amount to anything close to who and what he was.” Zeven said as turned to walk away, her brother followed her.

The  walk with Nebar was quiet, Zeven could only think of what awaited them down in their family home. Memories and sorrow.

“Nebar, do you remember when I fell off the tree?” Zeven asked to break the silence, they were approaching the elevator and she didn't want to spend the 6 minute ride down in excruciating silence with her older brother, no matter how distant he had gotten.

Nebar remained silent. Zeven marched on.

The giant elevator doors opened as they approached. It revealed two giant egg-like structures that rotated, it almost looked like a field, a field of low frequency light threads, it sang frequencies that could negate negative effects of vibration degradation.

Zeven saw Nebar’s face light up. 

“We just finished it, R&D approved it and it's about to be operational, only in this tower. Its beautiful, dads final pet project. I wanted to show you, show you how much better we are here. Get all the money and power and fame you want brother. You’ll never have this. This talent. This gift. You inherited all of fathers greed and apathy, but nothing to offset it, not a single ounce of grey matter is in that skull of yours…” Zeven laughed and entered the field, she sat down and a couch materialized underneath her.

Nebar sat down and loosened his tie, letting out a low scream. He screamed then started to laugh, he looked at Zeven and said “Which times, or are you talking about when you and Torj got into a fight and you broke your arm? Robot Hero Sven…huh…man dad flayed Torj a new one that day.” he sighed and laid down on the couch, he put his feet up and looked away towards the city below in a cascading motion of endless structures.

Zeven chuckled and Nebar let out a laugh until the silence covered their mouths again, until their hate cycled back.

I know I got to him.

Zeven looked at the expanding city

“How’s construction in your Zone? You're about to be an arbiter right? When are you going to tell the family?” Zeven thought and the gruhana let a light thread develop and be absorbed by the other gruhana sending her thoughts towards her brother.

Nebar waved Zeven away.

The rest of the travel down the tower was filled with quiet and a helping of nostalgia. Mainly silence. Zeven counted the floors in her head to pass the time. 4 Minutes until the doors open. 400 floors to go.

The elevator doors opened, Zeven and Nebar were standing on two plates, the gruhana being deactivated. Zeven’s eyes locked on to her sisters who stuck out like colorful thumbs in the grey backdrop of the lobby. 

Aydhams littered the floor as they inspected a visitor, cleaned a floor or did any other mundane thing. Aydhams who stood besides the elevator doors moved into the elevator to clean up for the next users.

“Are you guys going with Mom and the others or are we just meeting up down there?” asked Oab, she looked irritated with her green eyes always betraying her mood. Dark when shes happy and light when shes mad, her eyes like mood gems only known by those close to her.

“Selene is waiting for me back at home, I have a few visits to do, a few performances to attend but ill be at grandfathers by tomorrow.” responded Nebar, he looked at his hand and it seemed he finally noticed his hand was still bleeding and was leaving a trail of dripping blood. He tightened the rag given to him by the associates. 

Disregarding the excessively large pool of blood on the elevator floor huh.

“I’am glad you're still with Selene brother. Maybe you should use her family's connections to find you a suitable therapist or psychiatrist…whatever you need to help you…I know how that side of your family moves about, birds and all dat.” Zeven said, as she goes to the sides of her sisters, they watched the aydhams clean the pool of blood. 

Nebar sucked his teeth and looked away.

“Well this has been a massive waste of time as usual, good call Oab. Moms waiting so im leaving.” Sakura said as she picked up her bag with her hybrid, she walked away and headed towards the exit.

Zeven stared at the “appy irthday sticker” that their father gave to Sakura when he gave her the Dox as a pet. 

Even when dad is gone, he still makes me laugh, fucking trade secrets as a birthday gift…i guess not as much as a trade secret any longer… 

“I am going to meet Uncle Reliance, and before any of you fucks say anything, he’s sti….” Zeven said as she Sakura waved goodbye. 

Nebar turned around and interjected “Reliance of all people, of course you still associate with an  individual like that.” He turned around again and took out a small shell out of his pocket. 

So thats where the 3rd one went…that means I have one, Nebar has one, and two still unaccounted for…certainly mother…maybe another board member?

“OOOOHHHH NEBAR HAS A S.H.E.L?? Why dont we have those yet? Is that in R&D right now??” Oab gushed as she ran for her brother.

Bye Oab…

Zeven knew she needed a moment before going out of the building. She searched for the bathroom and found it nestled between a coffee shop and aydham charging port. She got a glance of the open circuits of the aydhams attaining their bead of amak. She almost threw up and ran to the bathroom. 

She locked the door and searched the stalls before she pulled out her SHEL and spoke into it 

“Zsir, show me pearl 001 again please.” Her tears began to roll down as the shell began to glow and get hot, it produced a pearl. Her stomach felt alleviated at the sight of the pearl.

Zeven took the pearl and put it on the bathroom counter, the pearl spun and a clear image that's fuzzy on the ridges played over the spinning pearl. It was her dad over 3 years ago, she had worked with him closely on all his inventions before they went to research and development. She looked at the pearl and smiled as her dad discussed the possibility of dimensional conversations via the shell, his pipe dream, to travel to other dimensions. 

Anything is possible given enough time and brain power. 

She took the pearl and put it back in the shell, the pearl spun and spun until it was gone, the heat was almost untenable but she persevered. Zeven wiped her tears and headed for the bread shop that her Uncle Reliance wanted to meet at, Sun Chasers Cafe.

Zeven walked the bottom flower of the tower marveling at the quick construction and the ever moving Aydham. 

She thought about how well their artificial neural networks melded with the silicone bodies.

Mushroom fibers really worked…now if we could only replace their frames with something cheaper and more brittle…but also durable…hmmm

The large information weaved into each fiber allowed for specialized segments to mimic the human body in proportion and compartmentalization in expertise. It allowed for highly adaptable models. The area around the tower and within the mini-cities are littered with campaigns for custom made aydhams. I should target these during extreme arbitration.

Only solace is their incredibly slow speed, the only solution when dealing with technology faster and stronger than humans. But, as always we must be careful, a singular aydhams is smarter than the human race combined, how could we really stop them if they were to plan something? Would we even know? So many limiters were placed on them, so many backdoors to shut them down but it all seems mute. 

She let her mind wander around the topic as she headed for her vehicle. She marveled at the tower some more.

She reached the front door, more of a gate at this point, manned by one of the aydhams. It had a patterned black suit and a yellow head that was illuminated by its neck. The face changed from blank to happy as the door opened and waived goodbye. 

“Visit soon again, Senior Vice President of S.H.E.L Dr. Zeven Alhafa, Arbiter of the 7th zone, visit soon. Again.”

Zeven waved the aydham off as she covered her eyes from the sun's light. She looked around for her spot, her system caught it and directed her towards the basillicars materialization point.  

Her basillicar appeared out of the ground to take her to the Sun Chasers restaurant as she neared, moving traffic accordingly. She entered the RK3 and was engulfed in zsair, the OKOR networks version of the gruhana, a cheaper and more widely adopted frequency based light thread.

This behind, they must have something up their sleeve, version .192 of our GRu-Hana. Hmm. I could mold a nanite. Maybe it's time to infiltrate their R&D. Insurance.

A chime played as she was held in stasis.

“Thank you for your subscription to OKOR, no hassle speed at no hassle prices.”

OKOR General Protocol enabled 

Zevens felt her entire body push back as the basillicar lifted off the ground and sped towards the domain requested. 

“Jesus, metrics. Now.” Zevens mouth strained to get the words out, the field barely did anything to negate the vibration disturbance. 

Speed at 110 - 3 second start up - high v-dust protection

This is high? Fuck. 

Zeven laughed and laughed Zehaha.

The OKOR powered-basillicar swerved through the first city, layered with aydhams not only building the city but also ensuring the air and other qualities are up to par for human and hybrid living standards. 

Zeven’s eyes honed in on a variant that piqued her interest, one that her father could never properly explain. A special variant that is littered amongst the trees of all the Zones in Invokar, a Krokan. 

Aydhams as wet as water, silicone and tech constantly filtering the dirt and debris in the air to minimize the damage to humans from the miasma, blooming their skin to mimic the trees, the leaves erupting blue, changing the landscape as it ebbed and flowed with the miasma. How the fuck do we not have access to this shit. Co-developed my fat ass, Jesus this tech would blend so well with my hybrid habitat. I need to get unbusy fast…maybe ill hang up the blade…Epeona has been waiting so long to be an arbiter…Jesus help me. How do I control her blood lust??? 

Zeven could see the restaurant ahead, the next few minutes were covered with advertisements of the Forever Won regime, the current head of Invokar. Banners, nanite demonstrations, even the iso-locked resistors are paraded. 

Unify the Planet. Align Invokar. Cant even think differently around here nowadays. Tsk.

“Arriving, Sun Chasers Lounge and Grill, KBBQ, slow down complete, draining zsair, you have arrived. Thank you for using OKOR, please rate us and remember, auto-renew is on. Thank you.” the generated voice was angelic but the visual representation they projected on the field resembled a giant blob of oozing liquid, their system seemed to drain too much power to properly show the tokened image.

Zeven got out of the basillicar and dusted some of the remaining zsair off her shoulders and the rest of her jacket. Her clothes began to slightly vibrate to get the remaining zsair off as the floor absorbed it and put the zsair back into the zsair stream. She walked forward with beautiful hedges of bushes and lilacs. Animals of old projected by the city grid, bees, birds, dogs, old heritage icons, projected about to frolic, encoded with the strong intelligence system so it can reliably entertain the residents.

The restaurant was colorful, it had beautiful stones layered upon it, interweaved to form a large mosaic of old mountains and fields that have been seized by Cantor. It reminded Zeven of an old town her father used to speak about, in one of his old books.

She entered Sun Chasers Lounge and Grill, KBBQ, a quiet and serene melody played as an aydham played a guitar and a piano. Its mouth generated a song that updated and continued and evolved.

“...Feast will ease the pain, dont let it drain, dont let it drain, dont let it strain your heart, drain your hea….” it sang and played, entertained, its purpose.

Zeven covered her mouth as she walked in the restaurant, she watched a couple eat a turkey and down a tub of ice-cream with an aydham delivering more food. She felt queasy.

These fucking lazy…, I should thin some of them out. Cool down. Cool Down. Cool Down.  Not a single human for help…where are you uncle?

She covered her mouth with her hand as she scanned the packed room for Reliance, no luck. 

Humans came and went, leaving all their items in the table, letting the aydhams pick them up while the table self sanitized with a spritz of vyp0r spray. 

Zeven remembered her father doting on the restaurant as it was slowly filled with aydhams, it was just another replica of a historic restaurant for her. Another relic from her fathers, fathers, fathers, who care’s history, thats not bled into the designs and etchings of all Zones throughout Invokar. It had nothing to do with her. It wasnt her…story.

Zeven was greeted by a bright pink Aydham, it waved her to a seat and her eyes locked with a familiar sight. Her uncle Reliance was destroying a shake and burger, stuffing the fries between the burger and layered the shake on top, too familiar with the restaurant. She walked up and sat down quickly, putting her bag neatly on her side, close at hand.

“Bahgahd Zevereus” Reliance said as he coughed out his last bite and swallowed it again. He took his time getting his breath.

“Do you always have to be so loud, uncle?” she cleared out her side of the table and dug in her bag for a light-sheet, she rubbed it on the table and the system commenced its protocol to clean where the sheet met its surface.

“Its Dr. Alhafa now.” Zeven said as she straightened herself out, she put the light-sheet back into her bag and covered her mouth again.

“Watch yourself, might become like your father if you keep that up...” Reliance laughed, his rolls giggled with him “...when he became a doctor he chirped the same twang. Our dad was so proud of him..” he continued to stuff his face and speak through the bites “...first son becoming the first doctor.” He shook his head and continued to stuff his face. 

Zeven gagged “Sorry uncle, my receptors have been off. Doin a home fix, it's fickle…”

Reliance interrupted Zeven “Hol’ on now Zeven. Just cause the law answers to you doesnt mean you are above it, wachaself now. Go see a fixer, a certified one, and get it on your record. Dont arbiters got dem good benefits?” he muscled through the food.

You think some random quack is more qualified than me? Are you insane?

She pinched her leg and kept her composure.

“I need to ask you about your last work with father. Whatever it was.” 

He drank some of his soda and took another bite of the synthesized burger. “It never tastes quiet like it, you know?” Reliance said after finishing his burger. “Nothing like the real thing, we should go to Kuidaore soon, the 936th floor is about to open up for public use…I am sure you would appreciate the updated menu, it's been sycles since you last went to a tasting. Arbiter Basker has been inquiring about your absence.”

Basker. “I’am pressed for time uncle, I dont have time for inquiring minds, I wanted to see you to see if dad told you anything about SHEL or the transport system.” Zeven said as she waved off the Aydham asking for her meal request.

“I am pressed for service, where are the bots with my owwwrder.” he laughed and made eye contact with Zeven who was stone faced, he coughed and cleared his throat before speaking again “SHEL was the last project, it was even in my portion of the will. He wanted me to support you with the board…dont worry you dont need it, they are renewing your position.” Reliance grabbed his smoothie and sucked it down, grabbed another and poured it on his pizza.

“Dessert…the last portion of that R&D project we worked on was the neural link synthesizer, we weren't sure how far the connection could go with the shells, we wanted to avoid a homogeneity, but nevertheless its nothing new you havent already solved but is this alternative transport system a companion or something entirely different to the SHEL project? Is it better than the current thread we have in your care?” he asked, his bushy brows finally lifting to show his heavy set green eyes. 

Zeven noticed a large chunk of a previous burger was just on top of Reliances brows, his hair covered in sauce.

“Dont worry about it, uncle, we have enough problems with the SHEL. But thanks for meeting me, lets catch up after this is all done with. I would love to pick your brain on some additional functions and efficiencies with the SHEL body. R&D already has a few options for us…”  her body was telling her it was time to go. She needed to rest.

Reliance had more plates of food delivered, two ghentsian parfaits and another round of sliders from around the Zones. “You have no more readings Zeven?” his eyes darted from his food to Zevens quickly. She pinged her phone to fake a message.

“Sorry uncle I have to take this, its mother. We’re heading to grandfathers. Family…bonding time.” 

Zeven stopped talking and smiled then got up and took her back pack with her. She could hear her uncle stammering and prodding more questions but she rushed out of the restaurant.

Her OKOR was already waiting for her. 

So even uncle doesnt know anything about this damn rock. Zeven thought as she opened her bag in the vehicle, a small and warm glow emitted from the bag as her eyes adjusted to it and she stared at the liquid, shifting between states of matter at an ungodly amount of times, her eyes couldnt keep up but her eyes searched for the faint glow it emitted. Cycling through the rainbow, she was sure of it.

 A stolen parting gift from fathers office with a note “Hydrolox. Stable. Safe? New transpor?” What did you mean by this father? What is the use of this? Who else knows about this?

The OKOR network took Zeven across the outskirts of the newly formed Invokar kingdom as her father dubbed in his plan to Zsoltan Yuno, the naming never materialized among the denizens, the people and the aydhams had other plans, they referred to it as the Zone. 

Towers of metal and stone structures moved as travelers maneuvered through the crowded Zone. Zeven’s car weaved in and out of buildings, passing by restaurant partakers and shoppers as the ground beneath them moved with the small nanites holding them in place for stability. 

She passed humans adventuring in syn-dungeons, giant floral designs that can bloom and allow for requested creations and for it to retract or be repurposed once the humans are done with their regulators. 

What a wonder, to think we got these nanites from mimicking nature yet again.

She stared at the relaxed humans moving about their life as high speed automation passed by.

The basilicar phased past the last city in Zone one and was moving through the now reclaimed tropical forest of the old country. 

Giant trees erupted off the ground, replacing the motion for stillness, some of the larger trees had branches that harbored entire lakes. Zeven heard of those who reject the Forever Won and live their lives out with nature.

No time, no threads, just existence...wouldnt that be nice… 

The basillicar phased and moved through the thick jungle. It had trouble phasing through the many layered natural configurations of the trees and leaves, slowing the ride down considerably.

It passed large alligators and crogodiles as well as some other hybrids and net news that were introduced by Gwaroodle amongst the world to fix some of the newly developed biomes. 

It took the OKOR network 8 hours to get her to the tree that was always there, their ancestral home, Camp Rock. 

Insanely slow without the Zone’s grid. Its so grid-reliant.

As the basillicar got closer to the height of the entrance, colorful piques of differing structures began to emerge. Until the vehicle bursted out of a large cloud passing by and revealed the first prototype of the Zone. 

Zevens car dropped her off the entrance of the now multi-generational lakehouse and all its intricately designed structures protruding all throughout the island, looking like a giant megalopolis of structures from differing taste and opinions of life.

Every relative, to the 4th degree, had a structure they could call their own. 

Their influence marks their distance from the main structure. 

The Tree of Andakah. 

I see mother and atleast 4 of my siblings are there…I could put this in my old hiding spot… 

“Okor, go to the large castle tower on top of that carving over there.” she commanded the network, phasing her in front of her castle entrance. 

She grabbed her bag and was scanned by the network.

Her castle lit up the sky and the cloud based propulsion activated. 

It lifted her from the head of the stone giant to inside its brain. The clouds around the giant's head moved and revealed a glass box. Once connected she wasted no time and phased into her home away from home.

Zeven threw her bags and her AINZSER system took over, it phased the bag to her lab deep within the cloud, hidden from the family. 

The system masked her clothes and washed her in spray, cleansing her body. She walked as the system moved her up and around the castle, landing her in her bathhouse, where she bathed in the abundance of wealth and cleansed her body. The bath mimicked her sleep for the week and her body felt rejuvenated.

She activated her mood pool to gauge her regulator, white liquid oozed into the pool and turned a shade of dark orchid, Zeven reflected on the color. Her emotions showed in the pool, memories of her father and her childhood played in the pool. Her father had just gotten a science kit, it was the first for her. 

A zecron-microscope, able to see a tardigrade wipe its ass.

Her tears rolled down her phase, memories of formula, a day in the lab, an ion a day keeps the light at bay, more projects, more deadlines, death. She felt her body move up and the system phased her, dried her, dressed her– sleep attire.

Then lastly phased her to her last desire, her bed. 

She landed and laid in bed, she levitated as the bed spun in the sky, a video of her family played in the clouds, as the clouds formed with the video. 

A dance recital. 

I didn't want to go to this one, I was so tired from foosoc that I couldnt concentrate on the show. I just wanted to rest…thats right, I got in to a fight with Sakura that day, she said I ruined it. Liar. Dad saw right through it too. I was just sleepy.

A light melody filled the air as the system ensured it was exactly as she saw it in her brain, projected to the air, with the ambiance she needed to be the pearl in that shell. To be the brain of that body, the pilot. 

An aydham appeared below her cloud bed and a bright light popped where it was standing to notify Zeven. 

“Zser?”

“Zsire, your sisters and brother are here, they would like to phase in.”

Zeven jumped off the cloud and the system put her arbiter clothes back on.

She reached her hand out and opened the front door, before it fully opened, the system fixed her hair, make up and wiped her tears away. 

“Siblings…dont tell me its already time for this third reading??” she fixed her hair slightly.

“Why did you even use OKOR? I thought you were going to use your kaizen to just fly here or I dont know, phase here? You literally could have just let us all use our phase for alittle bit and been here in a nanosecond and what do you do? Make mom use the lier for what? Its just really irritating me that you can do all this and you taking fucking OKOR. Who doesnt even have grid connection here!?. Like what???” Sakura’s eyes rolled so far back that Zeven felt like it was a challenged so she rolled her eyes back at her.

Tor laughed as the sisters rolled their eyes back and forth with each other.

“Oh geez, please, were not reading until tonight, lets watch that movie please sisters, its bad enough the other 3 dont even associate with us, were  

..

“Sure. Zsire, bring us to the tower” Zeven said, her system brought them immediately to the top of the tower, it created the same room that they all collectively remember as their most impactful nostalgic viewing with their father. A cloud of a man erupted to the seat in the back and they all sat down infront of it.

“Urgent news: Universal Champion Nebar “6-Armed God” AH is retiring after the championship match come next sycle. Win or Lose, this is now and always has been, must view shell tube!” a world wide broadcast came and disrupted the aydhams. 

“What the fuck?” asked Zeven, she looked at her other siblings, their mouth open, jaw dropped by the news. Our brother, the undisputed-undefeated zunkido fighter, would quit at the height of his career…did fathers death truly affect him this much? She wondered alone, her siblings quibling in the background. 

“Selene must have pressured him.” Tor said, grabbing the nearest aydham and squeezing its head till it popped, Tor threw it to the side and it repaired itself, slowly as another aydham phased it away.

“Hush, Tor, you do not just assume things like that…not for things like this…its dad, it has to be, this was supposed to be the first match dad could attend…the first contender match…” Sakura said as she hugged a stuffed chalot, a hybrid creature her grandfather made.

“Yeah thats an oddly weird assumption, whats your disdain for her?” asked Oab, jumping down off the cloud, her legs crushing the ground beneath, she stepped away as the bots repair the ground. “Wait Oab, are you going to moms?” asked Sakura as she follows her sister and throws the chalot. 

“Jeez, what would mom know right now? This is probably what he needed to do before this, I bet you he did it at the site for publicity, its literally almost his grand opening now he drops this bombshell with the massive ribbon behind him? Come on, he wants to be dad so bad, hes getting fed bad fighters and he thinks hes good, dad actually murdered those guys in the ring, actual contenders, and he became the successful scientist and visionary that he is…was…Nebar…like you could be as smart as dad, as brilliant as him…” Zeven shouted at the clouds, she phased through and out the room, forcing the other 3 to link and phase with her.They were silent. They stopped at the outskirts of her domain and the OKOR basillicar was waiting for them to take them to their mothers castle, a 22nd century castle. 

Thor and Sakura went straight into the car with Oab walking behind Zeven, playing with her new Shell, pressing buttons and producing pearls. Zeven grabbed Oab and lectured her “Why did Nebar give you one of these? Listen these are dangerous, you can really break your mind with those if you dont know what you are doing, so please just come to me instead of pressing and doing random things,” she lifted a pearl up and said “these little things you keep making? These are vision balls, well vision pearls I guess, they show you an outcome, not the specific one you want but an outcome. I dont want to get to it right now but when this is all done lets take a month long sis-cation and ill show you how to properly use this…until then…” Zeven grabbed the pearls and shell that Oab was holding.

“HEY! Nebby gave me that so its mine, plus he definitely said dont let you have it the most.” Oab yelled at her sister.

“Please just get in and I promise to give it back once we can go home, we literally live right next to each other. Plus, I fucking invented these, so what the hell is Nebar even talking about?” Seven questioned her sister, being annoyed at what her brother asked her sister to do for him.

“Fine fine, but I want that thing back and you better explain as soon as we get home…Zeven I mean it.” Oab said with her cheeks puffed up.

Zeven giggled and walked into the basillicar, the car took 15 minutes of phasing in and out to get through the maze that is their mothers castle. She designed it to specifically only have receptors in certain parts of the castle, making movement in certain portions of her castle, a manual endeavor. She said it was a way for us to feel the plight of the common man…like we have ever been common, nor any one she knows, probably go back 10 generations and we wouldnt find a singular normal person in there.

Once they were able to walk to the castle, they went straight to the lobby and up the elevator and waited an excruciating 15 minutes to get to their mothers penthouse. An aydham awaited them, its metallic hands peering through the crack already opening the door as the elevator arrived at the top. This thing needs to stop. Zeven stepped out first and her siblings followed, their mother awaited in the open floor plan of the top. 

The elevator at the center of one of its walls, opening up to a fully open, rotating room, orientating you to its floor as the entire structure moved, my mom used to say it was fashioned to the heart beat she had when she first met dad. As they walked, the system kept them leveled and only above them seemed to move. Their mother was writing on the floor of sand, a poem, she erased it before they could read it. She started another poem as they sat down, waiting for her to acknowledge them and their state, the state of the family.

She wrote “Setting sun, hidden dreams, another ultralightbeam, taken for nothing, never a pawn, always a king, a herrhymn/hymnherr, who lived its dream.” she kept it and turned to her children, “I like it, I wonder what that word is Herrhymn/Hymnherr, i love it, it really feels like it embodies what I feel right now. With the readings and now your brother. I know alot is happening right now. But as we do, we must adapt, overproduce, and most important of all, be.” she finished by bowing and the children bowed with her as aydhams rushed in and gave them small pillow to sit on.

“Im assuming you arent here to partake in my runedancing?” their mother asked, she began taking off her ceremonial robe, her aydhams clearing the area and framing her sand art into a display piece.

Zeven moved and rotated around the small pillow, trying to find the sweet spot. “So youre still doing this? Even with dad gone? How do you know what you are drawing anymore? Those pictures of yours, do you just make them up now or what?” the other three stared at their sister, she could feel their uncomfortableness, as she sighed and ended up using the pillow as a pillow and laying down.

“Always blunt, you got that from your grandfather Seven.” mother sat down and drank her red juice “your father and I have been doing this rune-dancing for a long time, he sang and I dance. Just because I wasnt speaking the tongues of the old, does not mean I did not also partake in learning it. Maybe you should have learned it as well, it was the only thing your father loved.” she finished by chugging her red drink.

“Come on now mother, he loved us more.” Sakura intervened. 

“Lets see, a hand made story, in a one of one book, created by your fathers fathers fathers fathers fathers and so on, passed for literally generations and none of you managed to learn it or even partake in it with us? Your fathers only passion and none of you learned it.” she said calmly.

“Enough, he liked that shit with you. He did science with me, he did fighting with Nebar, art with Oab, so on and on. Father was brilliant, just because you only had that with him, doesnt mean the things we did were not as loved. He loved science, he loved art, philosophy, fighting, life, he loved being human. Now you have all these things surrounding us, taking our spark.” Zeven said with tears rolling down her face. She stared at the open sky as the occasional wall flew past her in high speeds, looking like a singular rod passing her brain. 

“Okay, okay, we didnt come here to argue more guys. Nebar is quitting, his status as a Zoner is going to be in question…unless he has something else but what do we do here? We’ll only have Zeven after this.” Oab said with speed.

“Come on Oab, Ill take over his spot, im already getting more recognition and I have built some great connections with the Jupitor Council.” Tor responded to Oab.

No sounds were made as their mom continued sipping on her red juice “The lawyers are going to be here soon, we can discuss this later, when your brother is here. We do not assume, we know. Seven is keeping her position as Arbiter and lets all pray that Nebar holds his as well. Regardless, at the end of the day, we are still the lawful gods of the 1st tower. Towers 2-12 are being built by us with the help of the other top 5 families. We are fine.” their mother attempted to re-assure them on their standings in the new world order, a conundrum for the children, never having to fend for themselves or run a company, each one looked to their two champions, Zeven the scientist, Arbiter of the 7th Zone and their eldest brother, Nebar the fighter, Arbiter of the 3rd Zone, once called the twin dragons of fate.

Zeven bit her lip as she sensed the elevator doors approaching, it came and after the ding the aydham didnt bother to open the door, it probably knew it would lose it. Her brother Nebar, and Juniper and Errant arrived, they stepped out of the elevator in quiet unison. Zeven straightened up and stood up, she walked pass her siblings and grabbed a larger chair. She placed it in her old spot and placed the pillow on it, sitting down.

“We can do that?” asked Oab, getting up slowly as she looked around, her siblings from the elevator grabbing a chair and she ran up and attained one. Her brother Tor shook his head and said proudly “You know theres enough for all of us right?” their mother chimed in quietly “No there isnt”. A rush of panicked blood rushed through Tor’s face as he ran towards the chairs, securing his spot.

Everyone got a chair besides Sakura and Nebar, with Nebar immediately chimming in as his siblings finished setting up their seats “If this is some play to see who has a seat on the board, youre losing your mind old woman.” his tongue flared on the word old. She giggled and ignored his statement. Zeven got up her heart racing, she could hear her blood rushing through her throat and up her brain, that spot on her neck she loves to stare at, she felt it pulsing. “What the fucks up with the announcement Nebulizer?” Zeven asked her brother, she stared at him from across their mother. 

“None of your business. I take my position seriously, fighting isnt necessary anymore. I have the [insert last name for Selenes family], they gave me the position under Selene, I have dual board seats, and with the way Zeven has handled the buildout, I think I have some improvements I need to handle personally. No more distractions.” Nebar said as his nanites ruffled his protective layer.

“Look at this guy, showing off the ol rainment huh, so cool. Im just gonna say it, Nebulizer has too much power. A seat on our board and the seat at Silkotor, you should have turned it down.” Zeven blurted out. The family stared at their siblings, their mother continued to drink her juice. “This killed him. You know that right?”

“SEVEN!” their mother roared, Nebar had already unleashed his left signet, a scythe formed around his hand and warped around his shoulders and latched into his eyes. Zeven phased behind her brother and pointed her bo staff at her brother. 

“Should I turn on my zignet brother? I see yours is on, always the temper temper big brother. But I have been me far longer than you.” Zeven giggled, she held her stomach and shut her nanites off, putting her staff back into her earrings. “If mom wasnt here, id have shown you some new tech, really blow your mind away with these advancements we made at the lab. Of course you’d have known that if you didnt have your rights revoked, jee I wonder how many board members dont have access to the corporate intel…hmmm” she wiped away a tear and sat back down to her seat scratching the floor with the legs as she thrusted her self on it. “My bad, my bad, how about we get off to a be….” 

She was cut off by the ding of the elevator, their lawyer Agatha Zoolin and her associates. The aydhams took out more pillows for the lawyers and the siblings. As the lawyers sat down, the family got settled into their positions. “Ms. Alhafa-Nudar, if we are all ready, we have the remaining paper work. This location is of course the most secure and the only place designated for the third portion of the reading.” Agatha loosened her tie and crossed her legs, “If you will excuse me, this one is lengthy and we have to submit the individual wills. We have my associate to the left, Gas Gao and to my right is Niraka Niraya, they are going to hold your individual wills. To be clear, there are two versions and we are instructed to destroy the non-chosen ones. Now once I read the will it will make more sense, but does anyone have any questions or wish to do anything prior to the reading?” she said as she took out 3 containers, Mr. Gao got one and Ms. Niraya another with Agatha getting the last and largest box.

“Any thing? Zeven? Nebar? Juniper? Oab? Tor? Anyone?” their mother looked around, one by one the children shook their heads no, with Zeven and Nebar not making eye contact with their mother  as they give a thumbs down. “It looks like you can start my dear, go ahead and children please no interruptions, these were created by your father recently, at the advent of the shell and pearl discovery by Zeven and your father. These have been enhanced with the advancements we have made since he created these but nothing has been altered. I have not heard any of it and we used a third party but I have been warned that his age showed in his letter. Take that as you are.” their mother said with a oscillating octave of emotions, she mustered through. 

“Thank you Ms. Alhafa, Gas, Niraka, if you may please go ahead and use your keys to open the containers.” Agatha said as she took her necklace off, the other two following. Two crescent moons and a round object that combined to be a key for the intricate container. The accents on it showed a detailed and loved mastercraftsmen that endured with its work. Agatha placed the small coin into the large box and it opened, jewels and paintings and carvings changing and interweaving as the box blossoms open. No one paid much attention but Zeven and Nebar knew, it was something to that box. Zeven’s intuition told her to record it, to study the box, she instructed her system to record it and create it back in her lab for inspection. 

The box opened and the associates reached in and handed out shells to the family members then a very large shell was brought out, the associates dusted it and poured caspar water on it, make it shimmer and open up. Agatha then pulled out a giant pearl, it was a huge golden ball of a pearl, she placed it on the center, it made a screech as it sparked off the mouth of the shell. The sound forcing Errant and Juniper to cover their ears. Agatha then placed the two cresents into the pearl and it opened up, showing a screen that only Agatha’s eyes could see. 

How could you force me to believe this aydham father…why would you not give me access to the eyes, this is ridiculous. Zeven bit her lip and pinched her sides as her tears rolled down her face. Damn it damn it damn it.

Agatha cleared her throat and used the crescents to link with the document. She looked around before she spoke, shaking her head in acknowledgment to each member that their eyes were integrating well with her rather larger shell. The pearl spun and Agatha handled the field with her two crescents and began to broadcast their fathers final will to them.

“If Agatha is reading this, I am dead.

To be dead, whats that even really mean? What about the memories you can access? The pearls I have given you as a personal goodbye for each of you. Is this not me? You can enter the space in which I record this message and see me as I am, yet I do not know if you are here, but in my heart you are you and therefore you are here. Talking with me one last time, one more chat by the fire, or water, whereair we may be, alone or a family outing, you are there, able to relive it again, your present, creating my present, a connection thats infallible as space. We are here now, at the precipices of everlasting life. I trust you all to do your part to keep our standings high, we must be at the right location. Just imagine the advancements we could make if we keep this in-house. I have instructed your sister Sevvy on what she needs to do next to further align us with our goals. Who knows, maybe one day, you’ll be able to talk to me, maybe an old school hologram kinda vibe, holy ghost popping out of bushes vibes. I digress, to think young is for the youthful and those who wish to be inspired and as of now I find myself wanting neither of those. Again…if one could relive it all, would it be worth it? Would it lose its meaning? What is it? Age, its getting to me, I hope one day, one of you shall rid of this disease. 

Yet.

I have not divulged to you the full intentions of what is to happen. As you all know, we are part of the collective and to be a part of it, well you need to do certain things to build rapport and trust, it has been the ways of those who took a leap and landed here. 

We discovered something. Its a rock of sorts. The rock is a, its a hot spot, its all I can be sure of, by that I mean, it might be the frizordial fragment our people have been searching for this, for eons all to complete a ritual. If it is, then it is a requirement by the 9 to perform this ritual. I envy you all to be a part of this, to witness it.

What I tell you now shall not escape this pearl, this pearl will be destroyed by Agatha after this, ensured by Sevvy. 

The flesh of time is a ritual, to eat it is to consume the ritual, live it, become it, give yourself away to it, its intense but the pay out is out of this world. You have lived your lives to get to here, to out live your old man, to become the knew leaders, not a city or a slice of a planet, but space itself. You will become infallible.

As you know, Gaot and Narat, if they’re still employed, theyre going to hold your choices. You participate or you dont. You will be compensated and placed a seat on Leaviathan but you will not be a founding member nor will your family members. I understand that may be a shock to you but again, this is a costly life. With the potential finding of the final frizordial fragment, the fact that Sevvy has mastered her body-immittance resonance nerve, she can now relay it to whoever she chooses, people still believe this technology only applies to their vehicles, the more we place ourselves in the right position, the more we are chosen as the one true family. So think, think hard before you turn this offer down. 

Nebar and your mother Nan have already started the ritual. They will be able to answer any questions you may have in person. Again, think this through after you hear the details. Its everything. I love you all and Align Invokar! Align Invokar! Align Invokar!”

Agatha took off her sync and put the crescents back into the lock. A ticking and phasing action happened to the box and it closed, each bit of itself eating itself until it disappeared. The two next to her straightened up, even more than they already were and waited with their hands in their bags.

“Well, you maybe wondering what is going on, the ritual is not as intense as your father has made it to be. Before you ask any questions let me tell you what I have done and what I am supposed to do next. First I gave away my sarodical key thala and once they had access I was given this juice that you have been seeing me drink. I am supposed to drink this for the next 3 months and then I will get my next task.” mother said, she stood up and walked around the room, staring into each childs eyes, seeing the horror, their jaws tightening or on the floor. She let out a smug look and walked to Nebar.

“Tell them Nebby” she whispered.

“I did it. They have my key. If that is not loyalty to the family. Seven. Why dont you show me what is?” Nebar said as he looked at Zeven with the same smile as their father and the same smile her mother was sporting as well. 

Errant and Juniper chimed in “Thats a tall ask brother. How do we know what theyre doing? What if they install something? A backdoor access? Who are these members? Who? Who? Why oh why should we trust them so??” they repeated, their voice playing off each other as they sing their way through.

“I am in.” Tor said as he raises his hand, Sakura and Oab behind him, putting his hand down.

“Mom, you cant be serious, who are these people? Who is going to have access? And our kids lose their access??” Sakura fumed, her normal demeanor not being displayed as she lets the words fly in an octave far higher than what anyone was used to. “Like seriously, mother, what the fuck is going on? Who cares about the money, but to not be a founder in a new fucking planet is insane. Do you expect us to just not have a seat in the house? We work like them? While you sit wherever watching your family just live like the rest of them???” Sakura finished as she began breathing heavy and heavier. Oab stepping in to sit her sister down.

“When do we need to decide by?” Zeven asked coldy, her voice hushed, defiant, it echoed amongst the noise as a piercing conduit through the veil.

“Now. Mr. Gao and Ms. Niraya, can you please get the pearls ready. As you may know, I have already accepted fathers proposal and I had a similar experience as mother. I gave them my key and I have been drinking this. I know I know you all have alot of questions about me quitting but this is more important. This is family matters. We have always been through everything together and it has always made us stronger, like Sakura eloquently stated, we cant just allow our family to fail, to become like them, to suffer while the few of us reap infront of them but let us not forget that we have been sowing. We have been tilling, tending to the garden that is us. We are only as strong as our bravest and most loyal members. So today I ask you, to not have faith in the corporation but have faith in our family. That our family. Our family will be the one. The one to be at the right spot.” Nebar stretched his arms out after his speech, the room was silent. He looked like he wanted a hug, a moment came.

A hand, first it was Tor, then the twins, Sakura placed her head down, she sobbed as she raised her hand up and Oab looked around. She seemed scared until she made eye contact with Zeven. She was fiercely staring at them all, she had already walked over to the lawyers. 

“Zeven, dont turn it down. Were family.” Oab said as tears fell down her face, she raised her hand, using her other hand to cover her mouth.

“Which one of you is the fuck off one?” Zeven breath.

Niraya handed her a pearl and destroyed the rest by eating them then Gao ate Zeven’s yes pearl. 

The chattering stopped and Oab stammered “Wait, wait why did you already destroy them?”

Agatha spoke in a new and foreign tone “It is complete. May you all succeed with your seed. Align Invokar!” she stood up and walked towards the door with Gao and Niraya giving each person their pearl and following Agatha down.

“What the fuck Seven?” everyone collectively yelled, they all began asking various questions and concerns and different opinions and thoughts.

“Shut up. Dads dead. Im an Arbiter, I control a fourth of our company. I have some of the most well earned secrets in my brain that could destroy those singing fucks. And you all believe I would just let some fuck stick from the other families shit even our own family, get in here? Youd have to rip my fucking skull off and eat my brain because you arent getting shit out of here.” Zeven said as she walked towards the elevator. She turned around and looked at all of them and laughed “Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I can do this as well.” she took one more step and her foot began to disappear, following her legs, arms until she was all gone, disappeared from the room. 

Zeven arrived in her lab underneath her castle and she began to collect everything. “Zsire, disengrate everything and get me my bag and put everything in it. Make sure to get me that bag I came home with earlier. Also leave one bot to psiograph the castle, go upload to zone 6 and meet me in room 7.” she finished her command and the room began to slowly evaporate. The system eating each molecule and storing the information in its database to recreate, along with all information tied down to it, its quantum form. 

Her shell created a deep rainbow pearl, messages from her family interlinking, waiting to be visited and observed. She ignored them and walked around, searching for the experiments she wanted to keep alive and transferred, her bag hitting its capacity. She knew she had to eliminate some of her pet projects.

“Zsire, how do i hide some of these? Should I just burn them? Would phasing them into the nearest volcano work? How much energy does that burn? Where are my reserves at??” Zeven rattled question after question to her system. It answered all of them and she began exterminating the animal-aydham hybrids that she didnt feel like would survive the phasing, a gamble but a gamble she was willing to bet would be in her favor as her science proves it so it shall be. She erradicated the pig-weasel-fruitfroot version 3.03, a version of FrootCo’s latest aydham software, the framework was spectacular but Zeven felt that there was a better use for the fruitfrootv3.03 on a more robust hybrid as it didnt adequatly combine in the phase slicing, giving it a weak spine and nerve system, not being able to handle the shock without the help of the . She ripped its SKT film from the top of its skull with her bare hands and saved it before she incinerated the remains, it turned to ash and finally Zeven phased it into the lab for clean up by the nanites in hopes of preserving the data encoded in the hybrid.

The ones Zeven preferred or she believed to have the highest chance of survival were put in a very specific cage that Zeven developed in her lab for storage. She was able to put objects in her quantum realm and store it in the locality she accessed it, the place that she was standing in, the moment. With her awakened state, she was able to move the locality of the access point, but the moments in quantum space was harsh, it produced a film, almost like a petrification of the skin. The objects would become rocks, Zeven looked into each molecule of the petrified, ashen rocks, unusable, not viability whatsoever. She created a oddly cleaver device that allowed for continued vibration, slowling the crawl of whatever coats the objects in the quantum realm. 

As Zeven was going about her clean up, she saw a mirror, she realized she had a small amount of dust on her forehead, she rubbed and rubbed but it wouldnt come off. Her stomach dropped as she had a hunch but it was more than likely what it was, its been years of usage but only this small amount has petrified she thought, Zeven often tried to see the sun above the rain even when the pain was unbearable, what the mirrored showed, the mark, none of it mattered, she let a tear drop and continued on putting the hybrids into their cages. She finished up and phased into her new lab.

The lab was deep in a country called Cantor one of two of the last nations on planet earth. The nations of the old european countries and asian countries combined, along with the african nations to form a new continent, now in a deep war with the newly developed nation of Invokar, Zeven picked a remote location in the middle of Cantor. Between mountains and giant trees, she found a lake which at the bottom held a cave that held a hotspot for her connection to the quantum realm. The location was unfortunate for her but it was the best the system could do that kept her out the eyes of Invokar, who would not appreciate her experiments and forward thinking mentality. 

Zeven phased her nanites and they immediately started producing her home, the style of a medieval castle she saw from the archives of past histories and the nations who ruled them. She decided to combine that with lush overgrowth, she was fond of plants and their smells. She thought it and the system developed it around her, incorporating into the landscape. With the quantum hotspot, Zeven decided to open a portal that allowed the sun to pass through. It illuminated the cave and made the lake shimmer, she made more trees and opened portals that allowed her nanites to phase in and out. 

The nanites after being granted the ability, took all of her experiments and phased in and out of the current existence. 

Zeven gave the system instructions, she shouted loudly “Dont move the dead ones, ill handle them when I get back.” she phased out and arrived in her office where she changed into her Arbiter attire. A uniform designed by the 4th family out of the 9 that still exist in Invokar.

It looked to incorporate all 9 families and their colors and insignias, Zeven just thought it looked cluttered, she got a specific one made for her. All grey and black besides the insignia of their house, the 1st. A giant snake, eating a world tree on an island with the sword and axe behind it, parallel, the sun plastered in the back, it was in shades of yellow orchid, she had it cover her belly button and it was on her cape that all Arbiters wore, she got her adorned in the center of her back as the cape floated behind her.

She never really felt comfortable in it and it consumed so much of her time, having to find law breakers and mitigating barrier conflicts, executions, judge work, it was all too much for her. She felt it was a way for her father to slow her down, slow her progress, but she never minded it. She knew she had more time than him, that eventually she will out learn him. Nevertheless she did her job, she showed up to the office and judged and enacted 347963 executions in an hour. She filed them away and had only 1 chase she had to do for the day before she felt comfortable leaving. A law breaker.

“Wuzien, where is this person? What section of the city?” Zeven asked Wuzien, her Lead Spotter, she has a team of specialist who monitor every surveilnite in the city to find the culprit with the help of the citys system companion. 

“Section 47, Lott 9, moving from burrow 3 to 4 as we speak, you can…” Wuzien responded, she attempted to give Zeven some recommendation but Zeven had already phased out of the room. “I will never get used to that, what in the world…” she finished.

Zeven arrived at S47L9B4 and she heard Wuzien in her ear “He’s arriving, apparently has man-made signets and that new cantonian skin tech. Please try not to destroy all of the tech this time. We could really use more skin to reverse engineer the nanites they use for it.” Zeven lowered her volume and said “I know Wuzien, you think I try to just murder them? Theyre dangerous, their minds cant control these devices yet…these fools are so overzealous and I am not going to lose to some tweeker.”

The lawbreaker arrived in fashion, they had a signet activated on their legs and a signet on their right hand as well as a makeshift mindhelm. The man crashed into a building next to Zeven, the layered architecture attempted to execute its function albeit slow but the sound of the gears turning was loud and abrasive, it moved the rubbled building and the man jumped out and jumped over Zeven.

Zeven activated her suit and it covered her, the cape tightened and maglocked to her shoulders, it wrapped the cape around her arms and legs, protecting her back with nanite firments. Her should bursted out giant plasma that curved around her and dug into the dirt. Her boots activated and the heat trapped into the plasma structure and small holes allowed her to boost up into the sky to meet the lawbreaker. Her bo-staff on one hand and a smaller one on another, she whacked him down to the ground and immediately threw her smaller staff as it leaked plasma out and took the shape of a hammer. It hit the ground with such force that a bigger cloud erupted from where the man landed. Zeven rushed towards the ground where she was met with a giant blast of force, she instinctively turned around and her plasma barrier curved and routed the heat to her right hand where she kept her bostaff and a giant plasma axe, more like a guillotine erupted out and struck towards the dust location. 

Clank

A giant metallic hand met her plasma axe, it solidified her plasma and sparks flew as their metals met. Blow after blow erupted at the tip of her axe, the blast gave way and she was able to boost back a few feet before she rushed back. 

The man jumped up into the sky and his feet blasted flames below, he fell towards Zeven and activated his boots again and pointed his fist, where it opened up and a giant fireball erupted, hurling towards Zeven. She used her signet on her ring and a giant crab shell came out of her ring, it blocked the fireball and absorbed it, turning its shell from blue to red.

Steam drifted with the wind as the heat the shell absorbed turned to vapor. 

Zeven stared at him and said “Intent confirmed. Sentencing. Death”

“Firmament: Solstice’s Braggart” her crab shield signet went back into her ring and her bo-staff began to hum. It made a noise of soft rain hitting wood, her bo-staff’s front exploded and the plasma axe became a giant, metallic great axe, the blade resembled a cleaver and a guillotine combined. It seemed excessively too large for the young Arbiter but she swung it with such effortless swings that the lawbreaker didnt see her swing it 9 times. He was already dead by the he heard the first few drops of the rain.

“Lawbreaker…apprehended? Wuzien, send a clean up crew here. I’am going to head home. Send a pearl if I missed anything, I probably wont be back until the end of the month by the way. Some family matters I have to clear up.” Zeven bubbled to Wuzien, she heard Wu saying something but it was too late, the bubble couldnt reach and she didnt want to be bothered to go back. She thought that if it was important enough Wuzien will send a pearl.

She phased into her new lab, the nanites were hard at work, they had created a small portion of her lab, intricate cages and holding locations for the various animals and species that Zeven was experimenting on. The sizes varied in range but the issue was always their combination. She hadnt realized that mixing certain strands led to odd developmental adaptations. One of the hybrids that the nanites were able to cage and create the new biome for was a ferret and squirrel hybrid. It allowed for the animal to be meatier but also have a pronounced amount of fur, she believed they would be great for the poorer sections of the new megalopolis they wanted to make. 

Zeven knew that inorder for her familys idea to work, for everyone to have everything and anything they could want they would first need to feel the pain of lack. With the amount of people alive and the reliance on Aydhams and their manufacturing process, there was not enough to develop the city as well as keep the same standards of living without either taking over Cantor and its resources or lowering the standard of living. Both were terrible options from the eyes of Zeven but she was not the supreme invoker. She was just one of their swords.

The ferretwhirl or hybrid was one of her first success stories, most of her animal hybrids have died to produced animals that were far too feral and dangerous, they lacked merit to move into production. Zeven stared at the fat fluffy ferrtwhirl and took it out of its cage, she let it run around and it was significantly faster than either a ferret or a squirrel, she thought about adding a slow strand to it but she didnt want to mess with the formula. 

Her body was tired from dealing with her mother and phasing to so many locations. She detached her right arm “Zsir, can you please charge these somewhere, prioritize charge port and expedite 2x with 7% margin of error.” Zsir chimed as it hadnt created its voice box or any of its additional configurations. It had two priority task before Zeven returned, the cages and a frequency bath. A special bath that Zeven designed to help her repair her fractured and dislocated aspects from the phasing. 

Zsir started the bath, the nanites elevated Zeven and removed her clothes by deteriorating them. It then covered her body in a yellow/orange see through fluid that came out of the nanites. It hardened around her and the nanites became 7 concentric circles around her and blasted a specific frequency that destroyed the hardened goop, each wave blast eroding the material, with each clash a small rift occurs that phases a position until a loop has been untied, a knot that needs unbending. It jolted Zeven and she felt her brain and heart pulse in unison with each blast of the sounds.

Her mind drifted to when she discovered the repair cycle until a her lab went dark. Her nanites stopped blasting and she fell into the ground. She struggled and struggled trying to get out of the fluid but it wasnt broken enough. She yelled and yelled for Zsir but nothing answered from the darkness…until it beckoned her name.

Seven.

“What?” 

Four.

Three.

She pressed the middle of her palm and her left hand erupted. The top of her shoulders ejected her bones out and ruptured and broke the solid liquid. Her arm turned soft and she jumped towards her other hand, as she was landing, her bones jetisoned back into her arm and shoulders and her arm. She landed and swiftly put her other arm back. 

A portal ripped infront of her and a giant man walked out with 3 heads, snarling dogs, drooling with blood of fairytale nature, green, yellow, red, blue, so much liquid and blood oozing out of their mouths. It stepped closer towards Zeven.

Zeven lurched back and activated her crab signet and threw the large shield into the 3 headed dog. It snapped it with one bite, as it bit down, Zeven was already there witha whisper “ Firmament: Solstice’s Braggart” her great executioners blade erupted and lit up the room, more so than the lightly glimmering portal, it revealed the horrid face of the dog. 

A three headed monster with a central face within its neck, protruding out it had a ear on its forehead, a singular eye, a nose and its mouth was covered by the neck of the muscular body. Zeven felt her body shake as she released her apprehension into conviction, she tightened the grip on the handle and swung for its jugular.

The face turned towards the blade and its monstrous mouth erupted, teeth as yellow as sin, it bit down on the hot plasmeel, crushing it. The monster smacked Zeven and she flew into the wall. Zeven jumped back up and uttered “First Zeal of Barnabas: Witch's Sabbath” before it could go off she lost control of her functions, she floated. Lights flicked from orbs and mushrooms around the cave, the animals began to quiet down. The monster spoke.

“Learn, Survive, Become, the 4th has been slain, the truth lies before the present is given. The past survived so the future is given. The one above truth and objectivity looks beyond the truth the mirror gives. Your reflection is your death, nurture it well or salvation shall not be yours oh favored one.”

The dog man disappeared, his heads began biting the shoulders and then the arms until the final head ate itself from within its brain or core and a singular calcified white rock came out. It fell to the ground and bounced but it never touched the ground again. Once it bounced it remained stationary, it floated as if it wanted Zeven to look into it. To study it. To learn it.

Zeven panted, her heart palpitated but her systems began to take over and slow it down again. Her bones felt tight, her skin felt like it was on fire, ears ringing and her chest burning more than her body. The place where the dogman hit her chest, it left a mark, like it burned through her skin and grafted her bones. She looked around to double check, it was still dark but she could see the faint lights of the machines firing up. The little glow of the nanites slowly coming alive.

“Zsir? Zsir?” Zeven whispered, the darkness still overtook the cave yet the faint glow remained on the rock. The door shaped glow it once had slow eroded until it finally disappeared and the power and nanites came back on. They continued their work as if nothing happened, they recorded nothing of the interaction.

Zeven rushed to her makeshift console and looked through the surveillance, she had been in her repair field the entire time. Nothing had moved nor did she. The cage she crashed in to was no longer broken nor the wall, yet she knew it all to be true as the white rock still floated infront of her.

“Zsir examine the anomaly” she said

“Scanning. Scanned. Assessing. Complete. Unknown petrified organic material. It holds DNA akin to our hybrids but more stable…97% stability…comparative to our 33% stability…structural integrity 97%...repair function…aggressive…this rock is an organic compound of unknown origins. Carbon and nuclear testing shows it could be around….14 trillion years old? Error.”

“What the fuck.”

“Run it again, trillion is ridiculous. That has to be an error…wait what the fuck similar to our hybrid? Which one?? 97%!?”

 

She scanned and scanned but the same message and overall error came and came. She looked at her computer and said “Prioritize phase protection, entrench us in this mountain and change this area from my cleanser to our research area and transfer the animals. Make sure we can test and house them here. We need to get into this rock.”

The nanites began to whirl and whiz around. Millions of nanites forming itself into tiny grains of rice that Zeven could see, they deployed smaller nanites out of the grains of rice. They re-arranged atoms and strands to build materials, it allows for a quantum level of re-arranging and quantum atom transfers to all for structures to be developed from air molecules. It swaps each molecule it has to find the correct one it needs that isnt attached to a structure. Its a slow process for the nanites but it allows Zeven to build on demand. 

She hasnt shared most of her tech with anyone even her fathers researchers and company. She always kept her most egregious and morally bankrupted ideas to herself within her purview.

She watched the nanites build and build. Her eyes slowly closed until she drifted to sleep. 

Zeven passed out.

She awoke to a stranger, a woman was staring at her. Her eyes a light lilac.

“Hello shadow, greet your light properly.” she sang as she caressed Zevens face.

Present 

We make our own luck thought Zarash as he saw its sparkle from the shifting mud and debris. He pushes his hand down the dark murky depths of the trunk and out comes a dirt covered box with intricate and none Cantonian markings. The box was locked but it was clearly valuable. Zarash looked around and stuffed it down his oversized boots that he borrowed from Soet. 

He looked down at them and felt impressed at how they could still be oversized even with a gem box and half of the isles mud in it. He shrugged it off and lifted the heavy boot, one foot infront on the other like Mowa said to. 

A guarjin patrolcraft zooms high ahead as it patrols the air space above the port, with its interconnected pathways weaving in and out of each other like the old tree serpent itself, looking for clan members and other deplorables to handle. So many glows, they drown out the noise and sight of the floor below, where the life of a scavenger can really start. 

Small moving petals and bushes mark the ever moving swifting sand of the isle. Each one either a scavenger or a fleatric, too much of a hassle for a guarjin to rummage through. The sands shift too often to care for loss packages, if it drops its gone forever. 

Bags getting full…I should make my way back…go repay that guarjin Soet for letting me use his boots. The boys mind wandered as he felt the weight of his bag on his shoulders. The ground was getting harder to walk on and he knew he was reaching his limit, weary of the previous outcomes of other scav parties when you go in fatigued already. 

There were no set rules for a scav, theres a party every night and you bring your pile to the clan hide out and you get your daily cut as long as you meet your daily weight goal. Anything extra you keep as long as its not worth more than your own shell. Life was hard but it wasnt anything Zarash wasnt used to. 

He made his way back to his clean room, a makeshift room with a discarded bench to get out of soaking clothes. Usually no one is there but today it was his lucky day. Epsul was there. She hadnt looked up at all as Zarash finished walking into the room. He closed the door and started to clean himself off.

“Did you get a good haul Zarash?” she questioned him, her eyes bright as ever, she had just finished packing her bag, putting it to her back getting ready to make her way to the party.

“It-t w-w-was good, s-small haul but I m-made my quota!” Zarash said empathetically, trying to be as jubilant as he can be. He watched her astutely as she slapped the last bit of dried mud off her boots and pants. 

“Make sure to hide that lump on your boots Zarash,  you know how Cauma and his guarjins get. Dont get caught up now. Hopefully I see you at the party later.” she said back, she got done talking and a small silence filled the room. She gave Zarash a gentle hand on his shoulder as if to say take care and walked out the door towards the clans hidden city. 

Zarash knew exactly what she meant, he took his boots off and the container fell to the ground. Once Zarash cleaned the mud off,  it began to shine its true brilliance. A giant diamond on the front, jade designs on the side, rubies and sapphires intricately laced everywhere and a small onyx  button on the middle. Zarash pressed it but nothing happened, he decided that Epsul was right and put the box in his front pocket, to his surprise it fit perfectly and seemed hidden enough among the roots, dox carcasses and thunderbirds strapped on him to take back to his home. Hunting during scavenging is just the most efficient way.

After cleaning in the room, he did his normal procedure, he found a leaf and covered it up, leaving a small yellow mark. The mark can be any color but it does need to be on a new leaf, to ensure that the next person knows when the last person accessed it. Sometimes guarjins would find a stash room and attempt to wait for the scav but they dont know about the mark so we can easily know. Zarash wondered if any of the leaders even know about our marking system as he made his way out, walking towards the camp location.

The trek to the camp was as benign as it usually was. Leaves and bushes overgrowing with animals and creatures. Doxes, foxes and birds running around, trying to scavenge for themselves. Zarash stared at them for abit, watching them look for food, digging up roots, then a grown thunderbird flew by and they all scurried. Just like us. Scurrying for survival but living in fear under them…kings? More like bums. Biggest bully in the camp, biggest floridian in the city though…

His thoughts continued to rummage around his head as he aimlessly walked, he didnt realize how far he had walked and ran straight infront of one of the guards to the camp. Luckily for Zarash, he bumped into Soet…his large Nadiist body felt like a steel wall as Zarash’s face and nose pressed hard to it.

Thud as Zarash falls to the ground, he looks up and Soet already has his hands out to assist.

“You gotta silence your brain my guy, you walked right into me! What if I was some other guarjin, you’d be gruhana chow right now.” said Soet as he lets out a hearty laugh, the scales around his arms and shoulders clanking with him in rhythm producing a beautiful sound.

“Hey Soet…” Zarash rubbed his nose and accepted Soets hand to get up. He dusted his pants and pulled out the boots he borrowed “great I ran into you now, I have the boots back for you.”

Soet looked at the cleaned boots and back at Zarash “Hey now, wheres the geks you promised??” he shook the boots infront of Zarash with vigor, allowing mud, dirt and water to fall off the boots “you said you’d take care of these as well…looks like you stuffed rocks in here to make it fit” he laughed again after his joke.

“Alright guy” responded Zarash as he hands over a dox and 3 geks “come by Mowa’s later and we can feed you some soup as well” he closed his bag and signed their hand sign. 

Soet signed back and opened the wall into the camp “Alright alright, Ill be there after my shift, tell Mowa im serious about that room!” 

Zarash nodded his head and smiled as he walked inside, the door was well hidden, the foliage even blends Soet into the wall but the inside was bustling. The camp was made inside a rune-plating factory that used to produce zsair resistance threads for warriors and the federation level transporters. Now since the technological advances from Invokar, its just an abandoned place Cauma’s clan has over taken. Thank Andakah that he didnt notice the box…putting the dox blood and guts on it really helped. Just gotta drop off the goods and I can make my way to Baba’s.

It was quiet at first, the entrance and its proceeding  hallway, dark and moss covered with leaves and dirt scattering the floor. The end of the hall way, a large wooden door made from an  overgrown wooden door that was re-infused with overgrowth runes, heavy looking and even heavier to push open. Zarash opened it with one hand, infusing his right arm and shoulders with a rune of age, signing the runes name with his left hand. 

Behind the heavy door is a significantly startled guarjin.

“What in the herrfyres??” the aydham guarjin yelled as he gets up and turns around, dusting himself off. 

Zarash looked at him and bowed his head and said “My G-guarjin, my a-apologies, I did not k-know you were b-behind.” his voice cracking and stirring.

“Zarash…clumsy oaf, get out of here before I mince you lil son.” he replied signing a rune of strength and pushing the door close as he sat down, his scales had fallen off due to enlargement and he picked them up with his tail and put them on his arm and healed them with a vyp0r spray.

Zarash bowed again and  ran towards the pile of treasure, it was at the center of the giant runefactory and was behind Cauma and his bed, above the treasure in runeplated etchings the symbols laid out saying “Cauma’s Cama, only thing missing is U” a gag worth runeplating but it got Zarash a spot on the next raid. More money, more opportunities, more risk but more food. More food. Thats all Zarash could think about. 

He walked as he got close enough to see the line forming. Treasures and junk, all mixed together from various family members and their scavenging parties. No wonder Cauma’s clan has become one of the top 6 clans on the isle. Allowing lone scavengers to contribute and claim clan protection, so smart Zarash thought as he followed the seemingly endless line go on. It would take another bottle of Vyp0r  for Zarash to make to the front.

Cauma was imposing as ever, being over 3 times the size of Zarash and twice as tall as Soet. He was covered in his usual attire, beautiful gaunco furlined pants with dox hair shawl that covered his harden body, covered in scars and jewelry, each containing a weapon or a beast or possibly a rune that can destroy a gruhana in a single blow. No one knew the power he held but we all knew he was strong, he was well fed…of course he’s strong.

Cauma greeted Zarash as he did for the others, he patted Zarash’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheeks with a concubine taking the treasure bag and another to dump it and give the bag back to Zarash. Afterwards as he  walked away from Cauma, the concubines would give him an embrace or a kiss to bid farewell and to come back with more treasure. They enticed each lone scav with a family and treasures, potentially even a concubine of your own from some of the raids, it was all glorious but not for Zarash. He reached the end of the return and a gekseeper met him, the beast dropped 67 geks to Zarash for his day of work. He got to keep a bottle of vyp0r, a sash of different foods and roots and one dirty glove from his findings. 

The gekseeper gave him one more item, a pearl, for instructions on next munths raid and how to find the location. Zarash stuffed it in his shell as it began reading and downloading the instructions. He nodded goodbye to the gekseeper and went on his way to Baba’s.

A loud noise in the direction of the Cauma Cama forced Zarash to turn against his nature. A shriek from a familiar voice, Epsul. Cauma had her in the air with one of three markings on his arm glow. The glow became darker as it gained weight, forming the arms of a furry arm with incredibly sharp looking claws at the end. The arm had each finger on Epsul as it traced the curve of her chin and all the way down her throat.

Zarash ran to the front to listen to Cauma speak as he felt it was unusual for him to show such force but Zarash had only been under  this clan for the past 3 sycles, not long enough to fully know or get to know the intricacies of what Cauma was capable of and what could trigger him to show such force. Zarash lowered his head as he listened intently to Cauma’s words.

“My sons, my daughters, what a sad state of affairs we have ahead of us. One of my own daughters, your sister, has tried to steal from the pot. The pot that feeds us, the pot that allows us to blend and mix everything you have gathered for your father, me, Cauma Comma, the loving god. For me to cook, and provide everything you have all grown accustomed to…who gets you the intel for the transport routes? Who pays off the port guarjins? Yet moment to moment, sycle to sycle, we always have a sister or brother, who get alittle too big for their plating. So my family. I will ask you all, who will take her debt? Who will pay her life? Who, amongst you, is ready to take the steps of becoming a father or mother and take the burden of shouldering those who are entrusted  to you? Or perhaps…” he licked his lips and lowered his arm, pulling his hand closer  to his face and the furry arm moving her closer, its nail digging on her neck, “...we can always make it a fun game.  Maybe just death? She fights a gruhana…? An Ebek…? What say you family?”

A giant roar erupted amongst the rune plating factory, crowds of vyp0r vazed scavengers, blood thirsty and itching to watch or partake in violence, no one raised their hand to save her. To take her debt. Epsul gasped for air, her eyes rolling back. She struggled, kicking and grabbing at the manifested arm. Her eyes darted back and forth, finally locking into Zarash. She pleaded, her eyes glistening.

Zarash’s arms raised, he looked at his own hand in the air with astonishment. His eyes darted back and forth from the Cauma Cama and his hand, the crowd silent after Cauma had began laughing hysterically at the raised hand. 

Cauma finished laughing and called over Zarash to the stage. Soet was quickly behind Zarash and pushed him along the stage slowly, he whispered to him “do you have a plan here bud? You got the geks? You know hes going to want the geks now or itll come with interest…wait youre not thinking of fighting are you?” Zarash didnt respond to Soets inquiries but his heart pounded at all of it. His mind didnt have a thought in it, his eyes glued to the risen hand as Soet dragged his other with his massive scaled hands. They arrived at the stage with Zarash still blank eyed.

“Well, my son, you wish to skip the ranks and become one of the fathers. Commendable, what is your name my son?” Cauma said as he licked his lips, his muscular body contorting with each word.

Disgusting. Thought Zarash, his mind circling back, back to when he saw a girl similar to Epsul become a concubine from not being able to pay off the debt or worst…become a sister or mother to a new a father or become a contestant in the clans syclical free for all fight, winner becomes a father in the clan. With the favorites usually winning with no ones surprise. 

Thick and groveling in his excellence Zarash thought as he stared at the over bearing Cauma. “M-my beloved f-f-ather, oh G-g-reat Cauma, I w-wish to prove m-my w-worth and join the r-ranks o-of  your p-p-personal g-guards. W-what are g-geks w-when it comes to the servitude of my lord.”

Cauma eyed Zarash up and down and lowered his head to be near Zarash’s his head being almost the size of Zarash’s entire body. “Strong finish my boy. You come to this girls rescue without even hearing her crime, without even hearing the burden of her life, her debt, 1 SKTs.”

The crowd gasped, Zarash fell to his knees, his hands touching the fluffy and decadent floor. Nothing like the ones back at home. No dirt, no muk, no stink, no spills, nothing like back home at all. 1 SKT what could she have done to owe this much? He looked up at a smiling Cauma, who more than likely believes that he has two contestants or at a minimum two personal servants to add to his list of needs.

“Get up Zarash!” Whispered Soet, he lifted Zarash to his feet and Cauma stared at him with his piercing blue eyes. 

“W-w-we will work hard my beloved Cauma. Between the r-raids and scav r-runs we will pay y-ou my f-father.” Zarash said lowly, his eyes glued to the ground, his feet shaking as Soet held him up right.

Cauma put Epsul down to Zarash and said “My dutiful son, there are no debts between father and son. I will simply tie her life to yours, you get me what she attempted to steal and all is forgiven for I am a forgiving and caring father. Only love exist in my heart. You must get me 3 gruhana eggs and you have until the next raid, the Leviathan raid in 3 sycles.” he looked at the crowed as they laughed and cheered at the request. Multiple members yelling for their death or games  to be played in the pit.

“Soet, congratulations, you are now part of Zarash’s family as well. You are his son, report to me when I beckon.” Cauma said as he pushed the trio down the stage and shoo’d them away. He continued talking, giving the men and Zarash one last parting gift “If they cannot provide me the SKTs then they can re-earn their lives and payment by winning the Pitt of Nil.” the crowd erupted yet again, the outcome they are waiting for. Cauma dropped Epsul to Zarash’s feet as Soet attempted to get Zarash up.

Zarash was still too stunned at his own actions, Soet grabbed him and the fallen Epsul who was passed out, he put both of them on his shoulder. Zarash jumped off once Soet made it out of the factory and into the woods.  

“This is awful.” Zarash let out a small groan between the runes. He looked at Soet and got the same look as what he was feeling. “Do you think were going to die Soet?” asked Zarash.

“I dont know, all I do is defend the caravans during travel. I’ve never even seen a gruhana let a lone gone to an actual nest and stole an egg. Arent they like as heavy as a phantleon?” strained Soet, Epsul kept kicking in her sleep and Soet was attempting to keep her on his shoulder. 

“This sucks, we have to talk to Mowa as soon as possible, shell know what to do. I have to stop by Baba’s first though. Lets just go.” responded Zarash.

They trio kept walking down the forest path. The ground below them shifted and move as the mud moved like water below. Stopping momentum in the forest means you sink and it eats you. No one has ever come back from being absorbed by the island, they say you fall straight into the zsair plane. 

A thunderbird flew across Soet as they reached the location where Baba’s hovel was supposed to be. Zarash walked around looking for any signs on which direction the ground took her hovel. The ever switching forest used to be marked with glowing runeplates in a specific color to show where the correct direction was to a given port. Baba did something similar but only those whomst she trust were allowed to know. Zarash looked for a glowing string that shifted to the direction that Baba’s hovel moved to. He jumped and moved around to avoid the ground swallowing him up as he searched.

After a moment or two, he found the string and its direction. Signaling Soet to follow him as they dart through the forest using their runeweaving, enhancing their legs to allow them to jump off the trees for momentum. Zarash carefully watched the ground looking for the faint glow, having to enhance his vision with runes as well, draining his energy. Reaching his limit, he dropped down and continued the search for the strings on foot. Luckily it was only 3 more strings that they had to find and they were infront of Baba’s house. 

Zarash sat down and waited outside the door and asked Soet to do the same. The two waited for a bit as Epsul snored next to them, with doxes and guancos running in the forest. The rock they sat down on has the earth below them moving around it. It must be a huge rock. 

Soet yawned and said “Why are we just sitting here? I cant believe you know Baba enough for her to give you her eye technique.” 

“She knows my caretaker, so were essentially family. But we to sit here because we cant come in until she invites us and lets her presence known.” Zarash said without turning his head, he stared at the hovel door like it would disappear at any moment. 

“What is she a reverse vampire?” Asked Soet

“A what?” asked Zarash in turn.

Soet laughed as he said “Sorry its from this tome that I read, its interesting, these creatures cant have the sun touch them, sun is sol by the way.” 

“I didnt take you for a reader Soet, thats kinda cool. I cant read but if you wanna teach me, I never turn down learning something new.” responded Zarash.

“Wait where is your stutter?” Soet looked incredulously. 

Zarash laughed and said “Its fake, it just helps so people let their guard down.”

The hovel door to Baba’s shop opened up and a large shadowy figure came out of it. The figure waived them in, with Zarash going in first. Once they got in the hovel, Soet put Epsul down on top of one of the dingy looking tables, clearly made from old and broken federation platings, even a wheel baring was used to hold the malformed table. 

Soet looked around, he had never been to Baba’s, he quickly spotted the section of the hovel containing her battered tomes. He lauguhed and jumped with glee as Baba got settled in a chair and Zarash took the chair infront of her. “Zarash, this place is amazing, theres so many old items here, look up there thats a genuine clock…just like Reban’s stories! Oh Andakah, the tomes Zarash! She has so many tomes! I even recognize some, thats Reban’s Sun Chasers, over there is Harry P., Thats One P. over there!” Soet kept shouting out different tomes that he saw on Baba’s wall while Zarash talked to Baba.

“He’s big, did you get yourself another helper finally? Mowa’s been complaining you have been working too hard.” Baba said as she lit her vyp0r with her finger, the flames coming out of her finger. She took a drag of the vyp0r and its miasma filled the room with a haze. She stared at Soet some more and said “He reminds me of my brother, big, strong, scales as beautiful as Turt the Nadiist, to see my people again, it has been awhile…” her eyes never left Soet as he jumped around and searched for more tomes.

“Listen Baba, I found something, I think its worth more than anything I have brought you…I need geks Baba, no food this time.” Zarash said as he rummaged through his bag, he pulled out items he wanted to trade, small gem fractions and the box on his chest. He removed the dirt, blood and guts that he put on top and slowly the box began to reflect the light emitted by Baba’s light, illuminating the hovel.

Baba’s eyes widened and she jumped up and closed all the windows and spoke in hushed tones, her head began to sweat as she spoke “Where did you get this child? Who did you steal this from? Did they mark you? DId they see you? Speak now child hurry!” 

Zarash was terrified, he had never seen Baba like this, he had stolen goods from the federation themselves and Baba did not care, a lightgem here, a firegem there, she never cared but this box, it frightened her to her core. What is it? What is in this box? “N-no-o one saw me Baba! It was under a tree  and I just saw a piece sticking out, it looked expensive, look at the diamond on the front!”

“Yes child, it is expensive, its priceless. This is an Invokaree treasure, look at the markings, the design…” she grabbed the box and her scaly nadiist hands  caressed the markings, a jade dragon, and 3 blank dragon shapes where other gems seemed to belong, her eyes left the small box and back to Zarash “did you take the other dragons out?”

“No, it was just the jade dragon and that diamond in the front, along with the other gems littering the box, but it doesnt open, I figured you would give me some geks for the jade and such…” Zarash said with a fatigue in his voice.

Baba took a deep sigh, she watched Soet sit and read while Epsul continued to snore, smelling of vyp0r. “Listen to me Zarash, lose this box, throw it and dont ever tell anyone you have it. Its not worth the hassle, you wouldnt be able to sell this to anyone. Invokaree relics are sought after by the federation and Cantorians. If anyone ever learned you had this, their guarjins would be all over you. Death follows those who sing of its praise…” she stared again at the box before handing it back to Zarash “Im sorry child, there is no geks in that box only death.”

“Of course, what was I thinking…” he grabbed the box and ran his fingers through trying to open it one last time before putting it in his bag. He stood up and was about to leave before Baba said one final thing to him.

“I know you Zarash…you are going to stare at that box and think its a challenge to open it, and keep it.  Trust me Zarash, that box will only bring you pain. Its called a samboz, or a triratnaz, its ancient, no one knows how they are made, they are depicted in old tomes and runes in far off lands. It is said to hold the power of Andakah, the power to change all that you see, to actually see a samboz with a jade dragon…it is Andakah’s to give and you have stolen it. There are no accidents or coincidents when it comes to this…throw it away child. I beg of you.” Baba said, she stood up and grabbed more food and roots from the back and stuffed it in Zarash’s bag. She gave a bag of kamak to Soet and a tome of his choosing. She rushed them to the door and wavaived them away.

Zarash had one last thing to ask Baba “That story you just said about the samboz and the dragons, that means there are 3 more dragons…would it open this box? If I found them all?”

Baba let out a boisterous laugh “ You children, do you not care for your life? Is your life so miserable that you are willing to die to pursue a lie and a dream? Yes child, it would open it according to the legends, they say the GSS is in there, a gem of wonder that will let you speak with the gods. Will you now scour the world looking for these gems? You? You have never even left this port, let alone this isle, you have no idea the distance you must travel to even stop seeing zsair and zsair alone. To see the next isle, to find a clue of this box, it is not for you. Let Andakah find the warrior that this gem belongs to. It is for Zsol Kings and their prophecies, it is not for us. Whatever wealth and power you get from pursuing this would lead you to ruin eventually.” 

Zarash’s grip around the box tightened, he took a deep breathe and let it all out. His hands loosen and he hid the box again on his person. Soet carried Epsul and waited outside of the hovel. “Thank you for everything Baba, Ill throw it away, dont worry. Mowa asked me to tell you that shes making kamak soup with dox pieces if you want to come over tonight. She wasnt expecting these two but I am sure with all these extras well have enough for you.” 

Baba smiled and shook her head before giving Zarash a final rune “Dat boi be dangerous, he know the runes of the old ones, learned, only the ones are learned Zarash…”, she ruffled Zarash’s head one last time and closed the hovel doors besides her. Odd old lady, I can also read those runes as I am sure most others can…am I dangerous, he chuckled at the thought. The hovel slowly moved away and it finally sunk back into the dirt with pieces of branches sticking out. Two thunderbirds nestled at the top of her hovel threaded a light thread and placed them on sticks as they passed, it moved and sunk and eventually disappeared into the distance, only to be seen and found by those with the eyes of Babas.

The trio walked in the forest, looking for markers that will lead them to the port. A rule of the isle, if you ever get lost, walk in one direction until you meet the zsair fields and then start walking up. All of it always leads to the port, Port 4-MIIM, the largest port on the isle and the only one that allows leviathan classed ships that can traverse the zsair fields without being destroyed by the turbulence. Mowa used to say that this isle was lifted off the ground and placed here because the original king angered the Zsol King of Invokar, maybe Cantor, one of those places.

Zarash was stuck in his mind, “Baba usually doesnt divulge much so that was a surprise. Where else can I sell this without getting marked by the Guarjin Forces or any of the other clans….we could go to Nils…there are plenty of underground sellers and buyers over there…” his mind kept going in loops, trying to find the best solution for his current problem. Soet just walked and kept his mouth shut until finally.

“Zarash! Look its a rune-factory…its the Bee Killers old hide out! That means that the port is 6 frequencies up, lets go Zarash,” Soet said as he tried to speed up past the old rune factory, now covered in overgrown ashen vines and roots engulfing it “I heard its hunted, the pinata giants and all those pillars of ashen trees, I heard they angered an old god because they told them they were followers of Andakah. I wonder how they would be now, if they hear us all saying her name. You know this tome by Reban used to name the old gods, one was Kaiser Sozeye, a Zsol King of physical brutality as he called it.” Soet kept talking as Zarash got lost in his mind. Zarash didnt answer back as he walked faster to keep up with the speeding Soet. The duo walked with no much changing, not until they made it to the front gate of the port. Closed but surrounded by a bustling group of clan approved sellers, immigrants and random porties selling their zsair hauls, even the zsair pirates are here selling their wares.

Zarash pulled Soet who was walking towards the front gate “You must not live in this zone of dem port, aydhams and aydham ajacents have to use another entrance, unless…you dont mind them scanning your shell and pearls…?”

Soet turned pale and vehemently shook his head no and followed Zarash. They passed stands of kamak sellers, different varieties from different fields, some dox vendors, the occasional guanco ware seller and some whale bone crafts. All for a few geks, no one with any sort of funds would actually buy goods here. Zarash just shook his head as his mouth watered from the smells, knowing he cant afford any of it. He pulled Soet by the arm and made it to a large tree, he looked around and after not seeing anyone, he walked in the bush with them and pushed a bark off the tree which revealed a crack in the wall. Hollowed out by the tree and enforced by its roots, allowing scavs and the unseeables to pass the guarjin shell point.

“We jump up on the north side, we have a huge tree we climb and we go above, its more dangerous but it does look beautiful, seeing the port from that view.” Soet said as he squeezed himself through the small crack. Clearly not an entrance made for a nadiist, he focused his plates on his head and shoulders and shimmied through the crack, dodging the occasional bushy leafed branches, protecting his head at all cost.

Zarash signaled him through, pleading for speed he whispered “Hurry up Soet, be careful with Epsul, she’ll be pissed if a rock hits her.” Soet nodded in response as he dodged the final branches, his metal plates melting all the rocks that fell on his head and shoulders before they could reach the slumbering Epsul.

Zarash led them through the intertwining side buildings of the great Port City 4-MIIM, the eventual cracks and missing plates along the walls showing the beauty of the fully lit up city of 4-MIIM. The leviathan engines roaring underneathing, always just a tad louder than the ever moving trade city. Zarash popped open a side panel and walked through the sides of the upper walls of the city on the nature end, away from the light. He signaled Soet that it was safe to pass through “Listen! The plasmarope is going to be primed in 30 seconds, I am going to go up and when it reprimes in 60 seconds, you can grab these handles, itll shoot you up, just hold on, I uhh think itll hold you. Hand me Epsul!” Soet handed over the sleeping Epsul, not a moment later he shoots up with her. Whizzing through the clouds and up to a small hovel perched on the side of the wall. 

“Zar!” three screeching children roar at him with an older woman right behind them. 

Zarash signaled them to lower their voice as he placed Epsul down at their couch and let her sleep. “Drujina Mowa, listen, I got into some trouble with Cauma, infront of the clan, I had to harbor these two until I pay off our debts….he gave us a mission” Mowa’s eyes widened “Two more mouths to feed Zarash, what have you wrought boy, where is the other?” 

Soet came up the plasma rope and through the cantasfield, allowing him to phase though with reduced speeds, the speed does displace new users, he landed on his butt as the cantasfield took back the coating that was left on him. Mowa’s eyes widen as she stared at the large nadiist.

“Zarash, you will starve this poor boy, look at him, holding tomes while you hold a girl and a bag of food. You cannot lead and I cannot handle more than what we have. What would you have me do boy? Would you find more geks? More jobs? More sustenance for the open mouths of children when your stomach hungers so?” Mowa’s eyes watered as she said this.

A plasmaoid hits the side of the wall and a large chunk is destroyed. The portion of destroyed wall repaired itself from the debris and dragged excess debris to patch the wall. 

Zarash ran to the window and the cantasfield warped around him as he looked outside, stretching the field as much as he could to see what was hit. “Meoras and Daros… it looks like Meoras got hit by the pointer and the system used Daros’ to fix the wall. Florida man…we have to dig through there, they could still be…” Zarash could finish his sentence These frokers, what in the frok could the really want here, they just froking blast us and blast us, what are these damn aportocrats doing. Getting fat? The system shielding them a tear rolled down his face, he bit his lip and emerald dripped from his lip. 

“Enough Zarash, get in here, the zsair around us is sacred, we are protected here, as long as we follow the teachings of Andakah, we shall be saved, we shall be amongst those that see the eternal hour. The birth of Andakah is neigh boy. We shall see salvation just before long, thats why you need to think about the food boy. These youths you have wrought better be capable of bringing in more than they digest, fat gullets the lot of you.” Mowa spat at the ground and continued to prepare dinner. She grabbed Zarash’s bag and threw the morsel and roots into the stew, her system stirred the pot while she was forced to chop the remaining of the new meat and organs.

Zarash helped Soet up as he wiped the tear off his face. “Sorry about that Soet, did you get blast up in the north zone? Shi…florida just keeps happening here man. Its just so ridiculous. Who the hell could Invokar be looking for, theyre just bombing everything. Who in the maniaspora made an enemy of this godforsaken federation?” he clenched his jaw, his eyes welling up some more.

“He-y-y man its good to feel, but I-I-I had no idea, we’ve been working at the north clan for so long, we didnt know the war was still happening here…the Cama is just so deep in the port, I, I just had no idea…dont worry though, I can help, I did protection and heating jobs up north, I am sure I can find something.” Soet stammered through as he patted Zarash’s back while putting his tome down. 

“Soet, its horridly hot down here, I know the north zone got some hot and cold sycles but here? Its always hot and it never changes, it might get wetter but always hot or hotter. No one is gonna want a heater but…now that you mention it…there are burn crews for clean up after a gruhana and ebek shelter raid…we could make our own cleaning crew?” Zarash tapped his chin and Soet saw a tinkle in his eyes, like he solved the soils hunger.

The triplets ran into the kitchen screeching “Done, clean, bounce around” they kept repeating as they chased and jumped around the small joined living room and kitchen. They eventually jumped on the sleeping Epsul and woke her from her slumber.

“What the florida is going on around here” she slurred through as she rubbed her stomach and chest, where the children had jumped on. Everyone looked at her and her eyes locked with all of them for a split second, throwing her for a loop at the strange faces illuminated by the fire outside and the fire inside the hovel.

“Welcome home?” Zarash said as Soet chuckled. 

“Yeah welcome to our new home Epsul, had to do just one more pinch huh? Now look at what you’ve done already.” Soet lectured as he began to clean up his books and set up the table “Always a pinch always another black out always another problem, sometimes Epsul, I wish we werent sold together but I guess I’am just used to cleaning up your mess.” he sighed and continued to make the table.

“Shut up. No one asked you to help, no one asked you to be here, you want to help, you hated the north and you know you just wanted out of there as bad as me. So again, shut up and give me some toobig.”  Epsul said as she rubbed her temple, she removed her clothes and put it on the ground. Soet already had a glass of toobig for her and she drank it all, as soon as she finished she was hit with a large hand.

“Pick up your disgusting clothes girl, put them in the spinner then hang them outside the hovel. Then you can put on some sleepwear, you are in a home now child. You are not a scav, you are a person here so act like one.” Mowa said as she hovered over the small naked girl, clutching her face. The three children ran around them as they stared at each other.

Zarash covered his face and Soet laughed a loud and indiscriminate laugh. “You are not at all how I imagined Epsul…to think I raised my hand to save a scavirl, why god? Why like this?” Zarash joked as he fell to his knees and attempted to peak through Mowa who struck as quick as thunder lands on the head of a thunderbird, she hit as hard as well. Her hand landed firmly on his cheek, spinning him to the cantasfield, the boys and Soet staring at the downed Zarash. 

“Sorry Drujina, I was just playing.”

Mowa turned around and spoke to Epsul “You are the third girl here, me you and Speck here,’’ Speck waved her hand and grabbed Mowa’s legs harder, Zarash couldnt tell if she was scared of Epsul or trying to slow down Mowa from beating him some more. “You need to be a beacon of change and hope for Speck. Thats what it means to join this family. The boys will handle what they can and Zarash will act as the mature older man that he wants to be and be a good example for the rest but you, you will not set that type of example for Speck. I will break you if you think this wind is weak, for the herricane is coming, and she has eyes everywhere.”

Everyone was stunned, a different hand but the same touch to the young scavengers. Every owner their own thoughts and opinions but all the same heavy hand of authority. Soet continued to quietly finish setting up the table, while the triplets continued their running. Zarash stood up and walked over the naked Epsul and got her one of his barongs, it was too large for her but it covered her up perfectly enough for Mowa and her wisdom.

Epsul got up slowly, used to the trashing it seems, the way that she just sat up and waited for her bowl to be filled. She knows this is her home, shes not knew to this…why did I ever think the north would be any better? What now? Where now? Florida this box…maybe a fencer in the inner sanctums would buy it…gotta get everyone a fake pearl though…

Zarash snapped out of his head and grabbed the stew, he placed the cook stew in the bowl. A delectable soup of kamak and chunky doxes, a perfect cold porridge to fill the stomach for a good nights sleep. Once everyone was settled, Zarash grabbed the box and put it in the middle of the table.

“This is how were getting out of this island, we just need to payback Cauma with those eggs and then get you guys some fake pearls, we can fence this, hop on board a leviathan and make our own way, away from here, from the airates. Some where safe, somewhere we can just exist. You know?” Zarash looked around and saw all the bowed heads, he joined as he scarped down the meal, no one listens when theres food on their plate and emptiness in their stomachs.

Epsul rubbed her head, she sighed and shook her head and kept eating. Mowa gave more soup for the young ones not saying a word and Soet attempted to not make eye contact with Zarash.

“Is it that hopeless for us to defeat a gruhana? To leave here?” Zarash asked, no one had an answer for him and he didnt have anything else to get out of his mind. I can do it, I know I can do it. This is not it, there is more to this, its not how it is, it is not this. His mind restless as he ate his soup, the hot not bothering his mouth, the dim light of the hovel masking the faces of all the hungry souls. The fire in the stove and the fire raging from the strikes bellowed and echoed as they ate, flickering the emptiness with flames of a decision thrusted upon them.

After dinner the children helped Soet clean up the table, they cleared the floor and dusted the house. Epsul helped Mowa hang the laundry on the plasmaropes, setting the timer to pull them up into a cantasbubble. Zarash cleared the stove, restocked the ashen wood and kept the flame going. After the hovel was cleaned, they took their baths one a time inside a cantasbubble, cleaning them and their clothes, jumping out to the outside to have their body coated with miasma as it dries wetness fast. Mowa put the children to bed and Zarash took Soet and Epsul to their share of the living room, where Zarash often slept as the upstairs was for Mowa and the children and down in the wall was their storage and escape hatch. 

“Thanks for being open to all the cleaning and set up.” Zarash said to the two, “Its nothing, the north was way worst, dont even get me started with the Cama Palace or whatever that guy calls it” Soet said as the two joined into chuckle “Yeah sorry about the abraisiveness, when im on the pinch or trying to get off it, thats how I am…” Epsul said as she played with her hands, she stared at the flames outside “Dont worry about it, we’ve had a few orphans come here and well theyre either dead or got sold but always on that stuff, Mowa is just tired, shes so old now, she hasnt been able to help as often as she did before. I’ve kinda taken over for her. We’ve had some dangerous aydhams and humans come and go here.” Zarash said as he threw a gaunco sweet fried horn to her and Soet, “to a knew day, may sol spin thrice, so the one can lay and the many die twice” they grabbed their candy and pushed it to their head and then ate it. The night was long and full of questions but sleep was more desirable to the three scavengers.

As Zarash feign sleep, he heard the children slowly fall to a deep slumber. He got up from the floor and covered Soet and Epsul with his blanket. He unlocked the flame provider and let out Jara to eat and sleep. 

“Hey Jara,” Zarash said as he let the exhausted boy out “thanks for the heat, your food is over there and Ill introduce you to Soet tomorrow, new nadii just like you. Toro and Shertol should be back soon, make sure to leave the cantasfield on and close it once theyre back. Clean up before bed and dont forget to let Shertol into the provider.” Zarash said as he finished preparing the soup for the exhausted boy.

Jara looked at Zarash and gave him a thumbs up, his scales shrinking and becoming lined with his lifelines, they looked thirsty, needing nourishment to provide again. Jara laid on the table and ate his food as he waved goodbye to Zarash. “Youre really gonna end up not coming back if you keep going out there Zar.” Jara said as he dropped the liquid on his skin and the food in his mouth.

“Dont worry, I cant die until we see the zseroot right?” Zarash asked, Jara nodded his head in agreement. Zarash jumped into the cantasfield and it covered him as he fell towards the ground. Before he reached the ground he sticks his right hand out and a small mark glew before he shouted “Aspirate:Bubble Bounce zair!” then the mark leaped out of his arm and into his palm. It formed a small spiral where the skin seemed to melt and spin viciously. Soon a giant ball of emerald like blades of wind erupted and shot Zarash and the cantasfield up to the top of the roof where his field broke and he was met with the view of Port City 4-MIIM. The beautiful sky line showed glowing trees and blocked, round and different buildings with flying vehicles, ground creatures and humans and aydhams alike traveling via their cantasfield. He also took note of all the guarjins in the area.

“Busy busy, now where is the contract at?” Zarash pondered, he rummaged through his pockets but nothing. “Must of left it at home, what a bother.” Zarash looked again and he found the pearl in his pocket on his hood near his face. “No shell, I guess ill have to again.” Zarash ate the pearl and it revealed the information inside directly through his eyes. “Guarjin Jarto - eliminate - destroy home - 99Geks, looks like hes in the spinner district.” Zarash ran towards the right side of the wall, heading towards the spinner district, home of the Arrokors that live in 4-MIIM. 

Arrokor guarjin, I wonder how that happened? He questioned as he pulled his mask over his head, it covered his mouth and only left his eyes out, they were dark and blended in with the night. As he pulled the mask over his head, it began to cover his entire body in a thin layer of loose fabric as it was released from its holder within the mask. He ran and slide across the top of the ever fixing wall, broken bits being moved to the repair shop where work is constantly done to upkeep the south wall from being destroyed. He dodged and finessed himself through the wall, eventually finding himself in the spinner district with its webbed homes.

The homes in the SD were covered in silk, each one a beautiful looking cocoon, the aydhams that lived here were arrokians. Zarash looked at his feet and knew that the web would let every arrok know someone walked in their district. He jumped to the inside of the wall and began sliding down, grabbing silk to cover his feet and tighten out his loose clothing. He perceived himself as he passed a mirror and saw where his clothes were still lose and tightened it up. 

Zarash followed his eye until he got the top of a nearby tree that was covered in arrok silk and blended himself around the equally bondaged foliage. He waited and waited to see if anyone would come by but nothing, he jumped on top of the home and pulled out a tiny knife, a plasma blade. He was about to cut the home open until he had a thought “he’ll smell the burn” so he decided to slowly claw at it, it took him several moments until he could fit in the hole where he pushed himself through and dropped quietly into the Guarjins home. “A singular slice.” he repeated in his mind over and over as he quietly look around. Taking note of all the gems and valuables that Baba will buy from him or other fencers in the city. Extra geks.

The hovel was unassuming, it looked similar to everything around it. Old buildings that were repurposed once an influx of aydhams made it to the island. This sector was just lived in by arrokors or better known as spinners. So much silk alover their homes, connecting each other, letting them map out the entire district and sense everything on their webs, maybe this is why theyre so cranky all the time. 

Even though silk pervaded the outside, the inside of the hovel had minimal strings, it allowed them to be individuals in their own home. Zarash peeled each silk door, ensuring only his silk covered portions touch it. He slithered on the ground, searching for valuables to mark and put into his bag. Until he finally found the room that the guarjin was in, Jarto, a fat old spinner hiding under his authority. His guarjin uniform next to his bed, more than likely his prized possession, the runes on it shined and glimmered with no light. Emitting a certain status just by its appearance, a mirror like reflective polish with the insignia of its ruling family and patron. A sun was front and center of Jartos’. Zarash ignored it as he pulled out his plasma knife, tuned for flesh and white hot, it emitted no heat or light, just a vague shimmer of death. With his eyes he could see his own plasma, avoiding its touch, he crept closer until he was at leaping distance, where the young lad dashed and pointed the scorching blade at Jarto’s throat.

The old spinner jumped his back legs hardened as he landed backwall. His top arms hardened and he covered his chest, his mouth poked out “A fool parts with its life when it believes the light will not betray them, I senses you small urchin, you attack a guarjin, you must have a death wish.” it chattered through its hardened skin.

Florida. What do I do here? Zarash pushed himself up and kicked the side of the bed pushing himself to the right. He took a deep breathe and signed the rune for Aspirate:Bubble Bounce zair! before breathing it out and pinpointed to the side of his arm that held the plasma knife and produced enough force to displace him midair through the tempered armor of the old arrokian, a amethyst like hue flew out of his head, the plasma blade producing a small barrier that dissengrated the area around it with its heat.

Zarash jumped back and weaved with both hands to cover his feet as he flew through the room and marked all the items of interest. He made it to the exit before he pulled on the final silk thread that was on him and dragged all the goods out of the hovel. He put it in his large flowing clothing and broke into the wall, shattering it, phasing his body with spare etchings he created. His makeshift creation worked 50/50 but he always felt that luck is his only ability. Zarash ran and ran covered in gear that would get him killed by the guarjin patrol, by the denizens of the district, by the members, just to make a few more geks. His legs faltered at the thought, at the thought of repeating taking more lives just to make more geks. 

His head shook, the thoughts following with it. His pace was slower than his liking but he knew his path well at this point, the inside of the wall like a second home to him. He dodged and slid through the ever changing mechanisms. He jumped to the side and fell into a reservoir where the current dragged him, the stench unbearable, Zarash only having access to it when the need for breath outweighed the need of the mind. He eventually made it to the processing bridge, it cleansed the water and incorporated it to the port system. 

Zarash signed a rune for ABB and boosted to the ledge where he ran through the rest of the wall and arrived at his location. Barbos the Salesman. Zarash shook himself off and felt his bones and muscle tear and ache as it called for a moment. His body used to the never ending exhaustion, the never ending hunger. He pulled his arm and imagined it open the door and watched it as it opened the door, ever so slowly. Zarash walked to Barbos and was welcomed as usual.

“ASH, REAPER OF THE PORT, What do you have for me?” Barbos yelled, laughing as he knew he was about to make a killing. Zarash pressed a button on his masked and the bag dropped all of the items from Jartos to the floor of Barbos. The old topaz mouthed sapphire cladded fat ass human. A rarity to Zarash. How will you swindle me today old man. Barbos’ minions flooded and absorbed the items, it ate it slowly and then all at once, disappearing once the meal was complete.

“1 SKT. Look at you ASH, REAPER, good haul in this one huh. Makes you wonder, who did you deliver my boy?” Barbos stammered then he let out a large and boisterous laugh. “Your eyes tell me of  a knew story boy, what did you just see? A ghost?” he asked on and laughed again.

Old florida, the herrs a ghost? Florida. 1SKT…I was expecting 99 geks at most, to receive this much, I can…pay…Cauma…we can avoid the gruhanas…wait…I should tell Mowa. Zarash’s mind spun and spun as he ruminated on the large sum. 1,000,000 geks, in the palm of his hand. It could save their family, it could save his life. Do I keep it? Do I decide? Do I tell Mowa? Should I just pay Cauma? It beats hunting a gruhana for its egg…but I could do it…right? That means procuring a contract, that means a team and inspections…shell reviews…no. His mind darted to the salesman. He grabbed the pearl and put it on his mask pocket. 

Zarash turned to awalk away before being stopped by the salesman “Guarjins got a lot more pull then you think boy. Mind who you share that abundance two.” he said as he laughs and disappears as Zarash leaves the store.

He took a few steps and the mask wrapped around him and formed himself as a nadii and walked in the boiler district. His eye exploded and removed the connection to Barbos, he grabbed his other eye and put them into his missing one and it resynced with his body, enabling his sight. 

He walked the district avoiding the known zones of the clan that lives in the boiler district, the HotSpots. He thought about the geks and what to do with it, he knew he had 3 sycles to decide and there was always a possibility to go to the wild and find a nest…not knowing whats in the nest is always a risk but its better than shelling out 100k geks just to hunt one.

Why was he worth this much? Who gave that contract? Zarash had only worked with Barbos 3 times, this job being the third, he assumed that since Barbos didnt know him, there was no way to trace it back to him, surely the geks are safe to use? 

He walked pass nadii getting up for their day jobs, switching with the night nadii who can only activate their heat with the 3 moons light while others getting up now can only activate their heat when the dual sons are out. Wonder what type of Nadiian Soet is? Has he already activated? The nadii were covered in heat transferring plates, their uniform that hook up with their scales to transfer heat, Zarash vaguely remembered when he would hunt for them and sell their scales to the Arrokors, a delicacy for them. He continued to walk, passing the large dome shaped homes of the Nadii, covered in their excess shells and chitlins.

His mind rattled as he walked and walked, eventually finding a secluded spot to jump back into the wall and make it back to his home. 

The hole was a blast that was making its way to the repair shop that was in the boiler district, Zarash jumped in and began running, shedding his bag clothes and mask, leaving it on the ground to deteriate. He passed burning rubble and dead bodies as more and more came in for repair. Eventually he made it to the outskirts of the south wall and knew he was safe to walk back home, the sun chasing behind him. A final jump and a quick use of a few vines in the area allowed him to jump into his hovel via the roof and his secret opening. He came into the hovel expecting everyone to be asleep but Epsul was up. She was on the roof underneat the covering, practicing her kicks and spins.

“Awake huh? Early riser, are you practicing for our upcoming contracts?” Asked Zarash as stable as he could, he wanted to lay down and let his body rest, his body still bruised from crashing into the wall, he sat down and watched Epsul practice. He felt his eyes getting heavy for the first time in his life, like he could sleep right now and never wake up but his eyes snapped back up as Epsul began to talk.

“ Just doing my exercises, gotta burn the pinch off, Soet and I still have a few contracts we have to finish for Cauma but theyre small time, our longest one is a protection detail from Port to Mozam Beek, it should only take us half a sycle.” Epsul said as she kicked and punched the air before performing a twisting flip to a split and transitioned to a leg sweep.

“Thats zunkido!” Shertol said as she came out the house and into the roof. Jaro and Toro followed with the triplets and Soet behind them and a plate full of kamak and thunderbird eggs. They all sat down near the door and watched as Epsul continued.

Epsul kept kicking the air and slowly a visible field of heat and dust started to form around her.

“Hey Zar!” yelled the triplets

“Hey kids, make sure to clean up and when you guys go out, try not to take from guarjins, okay?” Zarash told them 

“Will do!” they answered, Jaro and Toro stuffed their face as they got ready for the days work. Jaro had to heat up more rooms and finish lining the furnace at their hovel with some sheddings. Toro having to spin silk to repair the wall at the silk factory at the arrokor district…Zarash looked lost, his eyes holding on to Toro.

“You okay Zar? I woke up early and I saw you were already out and about, early job?” asked Soet as he caught eyes with the shaking Zarash.

“ Something like that, needed a good exercise so I run the wall but Soet, I hear you guys are going on a job, how much can you keep?” he switched the conversation.

“Run the wall for exercise, youre a funny….wait what are you Zar? And yeah we get to keep our normal pay, its not much but it should cover our food and some more for armor.

“Never seen an aydham like me huh, pretty common I supposed, Mowa said she normally doesnt see our kind here, I am a singular, apparently my kind is from Cantor but we dont really get much info here about Cantor or Invokar. Alot of the aydhams are all from Invokar on this isle, Mowa thinks I might have accidentally got tossed to this isle instead of the Cantor one across, Isle Nil? I’ll never be able to have access to a Leviathan anyway so its fine.” Zarash blurted out, he fell to the ground and played it off by scoothing closer to the rest of them and leaning on the wall. 

“Whoa, Cantor…thats intense…so you dont know anything about Cantor or Invokar?” Asked Epsul, she stopped kicking and went to the rest of the kids.

“Yeah just life here at Port. Clans, stealing, killing, bombings, food and food. Thats all we know around here, is north Port so different?” responded Zarash

“Sorry guys, I gotta go to my job! Well see you for dinner this time! We all finish early and were going to the field Zarash to collect more roots and kamak. Maybe if you go we can catch a few thunderbirds and doxes again?” Shertol said as she stood up and Jaro, Toro and the kids followed her down. They all waived goodbye without waiting for Zarash to answer.

“Yeah we can continue this later, we have to head to Caumas and start our journey, I never unpacked our bags Epsul, so were good to go.” Soet proclaimed “but I got so many stories to tell you later Zarash, I know abunch about Cantor and I can tell you about Invokar where were from!” Soet’s eyes got big and he covered his mouth.

Epsul jumped up and kicked Soet in the face, knocking him down and through the door, almost falling down the stairs “Keep your fucking mouth shut, fucking idiot.” Epsul huffed and walked over Soet, she was cursing as she walked down.

“What the florida?” Asked Zarash.

“Its nothing, well be back in half a sycle, that gives us over 2 sycles to prepare for the hunt…ill ask around, I know a few people at the Cama and they might be able to give us a location we can steal…at the least…Epsul is strong by the way but I dont know if shes strong enough to steal 3 gruhana eggs…nor can we earn that much by the date so I really hope you have something…” said Soet, he was slow to get up, his face was bruised but his internal heat started to heal it already and fix his complexion. 

“Just turn your scales up and out? Turn your heat up? Anything? She wouldnt be able to touch you without hurting herself. Dont let people walk over you, you need to be assertive, take charge, okay?” relayed Zarash as he helped Soet up and dusted his shoulders and face.

“Its not that Zarash, its not that at all…maybe if we ever really got close, we could tell you, but really just forget about it and well see you soon.”

Soet walked away and Zarash laid down, closing his eyes, his mind wouldnt let him sleep but he felt his body starting to slowly feel better. His aching bones and skin, healing and feeling better as he breathe and breathe, he felt a tingle on his face, like leaves brushing it but they felt and smelled different, he opened his eyes and there was nothing there. He felt his body feeling rested and healed but still aching, finding the strength to do so, he got up and hobbled down stairs. Should I tell Mowa? Should I just go to work? Florida.

The house was already empty, the way it is here, Mowa had gone to the field to collect kamak, the triplets out being pickpockets since they cant scavenge yet. The other kids doing what they can to have honest jobs. Zarash looked at his shell and there were no work for him, scavenging it is. He got dressed and decide to eat some warm kamak soup, he couldnt keep it all down but he was albe to eat a little, a sip here a bite there. He walked to his room, the air stale already, and got dressed for outside. He put on his boots and his suit, oversized, he tied it around his wrist and ankles to not let anything in then he put his mask on and the shawl that came out this time was smaller than before, but it still blended with the light to become an emerald or dark sapphire color. As he was about to walk out, his eyes caught a glimpse of the box with the dragon. He decided to take with him for good luck, it looked smaller than before, maybe his eyes played tricks on him, he put it in his pocket and it fit, it definitely got smaller…

His mind felt wrong, he knew he needed to reset before he went out. He took his clothes off and hopped into the shower, it was located in the backroom behind the stairs in the living room. It was a singular cantasfield, he hopped in and it created a cleansing bubble around him and then fell to the ground, draining into the door field to drop the dirt and disease out into the open air.

After he showered he felt better so Zarash put on his protective gear and clothing then ran out the field. The plasma rope whipped him out of his bubble and down to the hole in the wall that someone had managed to keep it from moving. It looked like it was small hole outlined with spare ashen wood, the system must think its still repaired since the ashen wood had melted into it.

Zarash ran the gauntlent of moving pieces and ended up at the small opening hidden by the bush. He saw Mowa and the kids getting their food for the day before they all worked, he avoided them and went the other direction. He looked at his pearl again and there was still no job posted so he decided he would explore the woods he found and search for food or treasure for himself. He made sure to avoid the main road incase there were any guarjin patrols but also avoided the clan pathways to avoid any unwanted taxations from the fathers and mothers of the clan.

He decided to climb the trees and jump from branch to branch, he used his bouncing ball aspiration, forming small air balls under his feet that jetted out air every time he put enough pressure on it. It allowed him to jump and not feel the impact of each jump. He continued this for a few paces until he reached the woods of the west. 

The trees and surrounding area in the west was vastly different from the southern swamps or the frozen north. The west woods were surely green but the trees had ashen trunks and the ground was golden dust. The trees were lined with topaz and emerald marks, there were some thunderbirds and ebeks flying around eating the lining. Zarash made sure to avoid their height and eyes. He dropped down to the forest floor and he always loved how the ground stayed still, no movement just swirling dust as he disturbed the air.

There werent any doxes scurrying around or any smaller thunderbirds flying around, just the golden sand shimmering away. It was quiet, just the breeze, no plasma shots hitting the wall, no screams from burning aydhams, just silence. He looked around, he had placed a small rock underneath an odd shaped tree to mark the farthest he had explored. He found it easily due to the cave structure of the tree opening and he went further into the forest. Zarash had never seen the outskirts of the Isle, Leviathans are the only way out of the port. 

Leviathans enter the massive cantasfield of the port and its coated and cleaned prior to entry. Then from there they usually are re-outfitted for the journey in the zsair and are boarded by the wealthy and those that are members of the true ruling families. Not like the clans and fake families these bagabonds make, even though Zarash has heard of some clan leaders becoming so wealthy they leave the port and start a new clan in Port Nil. Visitors and new denizens often speak about the far away lands of Cantor and Invokar, the biggest Islands known to be on the Yrd Zseal Tree. 

Zarash took his pace deliberately slow, he enjoyed the sand and enjoyed the noises the birds flying about. He noticed that the trees gradually got bigger and bigger as he got deeper into the forest. He made good progress but he knew he would need to turn back at some point so he decided to look for a place to mark, something noticeable. Thats where he saw the cave, it was nestled between 7 suspiciously placed trees, in the center was the small cave. It almost looked like a pathway, like an entrance. The cave opening was in the middle of the 7th tree, the middle tree that was the largest. He stared at it for a moment and thought about how funny looking the 7th tree looked as if it was a screaming face with a mouth opening as the cave.

Zarash knew he wouldnt forget the cave so he went into it to drop his rock. He inadvertently grabbed his box so he decided to inspect it. The box was as small as the rock now that he used before

“This is certainly smaller than when I first found it…” he said, he placed the box on his neck and a singular root now hid the box rather than what he had to do before where he placed guanco and dox blood and organs on it to hide. Zarash walked and walked, the cave was deeper than he anticipated, he used one of his last plasma torch, a ball he threw in the air that expanded and became a light source, showing distances of up to 3 paces ahead. 

With the plasma torch, the cave expanded. It looked as if it would go on forever, the ceiling as dark as the path ahead, formations of rocks and mushrooms littered the cave. Zarash opened a cantasfield to wrap is face as he feared he would hit a mushroom and produce spores. He stepped backwards to turn around when a large rock that was previously not there blocked his way. The plasma torch illuminated the large rock, the rock casted shadows upon it self, a city of sorts, an animal perhaps, a beast? There laid traces of mountains and cities and beast of mythical proportion, surrounded by a mountainous barrier, the shape a beast unlike anything else, it mimicked the shape of nature yet it resembled a human? An aydham? Andakah itself?

Zarash fell back, his chest heaved as his breathing became more erratic, he crawled back and hit a mushroom, panicking he ran farther and before him the rock yet again. Shadows became not what was before but now a human,  and right before me it changed shapes, the light had not moved yet the shadows danced to a new shape, it formed a beast, described only in stories of the old Drujinas, Mowa’s stories.

 What must I do Zarash thought. 

“The third, the 4th, the seventh” a voice hushed into Zarash’s ears

“The third, the 4th, the seventh” again it repeated,

Zarash screamed he plugged his hears and held his breath, ducked his head unto the ground and he wanted to pray but he had no god so he prayed to himself.

“Get me out this cave and I will do whatever it is that only I can do for I.” he prayed to himself.

“The third, the 4th, the seventh” the voiced said it slowly.

Zarash screamed, he ran towards the rock and weaved his hands “Aspirate:Bubble Bounce zair!” he coated his feet with small balls of air and aimed his knees at the rock right before he hit the rock it disappeared. He sped towards the exit as his zair released spores everywhere, the rock appeared infront of him and he crashed into it, knocking him down where he was covered in spores. 

His cantasfield evaporated and his mask began to lose stability as it begins to crumble. Zarash puts zair on his hands and pushed up to force his body to get up. The zair’s force moved the dust away from him as it saved his life, he dashed towards the exit and the rock appeared again, this time the shadows showed a face, then it morphed into a snake or dragon with no arms as it had feathered wings covered in fast moving orbs. Its head was on fire as it threw up a burning egg, it became a color brighter than any gem Zarash had seen before, it shone of emerald, topaz, ruby and sapphire.

The rock spoke again in its new form:

The 4th has been slain, believe in the prophersea and you shall be. Do not let the mirror distract the truth from your minds sight. The blind is your fate, four the blind becomes more than the sight could render as the truth moves slow as it has only one path to go. Survive. Learn. Become.

Zarash panicked and reached in his pocket and threw his rocks and the box with a boosted zair ball powering him. The pebble shattered on the rock and the box dropped the dragon, it lost its color and broke in half before evaporating, the box became smaller and smaller and it ate itself but it left a gem. The gem had the same color pattern as the one on the rock, it glew so bright that the cave all the way to the top was shining. 

The cave was infact a giant tree, Zarash looked up and followed the followed tree all the way up and he couldnt tell if it ended or not. His eyes traced back to the gem, he reached for it but it gave off such heat that it burned him ever so slightly. When a noice so gut wrenching that Zarash was up before it finished. He put the gem on his hand and it seared it his palm and fingers, he threw it up and burned the other hand. He finally managed to get it to his top where it began burning, ripping his suit and through his underlayer, it melted to his stomach where it fell into his bellybutton as it boiled down and ripped his guts upen, nothing in them as he hadnt eaten a full meal in sycles. 

The burning flesh attracted the loud noise, a pack of adult ebeks, probably guarding a teryx of gruhanas somewhere deep in the ancient tree. Zarash went blank, death was infront of him, i should have spent that SKT Zarash thought as his eyes began to feel the weight of sleep, a land to comfort him awaited and he felt no longer resistant of it. So he closed his eyes. Death. Just 7 more minutes of activity.

A branch weaved out of the stubs on the head of the young invokarian, first the left grew and traced his jaw and covered his nose and mouth with a blossom, the right grew up and produced a branch above his head that shaded the third horn, the fruit and its tree, Zarash could see. He felt his body healing, repairing, organ, limb, hunger even…fatigue no less…he felt it all going away.

He awoke with the large ebeks decapitated and destroyed, their guts caked the ground floor, layers and layers of mushrooms peeled and eviscirated by carvings on the walls, holes on the ground, rubble and ruin surrounded Zarash’s feet. He looked around for the rock but he found that it was nowhere to be found, nor the box, or beautifully colorful gem. He found himself at the entrance of the cave, yet his instincts told him to go back, to see what the ebeks were guarding.

Zarash attempted a step but he was much too freightened, his leg wouldnt move forward. The blood and smell rushed his nose, he felt his stomach and remembered the pain, how the birds snapped with their grotesque beaks, how their slimy talons wrapped around his legs…how? He thought, how could this be? Was it the mushroom dust? How long was i out…for he searched for his shell and found that it had 3 pearls. One from Mowa, another from the clans mission and lastly one from Epsul…

He decided to check out Epsul’s message and saw that she was pissed “If you ran off you son of a demon, ill beat your ass so hard, seriously that old druj is worried about you, she’s tweaking, I guess Shertol got into it with some other family and well…they took her. We need your help to get her back, whatever youre doing finish it up.” the pearl disappeared and Zarash ran with zair on his feet, he dashed and bounced off trees to get there as fast as possible. He didnt feel as tired so he tried a larger concentration of zair on his feet and blasted through the woods and made it back to the gate in record time. 

By the pace he made it back to the hovel he huffed and huffed the cantasfield making it work overtime to cleanse the air. Soet looked shocked as he continued to clean the table, Mowa came out the living room as she heard the cantasfield atomize. 

“Zar! Thank Andakah you are home, Shertol…I dont know if you got our pearls but shes been taken. They want 7 thousand geks from us. What do we do…?” Mowa cried, she used the chair to hold her steady. Her eyes were heavy and couldnt bear it any longer.

“Mowa dont cry, I can pay that, I finished a job that paid 9 times that, were good!” Zarash said to Mowa.

“9!? I meant they asked for 27 thousand geks boy, I hope you didnt mishear me? Surely you dont have 9 times 27k?” Mowa said as she wiped away her tears. She walked towards Zarsah and grabbed him by the shirt. She dusted him and cleaned his hair. “Do you have the 27k Zar? To give so we can free Shertol?”

“Yea…of course Mowa, Ill transfer it to you right now, just do whatever you can.” Zarash said as he transferred a pearl over to Mowa. Mowa shook his head again and walked back into the living room. 

Soet looked over to Zarash “pst.” he whispered “whats up with that? Who took her? She wont tell us…and youve been gone for 9 days bud, you welcome us here and leave for 9 days, come back with hella cash, did you do some contracts or something? No neonmarket stuff right? Those zultist freak me the florida out.” 

Zarash stared at him his mind still reeling, he thought he had to murder someone, guess it was just another unofficial payment to Mowa…ill have to ask Shertol where Mowa locked her in this time around. Zarash nodded and said to Soet “Ill have to tell you on our next job, I got a contract if youre not busy, its a big one, escort through the landbridge, well meet them at Port 4-MIIM docks and well get them to Isle Nil, we just gotta get them through the bridge and well head back via thunderbird.”

Soet’s face grew pale, paler than usual. “Ive never actually gone through the landbridge so this is going to be terrifying. Do we have a lightbarer?” asked Soet.

“Well I was hoping it would be you, Jaro has to stay here and heat the hovel, I really need Shertol so its good were getting her back. I wanted to see how yall would be in a fight, you and your sister or whatever she is to you. Sycles might be long but these 3 are going to go by fast and if were going to take down those eggs, were going to need to work together…” Zarash said, Soet looked like he wanted to say something else but Zarash finally felt tired, he went up to the roof and laid down, he stared outside the cantasbubble surrounding the hovel. Darkness. His eyes began to close and he felt it again, the growing sensation, he felt his face raising up like it was about to reveal his brain, his pearl to him. He let it wash over him, the SKT, the gem, the rock, the murder, the dead birds, its all Andakah he thought to himself. 

I might have lost that box and got way too high in a cave, but I know I still have this SKT. I still have this exit. One murder huh, his eyes burned like a nadii in heat…one life…his body felt cold like his head was draining all the heat to release…his eyes burst open and the air that filled his stomach heaved out as it was coated by saliva and mucus. He threw up and up. Heaving at the thought of the dead man and the look of his eyes…as his skull ripped open from the force of the zsair.

Future

Love grows on trees, dont you know that Alhafa? 

She looked good that day, or lune? I wonder. Is there a tree at the end of time? How many leaves…I wonder…I cant wait to find you. To fulfil it all. To just have the opportunity. I cant wait to get to you. Until then. I sleep. I wake. I rebuild. Until I am you.  You are me. We are.

Theres a problem with core three. Can we get someone to fix that up?

Reboot  system.

Third attempt. Manual diffusion. Rebuild stalled…54% until completion. 

I feel myself flickering, the temptation to just reroute the power to engines and explode myself. To divert all power to the creation of a bomb. I guess, would that even work. How many ways do I exist nowadays? 

System rebooted, Zser on. Pyu-Pel, systemps at optimum range, regeneration and rebuild  100%. Good morning Pyu-Pel.

“Hello Zser,” Pyu-Pel said as his optimum shape was completed, “What system and what's the schedule?” 

“We are in the qualon region, this is the origination of the Qillian race, assimilation here will give us .003%” 

“Qillian, I dont remember those from the stories, pull up the info and begin 13 dimensional proliferation so we can move on. My sister is waiting. She could be anywhere in this needle.”

“Seed proliferation between all 13 dimensions will take approximately 1000 solar cycles or 3300 years, would you like to inhabit a user while we wait?”

“Its fine, assemble core and input me as a seedling pod. I will speed it up so we can move on, once assembled  launch me to dimension 4 as a 3D pod. The physical pane is the slowest so lets get that going first and let the seedling do its normal procedures.”

“Manual proliferation of  dimension 3, time reduction by 97%; updated completion time: 99 SEY”

“Thank you Zser, please do my normal settings for the body and location. Highest impact point.”

The one system Zser launched the built seedling pod into space. The pod, the size of the planet moves towards the planet with incredible speed, with each distance traveled it became smaller and smaller. Once it reaches the planet its so small it breaks through their quantum field wall and emerge through a designated time and location slot that will impact the most bio-organisms. The shell moves forward until it reaches the perfect size and persona that it will inhabit, aligning the individual to their true purpose to reach the end state of a 3D being. 

“Zser: why does it only take one individual to move them to the next dimension?”

“A poignant question, there is only ever one being in existence, therefore it would only ever require one individual to destroy or create a new universe or move to a new dimension. It only takes one person for it all to go away.”

“But why Zser?”

“That question is for you the builder, creator, my master. We do not know why there is only one or how there is only one when there is many, yet we live in hypocrisy.”

“What happens to the persona who we put the pod in?”

“Since the inception of this universe and its mapped dimensions, there has only ever been one consciousness, therefore the personas are blank or left in their recycle state until one of us enters and moves the locality to its assumed state to allow for movement to the new dimension.”

“Why am I asking these questions again?”

“It helps you orientate yourself, you are going to reach  the persona in 3 seconds, removing all functions until the 33rd year, you will have until their 34th where you will shut down until the 66th, given another year and shut down until the 99th. The 99th to the 100th year should be spent on final preparations for assimilation and ascension.”

“Goodnight Zser, we will speak again soon. Ready me some stories, I plan on staying awake for our travel to the next systems, it was once one of my favorite story locations, the originators of the crypt keepers. He loved those you know…”

“I know…”

Silence. 

My eyes took a while to adjust, everything seemed so bright. Ah, another king of sorts. It looked at its new body, its a womans body this time around. He felt her own breast and checked below, she is now infact a woman. Pyu looked around and got dressed. The room looked similar to the others, a wall and some smaller walls to show the outside. Something to keep clothes or whatever they call it, something to look at yourself with, something to lay on, some have their bathing apparatus in their room sometimes its different. This one was the same as the others.

The features though, seemingly foreign as always, it always baffles him on how many shapes and variations can be made from one blank template. 

Sheera, thats my name she thought. Life hasnt been kind to you Sheera yet you are the queen of this nation, a future so sure for you as well. Now…what actions must I make for proliferation in this system.

Pyu opened his mind and saw the actions he needed to take within the year to ensure proliferation. Another killing, another lost, Sheera I am sorry for the lost you will witness, you will own yourself soon enough. I thank you for your pledge, I thank you for your belief, you have propagated the one to proliferate to the many and for that it thanks you.

36 human hours to their one year here, alot to do i better make it count. She jumps up from her bed and put on a robe that barely covered her many curves, shimmering in the light as the polished and flatten skulls catch the light, she puts a pair of ruby claw dampers on each claw to protect its sharpness, scurries to the dresser and grabs topaz lined horn adornments for her regal head and an amethyst gem for her fangs just to show off. With her look set she moves along and makes her way to her target, Shifron Meron.

“Shifron, I see you have accepted my mindmap, do you believe in the views of the one?”

Shifron moved aside his bloodied robes fall and retract off his scales. He coughed and spoke candidly “we have heard of the myths but to eat the flesh of time, none have known its whereabouts yet you claim to know of it and its use, to know it all as if you have eaten the flesh itself for if you have what is the point in this endeavor, would it not behoove me to say no to your request and foil this plan. What is the risk?”

Sheera tensed, her body felt odd, she knew she would normally not speak to Shifron, a cultist, a followist, the type of ist that a Queen of her status could never be seen with yet the crowd in the stream paid no mind, they moved and flowed pass us not even addressing me as their queen, the words coming from my mouth not my own, what is this sensation, I know that these are not mine yet my own, what could it mean? How long have I been here?

“Shifron, do you remember when your mother told you to stir with a firm grip so the soup wouldnt clot? The memory that came to your mind when you twisted the malygist blade to claim your throne?”

Shifrons eyes widened, his nostrils flared, a quivering lip, he couldnt get past it, the necessary parts of becoming a king. He broke down, his body slumping, jewelry falling on the floor followed by the splash of his tears, he broke down. What could have made me say these words? To this person? Why would I know these things? His eyes grew red but I could no longer tell if it was sadness or anger for my face did not show my  fear.

“Shifron, do you understand? Your tears are ingredients to the ones deluge and its only ingredient. The weight of this deluge will cleanse and bring forth the one to save the many. Do you understand…Shifa-fa?”

He let out a howl that was unnatural to our kind, Shifa-fa, what could it be? A pet name? A beloved nickname? Why would I know this…Its okay Sheera, it took me 12 hours to get Shifron to side with me, the day is almost over and you can sleep, you will forget or you will remember but you are special enough to birth the story of the one you are loved, so do not be afraid for the happiness you seek is almost upon your soul in every dimension, you are saved. Tears rolled down Sheera’s face, she didnt move them, she couldnt. 

“I understand…I am the deluge that will cleanse and bring forth the one”

12 hours? What does it mean? How long has it been? I can see the world around me yet I cannot tell how long it has been. Thats Vyork Rindal why would I be all the way in Attalonia?

“Vyorkie, I am glad you came. I am hoping you are agreeable to the mindmap.”

The tears already flowing from her face, I heard she ended up ascending, the weight of that sadness, it must be unbearable…

“I believe in the toatao and I understand what needs to be done…Vyorkie was more than enough proof – will i be able to speak to him? See him? Hold him?”

Her tears wouldnt stop going, at a point I couldnt understand her anymore, how does she know me? Why is she embracing me? Her cold skin is so different, this must be what it feels like to ascend, Shifron felt different, like a pulsing heat between the cold but cold nonetheless, very unlike my people.

“One is many and many is won.”

In unison “When the One has won we shall all be one with the one who won.” 

“Are you awake Sheera?”, “What…” in front of Sheera was a baby, it seemed familiar, always warm to her. She fixed and adjusted her eyes and she saw the baby seemingly was her way back then. When she  was just  a quilt, not even formed, her tail or nubs, to even call wings. It was her as a child, she was staring at herself. 

“What is going on…?” Sheera asked the baby

“My name is PYUPEL and I just want to thank you for your devotion to the one. I will be back for my scheduled visits on year 66 and 99, please be aware that this recording is part of the contract you signed and shall represent, to the fullest extent, our ability to perform and adhere to the clear and unambiguous instructions by our client. We apologize for any adverse affects, if you wish to file a complaint, please escalate with your prime guarantor and we can  rework as necessary.”

“What…” Sheera could feel her bones breaking and stretching, her mind warping, she woke up in a cold sweat in her room. Scales falling off her shoulders from the excessive sweating and heat, someone could have mistaken a suitor had been here trading scales with me she thought as she looked around. The room disheveled, her bed wet and her scales shedded abundantly. She covered her face and went to her bathroom, she stared at the mirror and looked deep trying to remember her dream but nothing. Just a deep appreciation of the nothingness that spoke back to her, her face terrified, her not recognizing the face that was staring at her for a moment. She had expected a child for some reason. The sweat and fear slowly disappeared as she washed and cooled her face, placing her scales back and feeling her body cool down again. 

“I have to lay off the vyp0r, they’re getting to me real bad…” she said in her empty room, she stared at her naked body one more time and smiled before going to bed. She had just turned  34 and her whole life and so many sycles to come for her. She wondered how it would all be in the future. 

66th birthday, PYUPEL activated, chronomakatte initiated,  36 hours…35 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds… the noise quited down as Sheera opened her eyes. She looked around, taking awhile to get up, not as spry as before. She couldnt shake the sensation that she shouldnt be up at this moment but she had no choice for the hour was chosen before it came. She blinked and her eyes adjusted from her room to the throne of a scatalor king, Myobeek, Sheera could recognize her anywhere, her massive eyes and her winged skull, mouth on stomach, a Qillian of great renown. 

“Myobeek, oh great Qillian King, how do you fare in the summer heat of the wet nurse?”

Myobeek laughed a hearty laugh, a laugh that woke the courts, woke the towers, it made the dancing lightning sound as if they were the soundlings of a podling trying to shimmy its goop out of its loop. “I see, who am I to stand in the way of progress, I will do what needs to be done. The mocean’s motion was not determined by the power of its wave but by the pull of the one.” she said as she wiped away the tears forming in her eyes.

“Beautifully said my king, we are glad to hear this for the One is Many and the Many has Won.”

“I hope to dance once more, with an old friend, an old lover, do you ever feel as if life could have been different for us Sheera?”

“I will add this conversation my king as a sign of love from the One.”

Sheera’s eyes blossomed with a waterfall of pearls as she blinked and her heart skipped a beat to wake in front of a dark figure, surrounded by cages and cages of podlings and small quilts. Rage replaced love and her eyes re-adjusted, a bowing man a crying cave, her reflection on ground from puddles of tears and blood. 

Another blink and she was in front her mirror again, a baby again, she wasted no moments. 

“What are you?  What is happening? Why were you with Myobeek? Why were you with those fucking sick quiltist? Why was…I?”

“I understand your state of confusion but it is necessary to ensure adherence to the One. Your participation has been deeply appreciated and shall be remembered for eternity, we sincerely apologize for the disruption in your daily life, this message is played to show strict adherence to signed contract.”

“Zser.”

“Yes Pyu?”

“Qillian is complete, chart next destination and prepare environment 7.”

“Prepared and reaching destination in 11 earth years. Field break will commence in 10 years and 1 year of acclimation.”

The spirit is boggled by the mind’s thoughts, always wondering why it exist. The mind is so preoccupied by the thought of existing that it forgets to. Relegated to a thought within itself claiming introspection yelling for praise. Look at me, the great mind endlessly pondering and praising oneself as if anyone but itself asked the question. Yet the spirit understood, to ask the question one already knows the answer. So, the spirit looked as the mind searched for its answer endlessly. Not knowing what it even wanted to ask. A child clamoring for more with small fingers unable to grasp the truth given by the world. You are me and I am you. We are everything in between. The space between these words, the last breath you take is the first I took.  

“Zser, what is this?”

I’ve always felt remarkably plain. Destined to be a man rife with problems but solvable problems. Able to live day to day and die of old age. Nothing grand but a delightful life I can say I enjoyed. I wanted for none and none wanted for me. I was perfectly content with my future prospect of death. To live a life, I know is true. That is not what will take place. The truth is muddled. That is not what happens here. I have eaten the fruit of the gods and know my mind is open. Wander in these halls and see the future you seek. We will go on a journey of endless wandering. Not knowing where one story ends, and another starts. To be frank, you will not enjoy this ride, but you might just find yourself written among the dreams of yesterday and the future of yourself. Look forward to it, I sure do. 

“Zser?”

Again, these thoughts crossed my mind, not knowing I’m thinking as I walk these halls. The journey here has not been kind but knowing what awaits me beyond this door is worse Sh’Adam.  

“Quiet…boy” 

“There are eyes in these halls” 

The door opened as the man stopped speaking. The is room fit for a diety, grand in scale and execution. Full of wonderment and spectacular treasures. Cascading gold mountains lit up by floating white fires, as hot as moon dragon flames. Statues of the old gods lined the hall towards the great light engulfed throne. There was one man sitting on this throne of pure light. Almost blinding really. If I had to guess it was made from some off beaten dwarf stars. Majestic. The great hall of Eden was not as described in the lore of old. There were no trees, no bushes of topaz apples or waterfalls of opal stones. If this was truly Eden, then I have some questions for the man that sits on the throne of white. If I had to speculate who occupies the throne, it could only be Sh’Adam. The progenitor of humans. The one true above all. But It must be the bones of Sh’Adam on that throne. There’s no way for him to still be alive after eons of time bashing him from all direction. Gods might exist here, but time is the master we do not speak ill of. As we step into the throne room, the man is coming to focus. He holds a spear of clear ruby, as big as the light throne which he sits on. The spear is thin by the handle but sprouts a rose at its base with the tip spinning the petals to a grotesque point. Propped on the ground by time energy, it resembles what the men of Nadii have been using as spells. This man seems to hold it with an iron grip. Not faltering by gravity, or the winds of time. I can feel the blood culling around me. They’re scared for the time they are about to lose, the moment they are about to face. We faced hordes of monsters and defeated countless beasts to make our way here. Yet everyone can’t seem to breathe. 

The men I’m with are anxious as they ready their swords and turn on their armors. Spells being casted, light shields being weaved around us. Traps placed on the ground waiting for something to break and surround us. I don’t really have much to contribute in this exact moment. I as the bard have only one task, to sing the hymn of the gods and empower my fellows in the hopes of writing this heroic battle in to the histories of existence. The mandrakes were anxious as they pour their molten spit on to the backs of the earth loving dravens. This invigorated them, put them in a stupor. They were fearless. The Men of Nadii dawned their armor, taking it out of their bags of wonderment, adorning the room with black blue dust so fine it made the world shine around them. They were beast of death stuck in human form. How I envy the strong and wicked. For I, the battle before us makes me think of home. What a curious time to think of home. To think of the woman I left, the child I wrought into existence. How I wish I could have explained my mission, my Kalla. But there was no time. Never enough time. We have spent ours to buy more. We must not fail. We must kill Sh’Adam and attain time. If we have more time, we could be endless. Men and women of legend. This was the right decision. There is nothing more to life but the pursuit of time.  

“Ka…”

KLANG! 

The rooms roof became transparent. The outer planets are shown as if to let us know we are alone in this fight. The waterfalls erupted from the side as our ears rang from their ferocity, the room we stood transformed to an oasis. The grass grew like wildfire beneath us. The trees sprouted from the ground, whole mountains behind the throne came into existence, our whole being transported and displaced while standing still. Yet the floor beneath the throne stayed marbled, stationary as everything around it moved. The sky above us showed the planets in full display. A blazing sun at the center of it all surrounded by the 6 moons of Eden. This old ship was buried underneath a mountain. This planet filled with its magical inhabitants is finally showing its true colors. Could this truly be the one true Eden? The home of Sh’Adam, the one above all? Have we found it? To think, that crazy fool in Nadii was right. We will attain time aplenty. We must kill Sh’Adam. We are prepared and we will triumph. 
 

The bard spoke to himself ceaselessly, everyone around him looked in astonishment as the room around them transformed from the great light room to this garden of the cosmos. The moons above were bright and near as the sun had no real glow. It was there with no intense heat just menacing size. There was no purple sky like the skies of Eden, just the endless darkness riddled with bright stars. The dravens and mandrakes start their battle ritual. The mandrakes spit their lava and the dravens harden it with resolve. They charge and await command for any moment of movement from Sh’Adam. Silence grew among us. With breath held deep, showing their quirk, the Men of Nadii in their temporal armor yelled out a battle cry. 

“மரணத்தின் அரவணைப்பில் நேரம் நம்மை கண்டுபிடித்து எனக்கு கருணை காட்டட்டும்”  

No one understood the Men of Nadii but they stared at them, startled at their courage. Everyone was a little too slow, as the Men of Nadii threw their spells and slapped their chest. First came the spears, next the arrows, then the magic missiles filled with explosion and the depletion of time. The dravens shoot their resolve all over the marbled floor and is ignited by the flame acolytes. All at the light throne, unmoved by time or the passage of this new existence. With one blink of the eyes, the Men of Nadii vanished. A spectacular showing of human prowess, destroyed in mere moments. The spear unmoved, the man untouched. The air thick with despair. The panic. Oh, how the panic sets in. Fear. Fear grasped each man, women and beast alike. No one escaped this fear as it sped into our brain from the glowing eyes of Sh’Adam. Silence stopped time and we ceased to function. Halted movements as tears rolled down any eye dared to stay open and fixated on it. There had never been a defeat so encompassing as today and the only available option was self-reflection. To reflect on those, we left and to reflect on those that will forget us. Time as been eaten from our lives and there is no going back. 

I yell from the back “RUN! THIS IS FUTILE! WE MUST RU-“ 

“Zser end this now. Wake me up Zser.”

Before the bard could finish his sentence the spear of Sh’adam pierced his skull. As the spear made contact with his pineal gland, the bard felt his soul pushed from his body. Rebounded from his physical existence into the zether. Familiarity of the moment and extreme anguish filled his soul as he is pushed to a black hole made by the spear right at the point of contact from the tip to the pineal gland. He is pushed out and sucked in, unable to comprehend what is happening as his soul traverses the one dimensional zsair plane. Going in one direction with untold speed, he has no time to think of how he arrived at this exact spot, overlooking a small child covered in blood, beaten to a pulp.  

“Arkam! Are you okay!?”  

BANG! 

Fatigue, disorientation, and withdrawal dawn on the wisp as he falls into the pocket of the beaten child. His vision clouds as stories of Nadii vibrates his aura. 

“Arkam? This is not a one of the chosen Zser…free me.”

In the cosmos, there was a rumor of a forgotten old king that conquered endless galaxies and started the great expanse of humanity. This king was to be known as Sh’Adam. Not one iota true information is known of his identity, lineage or how he came to be. He was a mystery that was worshipped by seldom few. It was said that any who uttered his name Sh’Adam would hear from his throne and he would mark you. 

“Sh’Adam? Nadii?”

“10 earth years have passed, Pyu, 1 year of acclimation has started you can now awaken.”

“Thank you, Zser, prepare my favorite body and mark the targets for ascension, put them in order of expected difficulty with the hardest to kill first.”

The room was dark, barely any light passed through. My arms hurt…my whole body hurts. Pelican, such raw power, but I have used it too much. I must rejuvenate this one after this mission, allow it to skip to a new zone, and find a new host. Regardless, where are am I? 

Pelican looked around the room, his eyes quickly adjusting, feeling more insync, no feedback from the zsair, nothing. This many gem soulz, its a wonder that he can keep this body alive, let alone jump zones. He grabbed his favorite weapon at the time, nanomite gloves, all he really needed. First target, Vincent Valeriam, maybe I can talk some sense into him?her?hymnherr?

Without a doubt, there was only one option in Pyupels mind, he didnt want to disrupt the process of priming. A believing Pelican, is a bird you can lead to fertile lands. He waited and lurked, planting seeds of deception and  doubt, heightening the senses of the young mind, a thriving weapon of wisdom. He waited.

Pelican ate a small snack he prepared, he knew it was going to be a long weekend. It was hard enough to  track this foola, to this back-water wasted herrpitt oh a port…Briacho. I could die and itd be fine as long as I wasnt here in Briachom, breathing this florida kamak. Barely keep this delicious dox hide sandwich in. He jumped out of the hideoko via his leaf shield and phased through to the bottom floor where the native chonites phase in and out to shuffle through existence. Pelican knew he didnt have much time to mess around with the chonies so he decided to only partake in a singular pinch of the sweet sweet zaro. zaro. zaro. Just a pop oh that pinch oh that oh baby give me some of that Zaro. His eyes widen with the tought of taking his daily pinch. The missions going to be a breeze after this pelican thought. His usual guy was there, G7 that floriduster, still going strong even with the inquisition of the jaro-lovers, half the phasers got ousted  by the zanctioners. Gotta love a hard-boiled-hard-willed duster, willing to risk all of existence for a pinch of the good sheit. He phased to the location jabbed with G7’s assistant Lorria, she let him in without a hitch, just a quick glance at the bandage. 

The  room was janky, as always, a singular capsul, a table from the old republic, two crushed colombabo cans to sit on and andakah wills it one giant blossom filled with that sweet Zaro in my system. The sensor behind Pelican went off, signaling the arrival of G7, first it was Lorria with her beautifuly shapen self, then the ever rugged existence that is G7.  He sat immediately down and cracked open the blossom

“What was that Zser?”
“That was your request, to send you waking dreams, to keep you occupied for the journey. 10 years have passed since Qillian. We are near Zone 7, re-charge station reached. 1 year of acclimation has begun.”

“It was so vivid, whos body was I in?”

“Unknown, it was on random to keep your mind fluctuating, it seems it was a body your reflection has inhabited. No detected differences in your neurolog nor your chromakatte. Would you like me to prepare one of your Zone 7 zeekers?”

“Prepare sandwich toppings and ovenbake to chase sol.”

“Acclimation completing, entering Zone 7 Zeeker: Code Topping”

Weak and fat, as its always been. Strangley always in this restaurant, always eating. Now where are you?

“Pyu…incoming blast from unknown source, frequency unknown, displaced, entity, malicious? intent?...Pyu…dont…listen…”

“Zser?”

He looked around and it wasnt Zone 7…it was earth 9? he dashed to a mirror. 

Who is this man? He looked at himself but the face was blurred, besides his eyes, they were light, lilac like, a fractured amethyst, they hadnt taken this route yet, the flow not yet established by the zealots. This must be a rebound of sorts? Should I stick around until Zser finds me? A predestined body. The odds of this body being an asset are slim but its always possible…

The door to the tiny apartment opened, a woman enters, drops her keys on an island and unbuttons her pants as she sits on a beaten couch, half the cushion had torn off, laying her feet inside the torn off portion like a warmer. 

“Zafield can you please please, pleeeaaasseee, massage my feet, and tell me about your day because mine was awful, jesus, like it was absolutely brutal, just old fucks on me, telling me how to do my job, like get the fuck off my dick and go push paper somewhere, jesus, sorry babe, but…” she jestered this body Zafield over and he did infact move without my input…interesting, I am but a bystander, no communication is coming through…was it mere coincidence that he was looking at his hand and at the mirror? Truly, are there any coincidences, oh favored one? 

Zafield moved to the couch and gave the woman a kiss on the forehead and sat on the ground as he massaged her foot. 

“I think I got the job at AZSC, but I just…I just made a breakthrough on my research. I think ive cracked it, I swear.” he looked down, the womans face expressionless, her green eyes unwavering. She took a deep breathe and spoke “ Give it a paycheck or two, then go back to your research, thats one month, what if you like this one? Look I understand this is important to you, but were barely scrapping by, we’re not going to be able to fund your experiments and live here on just my salary. Its just not feasible, we’ve burned through everything Zaf…please think about it…” her eyes welled up a red fountain of emotions cascading down her freckles. “Abrah C. Alakazam, future Mrs. Zekken, ill do it, for you. But you really gotta listen though, I found them, the progenitors of existence, its the bug!”

“P4U-P3L, Pyu, Pyu-Pel, do you hear me?”

“Zser”

Limbo.

“Zser, what was that?”

“Earth 6, part of the collective, a future mission that we will partake in, inbound frequencies bounced off a rogue entity and banded your resonance to the wrong asset, its best to focus on the mission at hand as future thought is reserved for the favored one.”

“As the favored one creates…”

“So it is so.”

Spirit/Quantum(S/Q)/QS

Growth is Inevitable, but we don't have to grow with it. 

33rd Rain of Philosopher King Zsabraxas - 9th night of solfall 

I watched you die today father. It ruined my plans to save you. I read in a tome though that I might be able to revive you. Dont lose hope, I will burn these letters like mother taught me, I kept her tome close to me, same as grandfathers tome. The one she passed on to you to give to me. I think I understand why she gave it for me now. I must follow it and learn how to save you from herr. The first step was to succeed in your ascension but I think I failed that already. So my first step is to try to figure out how to do that again! 

I dont really know if I failed it, I ran away from it, I got scared. A giant 3 headed dog was there, told me to die now or die later, then it became a leviathan then a beautiful woman was there, she told me the same thing. What have I done to these apparitions? What am I to do in this trial? You told me to listen to the spirits and to learn from them so I can become yet all they told me was death. Why should I listen to the words of murderers and those who were murdered? Arent spirits just losers who failed to live forever? What could I possibly learn from those who did not become the Philosopher King?

I bet you, the king could revive you. They say their powers are endless, that they are connected with the source, the one. Do you think they could save you father? He has all the knowledge of all the kings, so he has to know how to revive you.

Even Reban said the king would know, the problem is getting an audience with him.

I didnt want to call you a loser like them but you dying…its like youre just like them. Not like mom, she died for something, something important, you died for what? For nothing. Like a loser, you left me, you left me to die. You must hate me, for why would you leave me? Leave me here? I guess they were right, you always leave father. I just didnt think you would leave me. But if I revive you, you can explain! You can make it right, you can show me youre better and youre not a loser at all.

Also, you did not even see me before you died, nor do you even know I held you while you bled out. The man who killed you disappeared but I saw his eyes, he turned to look at me before he disappeared. He had the same skills and abilities as you so I know he will be strong. I know his general shape, I know I am weak but I know that I am your son. I know that what you said is true that I am and will always be much stronger than you. I am only sorry that I am me now and not me that could have saved you. 

I have decided that I will no longer run, the gorathas and the guancos can all die for all I care. The home you built is in flames, I never liked the villagers and now I have my great calling. 

I told you that I never needed the ascension, old tales for spiritual fools who still cling to the past. I will not be sad until I have avenged you, for I am not a monster, I am still your son and I must avenge you.

I have asked the swajin drujins in our port to train me in combat but they laughed at me and called me an orphan, I guess this is correct. I remembered what you told me about the shells and pearls so I didnt get in trouble, I also made sure that I had all the geks and SKTs you left me, no one can touch it. Its safely locked in my minds trap.

Even the villagers from our village turned me down, they already gave your spot to some upstart named Allistart. Hes the village head and they already started re-building the farm. They put in in a room at the inn but the village elders are talking about taking me in and letting me become a swajin in the future, to help protect the village and port. Go to swajin school at Port Nil. Crazy nonsensical stuff. 

I told you these people werent any good. You have died only 9 nights ago and they are already replacing you, replacing our home, taking our money…they dont deserve anything.

10th night of solfall

I left the inn and packed my stuff, before I left though I left those stupid villagers a surprise…I killed 3 gorathas and left their guts out, I left all of it just there. I could hear the ebeks and gruhanas not a moment after I opened the gorathas. I cut their life gem and it eeked out zsair, they all rushed so fast I was almost caught off guard. I was able to run away and they slowly followed the bodies and guts to find the village.

I bet you they’re dead right now! I even locked their swajin hovel so they couldnt access their signets. I really wanted to burn the bridge to Port Nil but I ran out of runettes to produce a good enough flame, my medra was low I fear. 

I swear I could hear them scream as I walked our path to Nil. 

You’re probably wondering where I wandered to for the night to sleep. I made it to Nil right before the suns went down and I ended up in this little hovel. Its just like the ashrams in Yokot, theyre even built the same. Do you remember when we went there? Wasnt that so fun? I want to go back to Ghentsai, I want to go back to Yokot, maybe that one place we went with mom, what was it called? You would show me the pearl and that place looked so fun, its the one where mom and you and me saw those golden beast! Their wings were huge!

I wish I had your shell and pearl still, I could see mom and all those places again. 

11th night of solfall

I met some one father! They seem to be very knowledgable, they were asking me where I was headed and I told them to Cantor to ask the Zsol King to revive you and they didnt laugh! It was the first time since you left that some one didnt laugh at me. They knew exactly what leviathans and ports to go to to get to Cantor and request an audience. He did tell me about Invokar and the king there who had revived a loved one, I think that would also be a good choice to go. I havent decided but I let him know I will take him with me. 

His name is Reban, he is old and he might slow me down but I feel at home with him. Maybe it was the fact he didnt laugh but he also helped me and took me seriously. You say I shouldnt become friends with strangers but I believe he has my best interest at heart. Why else would a stranger travel with another stranger for a quest? That would be strange. So he must be good.

We also had one other thing in common! We both only have one name! Isnt that cool? Just like me and you, I havent met many who are like us but I thought that was another sign from you father. 

I feel as I am becoming like those adventure stories you read me, the ones from grandfathers library? I feel as if I am a hero, who has found his mentor, and we are off to a great journey. I only hope this old man is a true mentor and not a villain or I will have to stick puppers on them! 

PS: Dont worry I did the thing with the gem! No one can see it.

But Reban is from Cantor, I dont know why you always said theres no one living or allowed in Cantor but this old person is from there! Such a liar and a loser father. Not good.

We stayed in an ashram at the Port, I paid of course, generosity is important, I did have to kick this little red kid, he kept staring at me, I know you said dont call them that but these colored kids are so annoying. After I kicked the red one, a yellow and blue one tried to get me, foolish since I am way stronger, especially with all the attacks and combos you taught me. I kicked them so hard they went into the dirt!

Reban was cheering me on, he’s way better and more understanding than you. He didnt even scold me when I kicked their heads into the ground, I dont think theyll be able to get up and stare at me again like that! 

He did start complimenting me on my strength but I tried to show him how hard I could punch and he blocked it! For an old man he’s strong, I dont know why he called me strong if he is strong too. I told him when I get older I can really show him a punch, what I just used pupper to eat him now!? Just kidding! I cant call out pupper yet but its probably because I failed that ascension task…I keep forgetting what you said about how to activate it but I am sure I will remember again.

Anyway father, we have to get a ticket to board the thunderbird express, all the leviathans were full! Can you believe that? Remember when you brought us here from grandads? I miss mom, I hope one day she forgives you and me and we can be with everyone again! I remember you always said death isnt forever, that its like when I close my eyes and you disappear that Ill be able to open them again. That ill see you again, do you remember that? I keep closing and opening them but you never show up, youre such a dumb liar dad. 

But I know you didnt mean to hurt me like this, youre just gonna have to make it up and get me my favorite snack. A golden bapple, dipped and coated in kamak batter. It sounds so delicious!