I finally arrive at the finish line, and Sirius comes into view, he’s been talking to Zumo… “What’s going on?” I ask, surprising them as I land in front of the finish line, and pass through. “I was just talking to Zumo. Ling’s behind everything, Demi.” He says, and I look around to make sure none of the cameras are watching us…

“You’re sure?” I ask, as I tear off my tarp and revel in my returned freedom- “He has… Been taking people… Taking their powers…” Zumo says, surprising me as he walks over-

“Zumo!” Ling suddenly says, startling us before we turn around and look at him- “I should have known you would betray me… Givinging away information… I’m glad I already took your friends. Once I’m finished with you, Demitallis is next.” He says, and Zumo suddenly disappears-

Before I can think, his fist flies towards Ling, but the bastard manages to dodge out of the way. I begin growing my size and so does he- “Ling!!! I’VE HEARD ENOUGH!!!” I scream, surprising him as I fire a bearing shot at him, tearing off his arm!

“Dammit!” He screams as it regrows and he lands on the ground, gathering stone into armor pieces and forming stone monsters- “Keep her off me!” He says, as Zumo slams his fists into him, the armor cracking all the way down.

Vilstrous destroys a line of them, using his cloak as a source of shadows to attack with, and give me an opening to fight Ling- Zumo suddenly falls down and I fire another bearing shot! A direct shot to Ling’s core completely knocks it out of his body, but it begins regenerating at an alarming rate…

“Hahaha! Got regen and Enhance from Tinnie and Zephyr! How’s THAT make ya’ feel?!” He asks, as his regeneration finishes… “Just shut up and fight!” I say as he suddenly fires a nullification wave into the area- “My shadows!” Vilstrous shouts as he takes a hit from a stone idol, while my mana-zone disappears…

I fire a scatter shot, but he deflects the attacks with warp as I sink into the sand. I appear behind him and fire another shot, my threads beginning to build up… He suddenly begins to grow in size, and so do I. “Shit… If only it was night…” Vilstrous says, as he backs away from the stone idols.

“Smorska’s, right?” I ask, as we circle each other a little- “Yeah, good spot-” He says, waving his arm- I open my body like a large ring to let stone shrapnels pass through, and surprise him! “You can do that?!” He asks, as I eject the metal inside my body and activate the electric threads!

The electricity shoots through the ground and up his body, making him jitter, and slowly reach for the threads, but I fire another bearing shot, knocking him a few yards away- “Dammit again!” He screams, as he stands up and stares at me…

He continues to stare, for multiple minutes, until Vilstrous suddenly clutches his head, and throws up. “Oh god make it stop-” He says, surprising me as he writhes on the floor- “What are you doing to him?!” I ask Ling, as I slice his arm off-

“You’re not… Affected?” He asks, surprised as he continues to glare at me. “Neither of us can blink, Ling. So a staring contest doesn’t really work.” I explain, and he slaps his forehead- “No! I’m using my powers to attack your brain- Oh…” He says, and I look at Vilstrous then back at him.

“You don’t have a physical brain FOR me to attack…” He says, deflecting another one of my bearing shots. “I will end you.” He says, before floating into the air, pulling material from the ground around us… I attach a thread to a floating boulder and pull myself as the pieces separate and fly at me.

We trade shots for a while, dodging each others’ attacks as I guide him toward the ocean… I fire another bearing shot, surprising him as he crystalizes his body and it digs a foot into his chest! I use the thread I attached to throw him into the ocean, surprising him as I follow as quickly as possible!

We delve in, and he looks around, his body entirely crystalized, still somehow moving… “Where are you?!” He exclaims, as I form around him and begin tearing him apart, until his core is all that’s left. I begin crushing it, but it blasts out of me, and out of the ocean again-

I jump onto land, and he’s already reformed… “Damn you… Okay… Stay away from the ocean…” He says, as Vilstrous slices off his head, surprising both of us- It grows back… “Dammit all!” Ling screams, as he grabs Vilstrous’s head, and makes him hit the floor again.

I jump into the air, and he backs away from Vilstrous, as I land on the little guy, and throw him over to the forest and out of the way. I feel a weird energy in my body- I pull my essence away, and sink into the sand again as I watch the rest of my body suddenly tear itself apart!

“HAHAHA!!! Take that, I win- SHIT!!! I killed her! I needed her alive…” He says, as I re-emerge from behind him, and quietly build up my body again… “Not sure how I’ll kill Slade without the other powers… I wonder if any of those kids have died by now…” He says, as he folds his arms-

I blast through him, grabbing his core, and building a large metal orb around it, before placing him on the ground…

Demi - “Talk, Ling. Tell me why I should let you go.”

Ling - “You think this can hold me? I’ll end your meaningless existence. Even if you somehow manage to beat me, I’ll do anything to gain power, and with chrysalis, I have the means to do so, Demitallis. Your days are numbered, you hear me?”

Demi - “Why? Why do you do this? Was the wish even real?!”

Ling - “I understand now, that I can’t capture you, Demitallis… And when I’m finished, as punishment, I’ll kill everyone you love…”

The orb dents, and I crush it, flattening it into a saucer- I stare at it for a moment as the mana-line goes silent… I internally scream as I tear open the orb, finding naught but dust left inside… “Hey, are you- Oh my god…” Vilstrous says, as he walks up and I push it out of my body…

“I think he’s dead…” I say, as he places his hand in what was Ling, watching as the dust falls past his fingers… “Yeah. He must have been a dungeon core… Demitallis… You’re a murderer…” He says, gathering it up with his shadows and placing it into an orb.

He stands up and looks around for me, but I’ve already run away… I cannot put into words this feeling. Of taking another life, something I decided I would never do… I jump through the forest as fast as I can, deciding I can’t be around anyone right now, lest I lose control again…

I don’t know what came over me, I never wanted to hurt anyone… I saw a dent form, and I… I… I couldn’t bring myself to deal with it then, and I can’t deal with it now… “Demitallis, is that you-” I fire a bearing shot, but it’s caught out of mid air-

It’s Eizodine… Why’s he here? “My friend, why are you attacking me? I was looking for Solstice, he went missing, you see.” He says, a worried look on his face, as I realize what Ling did- “I don’t know… I think my brother knows… Please, just leave me alone…” I say, as he walks up to me-

“Tell me what happened.” He says, as he rests his hand on my surface… “Please, Eizo, I lost control… I don’t want to hurt you too…” I say, but he shakes his head, and sits down. “You have nothing to fear, my friend.” He says…

“You must never give in to your regret, lest you risk losing the greatest part of yourself.” He continues, and I let go of the rest of my mass, deciding to listen to him… “Eizo, I killed someone… It wasn’t supposed to be like this…” I say, as he sits down and nods…

“My friend, never tell yourself that again. We do not command the winds of fate, neither do the gods.” He says, surprising me. “What do you mean?” I ask, as he finishes preparing his tea-set. “We are the children of Orion, the endless journey, forever seeking adventure.” He says, as he blows away the grass with fire, and uses a stick to draw in the dirt.

“It is the world that is at fault, Demitallis. If you weren’t meant to take a life, I know you never would have.” He says, as he draws the planet, and a spiral around it, with people sitting around that. “It is a sad fate, but it is ours to bear.” He sheds a solemn tear…

He looks at me. “Demitallis… You may someday come to end the lives of thousands. Understand that this world will never give you a chance to decide who lives and who dies. Build the world you wish to live in.” He continues as, he finishes his tea, and hands me a cup.

“Don’t drink it. I was working on something for you.” He says, surprising me. “I knew you couldn’t enjoy the taste of my tea, so I’ve created a spell that will give you taste. Would you like to know?” He asks, smiling as I stare, awestruck…

For a minute, I tell him about my telepathy, and we link up, before he finally gives me the skill, and taste finally returns to me… “Thank you, Eizo.” I say, as I drink some more, feeling the sweet and sour, earthy textures I hadn’t known for almost five months…

“I love food so much…” I cry a little- “Hahaha. Would you like more then, my friend?” He asks, and I try to sort of nod. “As long as your heart beats, you will always be vulnerable. But we heal, and we grow stronger.” He says, surprising me again as he hands me more of his nice tea.

“You are the next generation, the world will be yours to inherit, once we have passed… If you can promise to make it a better one, then you’ve done more than enough, for at least me.” He says, placing his hand on his chest as I drink my tea…

“Yeah, I… I think I can, Eizo… Should I… Tell the others?” I ask, and he shakes his head. “Definitely not. Not yet, at least. They’re too young as of this moment, so they won’t understand.” He says, surprising me, before thinking to himself for a moment-

“Have you heard of reincarnation?” He asks, surprising me- “Oh- Um… NO?...” I lie, and he raises an eyebrow, before giving me a brief explanation, then moving on. “Some believe that when we die, we are reincarnated. Artificial reincarnation has already been achieved, of course…” He says, and I’m not TOO surprised, I’ve definitely seen CRAZIER things by now.

“But, we lose all our memories, and become someone new. It is known as the Journey Contingent. Meaning our journeys will never truly be over.” He explains, drawing a little more as he sits there… “Huh… So you think he’ll move on?” I ask, and he nods.

He looks at me and smiles. “Yes. I know it’s not much, but I hope you feel at least a little better. Now. I believe you are ready to heal. Never give in, face every challenge with that big brave soul of yours, and you will find out what a gift it is that we get to be who we are.” He says, and I can’t help but crawl up to him, and let him hold me…

“Truly, you are no monster, but instead a gift.” He says, embracing me in his arms, as I come to realize who I truly wish to be. “And so are you, Eizo… So are you…” I say, as he sets me down, and we finally depart. “Oh, I think I know where your friend is! He’ll be okay!” I call out to him, and he thanks me.

I return to find Zumo stamping his foot on the ground quickly and repeatedly, while Vilstrous stares at him- “I’m back! Vilstrous, we have to go help those people!” I call out, surprising them. “See?! I told you she would be back! Zumo’s been super impatient.” He says, as I arrive.

He envelops all three of us in a huge shadow, teleporting us to a large cave, where I find that Steriya has already broken multiple people out… “Oh.” Vilstrous says, as everyone looks over, and glares at Zumo, who proceeds to scrunch down, and try to hide himself…

“Zumo!... I will TERMINATE you!...” Vultrym slowly says, as her power charges the particles around her, multiple patches of skin having already been burned through… “I’m sorry! I only wanted what was best for my friends…” He said, covering his head as everyone stared at him…

“He’s dead, guys. Ling is dead.” Vilstrous says, showing them the bowl with the dust… “Holy shit… Who did it?...” Alton asks, as he crawls up, and Vilstrous gives him the bowl. “Thanks… I’ll uh… Have memories about it.” He says, staring at it weirdly.

“I don’t know… Who killed him…” Vilstrous says, and I crawl up to him- “Eh, alright. I’ll have to figure it out on my own.” He says, quickly turning around and causing some of the dust to fall out- One of them lands on top of me, and I can feel recovery and anamnesis kick in-

-√Z-

I jolt awake and look around- Breathing heavily as I feel for my arms and legs… They’re there… I’m alive… I chuckle to myself- I’m truly alive… “I did it! I’m alive!” I cheer, throwing my fists into the air, as I look down to see the pond I was lying in…

It’s barely a few inches deep, this almost lake-size pond is that deep all around. Surrounding it is a beautiful forest, with flowers and woodland creatures walking around. I spot a deer, and it looks at me- And I suddenly feel feathers on my back flutter from the breeze-

I have wings- I grab one, looking at it, questioning where it came from! “Is anyone out there?! Where am I?! Why do I have WINGS?!” I ask, as I walk around, and stop in front of the deer. “H-Hello, friend…” I say, rubbing its little head.

“I don’t suppose you might know the way to civilization.” I say, fully well knowing animals can’t talk- She bites my shirt just as I begin to walk away… “Oh-” I say, as it begins tugging, making me follow. “Okay. I hear you.” I say, chuckling, before we wander into the forest.

After a moment, I suddenly stop, and spot a weird creature… It’s like a cat with stubby legs, and a porcupine body… This is the cutest thing I’ve ever fucking seen- I kneel down and reach for it, hearing some dirt hit a tree, surprising me, as I look down at my shoe, to realize I accidentally kicked up some dirt…

“Oh, I guess I don’t know my own strength…” I say, as the little creature allows me to pet it- Oh god this is the greatest day of my life- I pick it up, and feel its spines, they’re razor sharp, and it loves being pet under its little chin! I kneel down, and place it back on the ground, so it may return to its family.

“Alright, let’s move on.” I say, to nobody in particular, as we move on, birds flocking over me, little butterflies peacefully flying around… “Man, I should come up with a name for you, deer buddy.” I say, looking at her again, as she looks at me.

“What about… Stephanie?” I ask, and she surprisingly shakes her head… “Yeah, I’ll call you Stephanie…” I say, and she redirects herself and accidentally bumps into a tree- “You’re so silly.” I say, and we continue as we were.

We finally arrive at a small town, and I notice a window, allowing me to look… at… myself… Who am I?... My face is totally different, I don’t have any moles, my scars are gone, my skin is IMMACULATE… I’m so pretty…

A woman steps in front of the window, and looks at me… She’s amazing… “Why are you… Staring at me?” She asks, surprising me, as I realize how much time has passed… “O-Oh! Sorry! I didn’t mean to. Can we talk?” I ask, and she looks away, then at me and nods, before heading off.

I walk a little and take a left, and there she is! Right where I figured the door is! “So who are you?” She asks. “Oliver. It’s nice to meet you.” I say, but she’s genuinely surprised for some reason… “Is that a nickname? What kind of name is that? Where ya’ from?” She asks, and I kind of shrug.

“I don’t know. My name’s Oliver Alexander Smith. What’s wrong with that?” I ask, surprising her again. “Wow. A middle name too… You must be strong, sir!” She says, leaving me so confused… “What kind of dragon did you impress?” She asks, as she guides Steph and I over to a fountain…

“I… Oh… Uh… What’s your name?” I suddenly remember to ask- “Colvarasantra Varvanthius. You can call me Colv, though.” She says, yet her name is SO much weirder than mine! “What kind of name is THAT?” I ask, much too similar to how she did, as I fold my arms.

We finally sat down at the fountain- “A normal one. It means: `covenant of the stars’.” She explains, and I only now realize I might not be on earth… “What’s… The name of the planet?” I ask… “Did your mother never tell you? It’s Orion, of course. Just look.” She says, guiding my eyes to the sky-

A colossal gray ring swoops overhead, shocking me entirely, making me lose my balance for a minute- “W-What is that…” I ask, as I fall on my ass… “Just Orion’s ring, it was created by Liyoxis himself.” She says, as it descends over the horizon, and I turn around to see the other end rise again…

“How big is it?...” I ask, making her chuckle- “Last time I checked, I heard it’s about twice the diameter of Orion. Then there’s the moon, and our star, which makes up our small solar system.” She says, after drawing circles and stuff on the ground, with a metal rod she just randomly had…

“Do you normally just carry a metal rod around?” I ask, making her giggle. “No, I just made it.” She says, before one just grows right out of her hand… “What?... This is amazing- How are you doing this?!” I ask, awestruck as she leans away, and lets me hold it…

“Do you not know about magic?” She asks, and my eyes widen… “Oh… D-Do I… Have magic?” I ask, and she nods… “Y-Yeah… Of course… Why wouldn’t you?...” She asks, and I look at my hands, then try to push out some iron- “It’s not working…” I say, and her eyes suddenly glow-

“No, you have mana. Here, wait-” She says, placing a purply-psychedelic orb in my hand… “It’s mana at the consistency of glass. You can manipulate it.” She says, as I rub my hand on its hard, yet soft surface, before she pushes it inwards like its playdough!

“Go ahead, you try.” She says, and so I do, morphing and forming it! “This is incredible! What else can it do?!” I ask, and she thinks to herself about something to demonstrate- “Actually… Could you tell me a little more about yourself?” She asks, a little disappointingly…

“Like… Where ya’ from?” She asks. “Australia.” I answer. “Oh, I’ve never heard of that one. Where is it?” She asks. “It’s… Um… Far away.” I also answer. “Oh! Which Ancient? Pangea, or Pandora?” She asks, ANOTHER thing I blank on… “What?” I ask, and she giggles after slapping her head.

“The Ancients are the giants that make up our landmass, Oliver. Don’t you know ANYTHING?” She asks, as she draws multiple shapes on the circle, reminding me of the weird moons I noticed. “Is that a moon?” I ask, and she nods.

“Yeah. These two are Yin and Yang, and this one… Nobody’s really come to name it. Ever since the Endless Odyssey fell into its atmosphere, nobody has dared to name it. It’s just… The Moon.” She finishes, as I sit here and stare at our little diagram of celestial bodies.

“Man, you really DO know nothing… By the way, are you a demihuman?” She asks, surprising me again, as I unfold my wings. “Oh…” I chuckle, and she folds arms with a disappointed look on her face. “I don’t know…” I grin, shrugging as I fold my arms and she rolls her eyes…

“If you don’t know THAT, you MUST have lost all your memories or something. Come on, we’ll get you a genetic test, then memory recovery.” She says, grabbing my hand, but I point at Steph- “What about Stephanie?” I ask, and she looks at the deer.

“Hey! I’m getting him looked at for brain problems! You wanna’ come with?!” She asks, and Stephanie perks up, walking over in response. “Oh… She’s very responsive.” I say, and Colvara looks at me. “Yeah, she probably learned at some point. Come on.” She says, pulling me as this world confuses me more and more…

-√Z2-

We bolt through the portal, and bullets fly through before I manage to slam it shut! “We did it! We fucking did it, Slade!!!” I scream, landing on my knees! “Hell yeah, Ling. Ya’ got any plans after this?” He asks, and I look at him again, then fold my arms.

“Well… I finished my pact-master training.” I say, and he gives me a fist-bump. “Nice. I’m proud of you, man.” He says, making me smile a little… “Yeah… Thanks… Sadly though… I don’t exactly HAVE a reputation…” I say, as we sit here.

“I was thinking about a nice friendly tournament. Maybe racing? With my power, I’ll be able to find TONS of mutants with powers! People would FLOCK to see that! And it could get awareness out there!” I say, surprising him.

“And you’re sure that’ll work?” He asks, and I quickly nod, pumping my fists! “Yeah! We’re gonna’ change the WHOLE world, Slade! And it all starts with you and me.” I say, hugging him with my left arm, and slowly gliding my arm in the air.

“Sounds good. I’ll help you moderate it.” He says, making me laugh. “Man, you can be an administrator! I’d be honored.” I say, and he nods. “Come on, let’s go find Fullbrim.” He says, and I look towards Fullbrim’s power, and open a portal.

“Flower day, and all that stuff. He wanted help catching a droplet.” He says, as we head through, and arrive at the Basilisk Plateau. “Ling! Slade, you did it! I just KNEW you could!” Horonva called out the moment she noticed us.

Fullbrim and Bill run over, followed by Alton and Foozy, all off my friends running over to greet me… “Long time, no see, Ling. I’m glad you’re back.” Fullbrim says, as he walks up to shake my hand, with that disheveled look he’s always had…

I of course harden my hand, happy to accept a shake from him. That’s just how he likes to dress, but he’s clean. “Yeah, it’s good to BE back. I was in there for WAY too long. They put me on life-support under an ichor conversion field.” I say, and they shake their heads.

“Yeah, that’s horrible.” Foozy says, walking up to hug me… “Hey guys, any moment now!...” Fullbrim calls out, as we look to the sky, watching that beautiful old ring swoop by, as we wait for the titans to bring us the new year.

“Alright, Slade! Just tell us where it’ll land!” Fullbrim calls out, as we all stack up around him. Everyone stacks up around him, and we watch as the titans stand up. In case you’re curious, we’re on one of the private islands Olly bought, and gave to Fullbrim a while back.

The titans finally fire their great energy waves, countless and supermassive bullets falling from sky like rain drops as Slade stares at them with an intense precision. “Follow me!” He shouts, running backwards at high speed, multiple times faster than all of us, as we run at full speed…

“WHY IS HE SO FAST?!” Foozy screams, making the others laugh, as we arrive at the location, and spread out and hold our hands up to absorb the bullet… If we’re too off, the garden gets damaged, if we’re not off enough, it could kill us…

And if we’re JUST right… The bullet lands, its terrifying power pouring into my body, another reminder as to why the titans are among the highest of powers… I look around, confirming everyone is okay, as they cheer for another successful gathering…

“Everyone, over here!” Fullbrim calls out, waving as everyone gathers up to give him the mana they gathered. “So… Where’s your dad, Fullbrim?” Horonva asks, surprising him. “Oh, he’s out gathering a few more, so I’ll be able to make multiple flowers.” Fullbrim answers, and she nods.

“Fair enough. What’cha gonna’ name this one?” She asks, and he folds his arms as the mana glows under his skin… “How about Valvolla?” He asks, and she leans on her right hip, placing her chin in her fingers-

“Ling, you owe me one now, you know.” Slade says, surprising me. “Right, yeah. Of course.” I answer, turning around to look at him. “I know, Slade. Anything.” I say, as I look around. “Just making sure.” He says, before walking away.

The Basilisk Plateau is covered in gardens with giant powerful flowers. They’re made from little seeds of a special carnation- “Ling, it’s so good to see you…” Jagganstra says, on cue with exactly what I was just talking about. “Yes, you too, my friend.” I say, turning around to wave at her from behind her little fence.

The gardens are surrounded by small metal fences that help regulate the controlled biome. They’re decorative, but have micro-biomes of their own that fuel their shields. They’re not too different from the ichor-fields, so they make me a little nervous…

Still, there’s all kinds of different artificial biomes within the bounds of the fences for other such plants. I'm in the section with the little-carnations. “How was prison?...” She asks, as she leans towards me, making me chuckle.

“All things considered?... I think I’m just glad to be with my friends…” I say, sharing a hug with her…

-√Z-

We find ourselves in a corner room of a medical facility, beds with buttons situated between what looks to be glass walls, either that or magical force-field-walls of some kind.

“Alright, we’ve got your results, AND~It’s out of my hands…” The doctor says, as a portal opens up behind him- “Thank you, Doctor Sour, please take the day off.” Says a tall man with a large jacket, fishy-pale-skin and bulbous hair-like features growing from his head…

His eyes are narrow, they’re black with deep orange pupils, while his skin is translucent and decorated with many colors… “O-Of course, Liyoxisloragram himself… It’s… It’s an honor…” He says, bowing before waddling out of the room backwards… “He looked impressed.” I say, making Liyoxis chuckles.

“Yeah…” He sighs. “L-L-Liyoxis HIMSELF? But WHY?” Colvara asks, as though she shouldn’t somehow believe he doesn’t exist, or something… “Please, miss. Forgive him, he really knows NOTHING. And you won’t find a real genetic match anywhere. I just needed you two alone for a minute.” He says, and she backs into a defensive stance with her hands and arms in a weird posture…

“What are you?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “That doesn’t matter, and kiddo, if you’re watching.” He says, looking directly at me for some reason, making me a little nervous… “We’re on the same side, nothing will ever change that.” He says, and I scootch away…

“E-Excuse me?” Colvara rightfully asks, and I point at her in agreement- “Sorry. Right. Oliver, right?” He asks, and I nod. “Good. I need to speak with you two. You’re very important to my plans.” He says, surprising me, while Colvara just rushes to the front, steam bursting from her nose with excitement for whatever this guy could offer…

“What’s it supposed to matter to me?” I ask, and he laughs again. “Man. You have no idea how good it is to hear that…” He says, wiping a tear from his eye, as Colvara glares at me- “WHAT? ARE? YOU? DOING?” She asks, moving closer with every word…

“What makes HIM so special?” I ask, and she blasts the roof clean off- “Woah! That’s incredible!” I say, as I look up at the giant ring she was pointing at, and it clicks- “Oh yeah, you’re Liyoxis, the guy who made that thing up there, right?” I ask. “Yup.” He nods.

“He is a WORLD POWER, Oliver!!!” She screams, as Liyoxis laughs while the ceilings and walls repair themselves. “Courtesy of Utopia-Brand Nanotech.” He says, watching as it finishes. “Nanotech? Like microscopic machines?” Well NOW I’m impressed!

“Yeah, about a third the size of a human cell.” He says, and the floor cracks below Colvara- “Right, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He says, stopping from himself laughing again. “Right, Oliver, you’re going to live for a long time.” He says, placing his hand on my shoulder…

“Oh yeah?... HOW long?...” I ask, and his eyes dart around- “Most likely seven thousand years.” He says, and my hair stands on end- “What?! How?!” I ask, standing up. “You’re a denizen of Orion now, Oliver.” He says, as he takes a step back.

“Dude, the average lifespan is two thousand. How is this hard to understand?” Colvara asks, as it finally dawns on me what kind of world I’m in… “Colvara, try to understand his perspective. Our world is almost ALIEN to him.” He says, and I can only assume she finally understands…

“So he’s REALLY not from our world? He said he was from this place called Australia.” She says, and Liyoxis nods. “Yeah, that place doesn’t exist here…” He says, surprising us. “Oh… I guess, neither does… anything else…” I say, and he gives me a simple nod.

“Yes, sadly that is correct.” He answers, walking over and sitting in a chair. “How long will I live?” Colvara asks, and he looks at her- “Around as long as him. Don’t worry though, you’ll only spend three percent of that with him.” He says, annoying me as she sighs.

“Thank goodness.” She says, relieved she doesn’t have to spend more than two hundred and ten years of her life with me… “So what is that, eight hundred or so years?” She asked. “Two hundred ten.” I answered, surprising her.

“That checks out.” Liyoxis agrees. “Wow, you’re pretty good at math.” And Liyoxis and I nod. “Yeah, I’m a mathematician.” I tell her, but she waves her hand at me- “Sure, whatever. Liyoxis, you said I was important?” She asks, and he pulls out a trinket from his coat.

“Right. If you ever feel powerless, just pull this out. It’ll protect you.” It’s a round locket with a circle and a spiral etched into it. “What’s it do? Eat stuff?” I ask, as he hands us both a locket. “Awaken.” He says, and it snaps open, revealing a weird hole inside-

I hold it, and push my finger into it, watching as it slides into the open space… I quickly pull it back out because my brain doesn’t like that so much. “Yeah, it’s a portal. If you like, I could even show you how to make your own.” He says, as it closes itself and a little pupil looks around.

“Is this thing alive?” I ask, looking down at the thing I have hanging from my neck… “No, it’s just the eye. If it notices something that meets its personal criteria, it’ll open up.” He says, and I decide to just assume it’s safe, since Colvara seems to also be assuming it’s safe.

“Oliver, you’re not ready JUST yet, but I’ll be in need of your skills some day. As for you, Colvarasantra… Orion hinges on his survival. Protect him.” Liyoxis says, leaning in to stare her in the eyes, making her and I a little nervous…

“Do you understand?” He asks, and she nods slowly. “Good!” He replies- “Now. If you ever need my help, just look at Hermes's Ring, and it’ll try to deal with the situation.” He says, not exactly confirming that it CAN deal with the situation…

“So what? Is she going to protect me for two hundred years?” I ask, folding my arms. “No, unless things change, of course. But you should try and enjoy the time you have with her either way.” He says, and I roll my eyes.

“Yeah, alright. So… The ring up there is Hermes’s Ring?” I ask, and he confirms it again. “How powerful IS that thing anyways? I was always curious.” Colvara asks, and he looks at it. “I’d be here all day, but the short answer is: It could core-crack the planet, if it wanted.” He says, and Colvara’s eyes widen again, for some reason.

“Is that bad?” I ask, having no sense of scaling for this world. “Yes, that is VERY bad! He could wipe out every military power on the planet in one shot!” She says, but he shakes his head. “No, they would destroy it before-hand. I may be a world power, but the other eleven wouldn’t just LET me destroy Orion.” he says, and she folds her arms.

“Fair enough.” She says. “The other eleven?” I ask, and he snaps his fingers. “Of course, I’m just one of thirteen global powers who rule over our own countries. First, there is Sapien-Supreme, who rules over space.” He begins, showing me a golden figure of impossible body standards…

“Then there’s Demitrivan of Time, My wife and I, who rule over mind, then the Gate of Hearts.” He continues, showing me a short girl with four arms, a cute picture of him and his even weirder looking wife, and some weird gate with an eye on top of it.

“Next is The Owl of Light and Oblivion of the void. Then Helvetica of Doom, and Serif of Life.” He continues, showing us the respective powers. “After that, we have Eve of Hope, and the beast king himself, who rules over rage.” He says, as I raise an eyebrow.

“And finally, the last two are Liberty of Breath, and Unity of Blood.” He finally finishes… “Which of you guys are the strongest?” I ask, and he chuckles. “Easily the beast king. If you’re talking about power output. But if you’re talking about true power, then it would be me.” He says, gesturing to himself.

“What? Is your power the best?” I ask, and he looks away. “No, not really. It certainly has the heaviest cost, if anything. I have to admit, it would probably be Oblivion, if it wasn’t me.” He says, folding his arm, as he considers stuff…

“Is there anything else I should know?” I ask, and he stands up. “I would advise avoiding the world councils, their combined power makes them the most powerful organization on the planet.” He says, yet I can’t help but notice my lack of perspective…

And yet on cue to fix that problem, Colvara cuts in- “There are untold trillions on Orion, Oliver. We are drops of water in the ocean, I guess you might even say our lives are…” She begins to say- “Please don’t say that. I’ve witnessed the journeys of countless generations.” Liyoxis says, and she looks down.

“What makes mine special?” She asks, folding her arms. “Nothing.” Liyoxis says- “Nothing I ever do will be special. Everything I have ever built will someday fade, and I will cease to exist for good. Forgotten to eternity… Don’t let ‘special’ weigh you down.” He says, surprising us.

“You will never be happy, if you don’t accept who you are, and take the life you were given to make something incredible.” He says, and she looks away and sighs. “Yeah, I guess you’ve got a point.” She says, as she lies against one of the translucent walls behind her.

“Right, one last thing. Currently, Orion is going through a global disaster. Puddle Kids have been wiping out all life. Now, we’re turning it around, but Sapien still doesn’t want to help. Just be careful.” He says, and I nod alongside Colvara.

“Thank you for everything, sir.” Colvara says, holding her hands together as she stands up. “Of course. I mean it. You’re both very important for my plans, and for the world.” He says, and I can’t say I’m all too thrilled to hear it like that.

“Well I~ am absolutely HONORED.” Colvara says, bowing before him… “Jeez… I bet you’d throw yourself off a cliff for him.” I say, folding my arms. “I wouldn’t hesitate!” She says with a light chuff. “I’m sorry everyone’s this way…” Liyoxis says as he rubs his head.

“They don’t realize we’re not actually any more special than they are.” He continues, as Colvara just awkwardly stares. “No really, if you manage to survive the brutal trials, you could ascend even beyond the world powers… But then you would be MY target. And THAT is why it’s impossible.” He says, as we lean away…

He claps his hands. “But you’re both smart enough to not make me kill you~! Besides, if it’s not me, it’s most likely Unity. When I say it’s impossible, I mean it.” He brightly says, before leisurely sitting back again, and waving the thought away…

“So yeah, with that in mind…” He begins, as he stands up… “Come visit me in Utopia some time! G’bye!” He says, laughing as he falls through a portal, and we rush over to see where he went, only for it to close before we can get a look- “And like that, he’s gone…” Colvara says.

“One of the most powerful people on the planet, just inserted himself into my life… Man…” She continues as she lies down again... “I think that went pretty well, if he’s so cool.” I say, but she kind of just shrugs. “Yeah, I guess… So… You got anything you like to do?” She asks, and I clap my hands together in excitement!

“I’m glad you asked! For I am an architect!” I say, surprising her. “Really? You had that in your, uh, world?” She asks, and I nod. “Yeah, it’s not too different from here. That reminds me, do we have translation tech? Or should I hire a translator?” I ask, confusing her again.

“No… What do you mean? Do you have more than one language?” She asks, and I nod. “Yeah, thousands.” I say, and her eyes widen in awe. “That’s crazy… We only have one language. How can your world get away with more than one language?” She asks, and I stand up.

“Why wouldn’t it? Civilizations across the globe had developed languages over thousands of years.” I told her. “But, wouldn’t they… Be hunted… By the… Oh…” She says, as realization comes to her… “That’s not normal… Is it?” She asks after standing up.

“Oliver, we’re not ALLOWED to develop other languages… We’ll be killed by the butterflies.” She says, confusing me- “Butterflies?” I ask- “Chromatic Phantom Lacewings. They can erase anything.” She says, and I rub my head-

“Jeez…” I say. “I’ve had enough, let’s go.” I say, and she stands up. “So… I guess it’s a whole other universe, huh? Did you have restaurants?” She asks, and I nod. “Yeah, of course. Lots.” I say, as she leans closer- “Oh, and what magic did they use?” She asks, and I shake my head.

“None. Magic isn’t real in any capacity where I come from.” I say, making her stop and stare… “Like… At ALL? Zero?” She asks, and I nod, as we arrive at and descend the stairs, not a single bystander in sight to overhear our conversation.

“How does that even WORK?” She asks, confusing me again. “Life finds a way?” I tell her, shrugging as we arrive at the bottom. “Well, to start with, the only creatures as intelligent as we are, were humans.” I start with, and her jaw drops.

“Really? How do they survive without basic reasoning?” She asks, as we arrive at the door. “As I said, only humans. Elephants, dolphins, and apes were KIND of smart, but they could barely even comprehend language.” I answer, as we walk through the front yard.

“We couldn’t survive long without food, water, and even oxygen.” I continue, as she folds her arms. “That’s so weird. Anything on Orion can just consume its own mana to survive. We only eat to grow larger.” She says, making me stop in place-

“Wait, you people live in abstract luxury, compared to where I come from…” I say, as I stare her in the eyes. “Yeah, I guess… Well, come on, I should show you what life on Orion is all about.” She says, taking my hand and pulling me forward past the gates.

End of Chapter: 50√AZ2 “Oxenfree.”

Thank you for reading.

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