Takshaka. It was a beautiful name. Daiden connected with it. He noticed the blade reverberate in his arm; it spoke to him with passion. In many ways, the sword showed signs of deterioration; Daiden admired it, nonetheless. He knew what it meant in that instant, to form a bond, albeit with an inanimate object. His heart raced with thoughts of the future, with the idea of his growth. But as his smile widened, he heard a scream – it curdled his blood. His eyes shifted to the Soul Doll; it vented in frustration, in rage.

Daiden realized it then, the purpose of his Soul Doll. It represented his existence, more than his potential for growth. Pettiness, envy, anger, and pain – Daiden had experienced each of these emotions and more in his time injured and crippled. He resented the concept of health, the accomplishments of others; he cheered when once friends stumbled onto roadblocks, or worse – when they fell prey to injury. His eyes trembled in memory of his recent past; he bowed in shame.

“I was a hateful person, wasn’t I?” thought Daiden, with a sullen smile on his face. He looked at his Soul Doll and then apologized once more. “You’ve shown me my weakness every step of this test. I want to know how much further I can reach with my awakening; I’m ashamed to depend on you, but I must. I simply cannot fail here.”

Daiden returned to a posture suited for combat; it was different this time. He followed the intent of his sword, Takshaka, and moved with an aura of calm. His body swelled with restless energy. He noticed it then, his power, his strength. His feet shifted with eagerness, and the Soul Doll followed. Daiden relaxed his shoulders at the sight of his adversary; out of habit, he tilted his head in amusement.

“It looks weaker somehow,” thought Daiden. “Now to prove it, my worth.”

With a light step, Daiden rushed for an offensive. The world slowed to his pace, and his body danced with elegance. His balanced footwork evaded several attacks – some diagonal, some arcing at unpredictable trajectories, and some hardened with fundamentals. It didn’t matter. Daiden, with each step, felt his speed improve, and his strength along with it. Takshaka urged for more; it encouraged its owner to aim for the heavens. Daiden responded with loyalty. He moved faster still, drenching in sweat, and leapt into the air with the moon behind him. His body immersed fully in the moonlight, and for a moment, dispersed into invisibility, leaving nothing more than a streak of green.

The Soul Doll shuddered at the sight of its disappearing opponent, but screamed once more when it felt something different and unique – fear. Its anger diminished when the first slash cut away at its waist; the aeter leaked with violence, and the expressionless Soul Doll trembled. It shook with weakness when the second attack, a stab, pierced its chest; the aeter-made container exploded at this point. The doll heard it then, a voice that calmed its fading, brief existence.

“I have to keep a promise,” whispered Daiden, when in proximity with the Soul Doll. “But don’t worry about today. I’ll take you with me. We’ll become stronger, together. So, please…”

The Soul Doll yelled in rejection; it refused to hear the end of Daiden’s sentence. But when the third attack thundered and tore away at what was left, the doll meekly succumbed to its end.

“As I was saying,” continued Daiden, breathing haggard with exhaustion. “Just shut up and become a part of me.”

Daiden sat as the adrenalin wore from his body. His legs collapsed from the weight, and his grip loosened around the hilt of his sword. In that instant, the escaped aeter reached out to him in acknowledgement. It blanketed his body and fully assimilated with him, completing the process of his awakening. Daiden watched his wounds heal with a tired expression, but managed a smile, when noticing even the scars disappear. He felt his face, around the jaws, and smiled wider at the touch of unblemished skin. It was over.

“What did you think, old man?” asked Daiden, slowly. “Did I pass the stupid test?”

It flashed for but a moment, something brief, almost unbelievable even. Daiden missed it, with his head turned the other way. But it was approval. Aelius, he smiled in appreciation of the battle, more so its conclusion.

***

Ehedus laughed at the result of his selection. He leaned into his all-seeing mirror and smirked at the pieces in play, they amused him. Unsurprisingly, Aelius impressed with his sharp insight, while Daiden offered a measure of unpredictability. As a god, he enjoyed the concept of variables. But in time, his expression hardened, at the sight of what appeared to be an hourglass. He frowned at the falling sand.

“I enjoy this game, but we appear to be running out of time,” mused Ehedus. “All this power, and we’re shackled to exist as little more than mere spectators. But I refuse relegation. Oh, no. I’ll find a way to bend, twist, and struggle. Let’s make this last game interesting, shall we?”

Ehedus paused, and then retreated to his throne in remembrance of a promise. He reached to a book and whispered a chant; upon completion, the pages turned to ash and the flame dispersed to merge with the light. The dust flowed with the winds that followed, entering the Earthen Realm through minor breaches and rifts. It touched India first, and then the United Kingdom. Slowly, it moved to parts of Japan, Australia, and Canada. When the dust settled, the magic accelerated towards completion.

It started with newspapers, with the erasure of past accomplishments. Articles on the internet distorted to omit a singular name. With people, it started with headaches – spots in memories that made little sense.

A furious Channel Director calmed, in bewilderment, unsure as to the reason behind his rage against a young executive. An upset father lightened, in puzzlement of the burdens that weighed on him. And a mother cried, unbeknownst as to why she felt a sudden sadness, at the loss of something unknown.

“There you go, Daiden Lost,” whispered Ehedus, with a nod. “I’ve kept my end of the bargain.”