Chương 3: D -0 of the Apocalypse

The northern part of Greenford was reserved for two towering structures. Regardless of how the price of real estate fluctuated, none dared to lay their hands on this area. The two structures standing opposite of one another were the pillars of mankind. On one side was a mage tower made from Ether conductive wood. This was the place that acted as a gathering base for magi and wandering warlocks. At this moment, Kayzen had arrived at an area opposite of the Mage tower.

In front of him was a marble shrine that stood 77 feet tall. Seven smaller steles surrounded it from all sides with equal distances. The land was bare except for fountains and praying mats, without a doubt the calmest place in Greenford. Kayzen's arrival was sure to change that.

"Please call Eikon Dullar. I have urgent business."

"Fret not, sir. How may I assist you?" A young man looked at Kayzen with a righteous smile. This wasn't the first time this was happening. He assumed he was greeting another man flustered by rumors and celestial phenomena. Kayzen shook his head at the man wearing blue robes and handed him a talisman. However, the latter just looked at him with a tilted head.

"Ah…my apologies, sir, he has a lot to learn." Just in time, another older man came over and pushed the youth's head down. They weren't bowing at Kayzen, but at the talisman in his hand that showed a man pointing his sword at the skies. The whole talisman was ash gray except for the sword and the man's hair which were glowing saffron. This was the sign of bloodline resonance.

"No need for formalities. Take me to Ms. Dullar." Kayzen bowed in return and urged them again. Jeph was surprised by the whole encounter, yet he understood now wasn't the time for idle chatter.

"Right away," the older man sensed the seriousness and led them right towards the forefront of the shrine. Even the templars at the capital wouldn't let those of the Ashbourne family wait, much less their pea-sized Greenford. After a short walk they arrived at a mat where a middle-aged woman was sitting in a meditative position. The man whispered a few things to her, and she immediately walked over to Kayzen.

"Nir protect us, what has brought Keb's guardian to this town?"

"I've been living here for two years, but that's besides the point." For a moment the woman was flustered, but soon, her face became solemn as Kayzen recounted his experiences. If it was anyone else then she might've shooed them away since there was no way that she, who was always guarding the town's barrier, was unaware of a fiend class creature. In the water no less.

"I shall inform the other branches right away," Ms. Dullar was a woman of action as well. Right after Kayzen finished his account she went to one of the smaller steles and placed her hand on it. The fountains, the dew, and even the moisture in the atmosphere moved and converged on the stele, creating a large ring of water that swirled and swayed around her. Kayzen kept his eyes on Ms. Dullar and spoke to Jeph who was standing quietly at the side, "This is the power of an Eikon.

In essence they can borrow the powers from the seven and manifest the image they have in their mind." Ms. Dullar raised her hands and all of the water seeped into the stele, making the stone glow with an azure halo.

"O mother Nir, please warn thy children of tumultuous tides!" The halo turned into streams of mist and shot off in all directions. While short range communicators existed, this was the most common way of sharing warnings in Erde. Especially if the sender was from a small place like Greenford. By borrowing the power of Ether, those from the sage towers or main shrines could even broadcast live video feed on the synapse network. But such a thing was only possible from their end.

Right now, the best an Eikon could do was send a non-specific warning to nearby cities and towns.

"... I'm getting old," Ms. Dullar sighed and sat down on a nearby mat to recover. A single warning had depleted her mental strength. Kayzen bowed to her in response and walked to another stele, one that was embedded with red gemstones. He wasn't an Eikon, but he did have his means of communication. He took a deep breath and pressed his hand forward. A large fire erupted as soon as the talisman touched the stele. The vegetation nearby was already stripped of moisture, and now, they were all turned to cinders.

It was a fitting display for an Ashbourne. Despite the fiery display, Kayzen was unable to do anything else. He placed the talisman in his pocket and stepped back. As a mortal who was unable to use Ether, the best he could do was send a weak signal to his home. As for whether they heard it or not, it was up to Keb'akaran.

'Still, it's not like I'm completely helpless.' Kayzen told Jeph to deliver the supplies to his lab and come back, while he walked towards the opposite mage tower. His greatest strength right now were the glittering gold coins in his pocket. … D-0 of the Apocalypse By the time Kayzen returned to the central square, the town's clock had already rung twelve times. What did he do for the greater half of the day and why was he here and not at home? The answer to those questions lay at what happened at the mage tower.

He had gone there to buy a ward to protect the lab and borrow an Ether crystal. It went without a hitch with the funds he had. Afterwards, he browsed through the vast library to look for information on centipedes and their documented evolution. The history of Erde was deep, and since no one was stupid enough to burn their heritage, mankind had accumulated a vast wealth of knowledge. It took him hours before he managed to find all the information he needed to conduct an experiment on the evolved centipede.

The problem was time; streets were empty by the time the carriage rolled over to the central area.

"Sorry for the trouble Jeph, but there's one more thing I want you to do."

"No worries sir, today was a satisfying day. I learned a lot as well." Jeph was just as energetic as he'd been in the morning.

"Haha… that's the spirit. Please inform Mrs. Anna and the old man at home to be vigilant." Jeph nodded and left right away. It would've been impolite to do this on any other day, but things were special today. Despite being midnight most humans of Erde should be awake. The supernova explosion was soon to occur. Which meant that the Ether collider experiment was about to begin in a few short hours. Who would want to miss it? Every empire had declared tomorrow a holiday just for this.

Kayzen walked along the road brimming with the chirping of cicadas. The dewy air mixed with the ozone tang of Ether lamps created a scent unique to this area.

"Hey Bran! Wanna come in for a bite?" He waved at his assistant who was clocking out for the day. Or midnight to be exact.

"Ah, thanks but I'll have to decline. Mom would be waiting," Bran scratched his head awkwardly. One look at his slumped shoulders was enough to tell that the man was exhausted.

"Take care then," Kayzen sent him off at the tower's entrance and climbed the stairs. Both of his hands were occupied by important things. On the left were the Ward and Ether crystal, while on the right were crisp fries and chilled chocolate milkshake. Knowing that Kayzen would be pulling an all-nighter, Bran had already prepared everything before he left. The stairways were cleaned and lit up with Ether chandeliers. The lab also looked as if it was never wrecked by an unnaturally large flying centipede.

Kayzen placed the milkshakes in his personal cold storage and walked towards the dark room. Inside was a bigger cooling unit where the whole carcass of the centipede was dissected and stored in glass containers.

'Looks a lot less threatening now.' He put on his gloves and picked up two jars. One of them contained a pale, swollen sac extracted from the centipede's pincers while the other was filled with its haemolymph. Both of them were highly active parts of the centipede unlike its exoskeleton. Kayzen placed them on the platform and picked up a tray to collect everything else he would need. He was familiar with every nook and cranny of this lab. It took him exactly three minutes to make all the necessary preparations.

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'Time to figure out the truth.' Kayzen was confident that no matter what the cause was behind the mutation, it wouldn't be able to hide from him. The genes never lied. He put on his plague mask and cut a tiny piece of the protruding gland and placed it on a flask. The same process was repeated for the sample containing greenish blood. Then, he used a glass rod to smash the sample into paste and added some salt mixed with distilled water. This was the primary step to break the centipede's cells.

Following that Kayzen picked up a dropper and added the extract of pineapple juice. It was made by the alchemists with the sole purpose of dissolving histone proteins. With this, the DNA was finally liberated. With each step his heartbeat continued to quicken; for he was getting closer and closer to the truth. Unfortunately, the experiment was going to take a while. The next part was crucial since he had to extract the fragile DNA and examine it. Neither of which were simple.

In the next few minutes he placed both of the samples on opposite ends of the centrifuge, and prepared a gel from red seaweed as well. Now, he had a lot of time to spare. The enzymes needed some time to dissolve the proteins. After which he would turn on the centrifuge, wait, add aqua vitae to precipitate the DNA, wait, collect DNA and load it into the prepared gel matrix, wait….. And the list went on. It wasn't for no reason that he had bought a full bag of fries and two milkshakes.

Besides, there was another important thing: The Broadcast! Kayzen slumped down on his chair and powered on the Ether display. The black display flared to life as it connected with the Synapse network. The frequency was already set up, so he was right on time to join the citizens of Erde as the curtains rose. A robust looking bald man appeared on the screen and introduced himself as the host of the program. [Welcome, people of Erde. I am the Avatar of Gaia] Following after him was a rotund man with a huge pot belly, his voice sharp and majestic despite his appearance. [And I am known as the Demiurge of Fallen Skies] Everyone including Kayzen was surprised at the scene. No one had expected these two to act as hosts. Afterall, they were the ones who stood at the pinnacle of this realm. Few had seen their faces, much less heard their voice. But tonight was going to be the night of many firsts… and lasts.

[Today is a monumental day for our civilization. I know many of you have fears regarding this, but let me assure you as the Avatar of Gaia that neither she, nor the other six progenitors are 'mad' at us. So be at ease. As for what this broadcast is about, I believe a Demiurge is more suited to explain that] Kayzen slurped the milkshake as the chubby man took the mic. The Demiurge started talking about 'Ether,' and despite having learned about it hundreds of times it was something that never bored him.

[To those watching, I'm sure you have been using Ether devices one way or other ever since you were born. Such was the case for your grandparents and even their grandparents. All the way to thousands of years ago. Back then, I wasn't fortunate to afford the luxury you have today] Most of those watching were shocked. Not by the content, but by the indirect mention of the Demiurge's age. Only those at high positions knew what it meant to reach that rank. [Are you surprised by my age? Don't be. There are many who are much older than I. While the avatars burn their life to carry out the will of the seven, we are different. This is hardly the time to talk about the paths we walk upon, but there is a reason I mentioned this. Where did all of this begin? What was the origin?] Kayzen turned on the centrifuge and once again focused his gaze on the screen. Those two were sharing more information than he had thought. [Quinta Essentia, children. Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Lightning, Light and Darkness. We were born from the seven, and so was Erde. We age, we decay, we die. But there was one thing that wasn't affected by this transformation. The stars, or as we called it back then, Celestia.] The avatar of Gaia then explained how it caused a lot of conflicts as a group of people believed that there was an element greater than the seven. The thing that allowed the seven to create Erde. Kayzen listened to them explain after pouring aqua vitae on both of the flasks.

They had skimmed past a lot of things, but from the perspective of most people they were learning about Ether for the first time.

'It's no easy feat to cram eons of history in an hour.' How the seven gave visions to seers, how alchemy and warlocks came to rise… all of these were mentioned by the two. Finally, they started to explain today's main agenda: The Ether Collider experiment. Kayzen had no time to listen anymore since white, threadlike things had already floated up on the flasks. He removed all distracting thoughts from his head and added the samples to the prepared gel matrix.

In principle the smaller DNA fragments would descend faster while the large ones would be slower, allowing him to separate and thereby analyze them. But what could he accomplish just by looking at the DNA? It was impossible for the naked eye to distinguish them apart. Even if the lab had the latest Ether infused microscope, the fact wouldn't change since it was beyond human capacity to remember the entire genomic data of a creature.

'This is another example of how Ether is the cornerstone of our civilization.' Kayzen thought so as he powered up a rectangular device with the Ether crystal he had bought. That crystal contained the genomic information of most, if not all arthropods found within the Algasia Empire. Not only could it identify which subspecies the sample originated from, there was also the option to filter out DNA fragments and perform phylogenetic analysis.

The clock tower rang in the background and the broadcast continued, but he remained unaware of it all. At this moment, Kayzen's eyes were getting brighter and brighter with every moment. No matter how many times he cross-checked the results, the conclusion remained the same: There was something abnormal with the DNA.

"Hahahaha…. this changes the very foundation of genetics! I'm not even sure if it's a molecule or an energy signature detected by Ether, but whatever that is, it caused the centipede to mutate." Kayzen leaned back on his chair with a wide grin. The glass windows reflected his swollen eyes and disheveled hair, yet he couldn't be happier. What did it mean for there to be something new in a creature's genome? It meant that there was a whole new world for him to uncover.

The hazy fragments he discovered had redefined the core of biology.

'I wish I could report these findings right away, but unfortunately, the signals have been jammed due to broadcast.' To make an analogy, the signals coming from the site of the Ether collider experiment were like a raging ocean. Whatever he sent back would at most be at the level of a small drizzle. There was no choice but to wait. Besides, Kayzen was also excited about the Ether Collider.

His hypothesis was that the change in genes was caused by the supernova quakes, and if so, then tomorrow would indeed be a new dawn for humanity. Even if the monsters evolved en masse and caused havoc, there would be those who would fight them. The crisis would push mankind to take another step forward. Right on time, a colorful aurora burst across the starry sky. The colors of green, red, and blue interwove and illuminated the realm beneath. [Did you feel that quake just now? That was due to the initiation of the supernova explosion. If you look at the sky then you'll see a magnificent sight] Kayzen didn't even have to go outside since the glass windows were already shining with vibrant colors. [We have seven minutes left before the biggest quake reaches us. That isn't a coincidence either, we have timed it as such to get the blessings from the Progenitors] The one who spoke these words wasn't the Avatar of Gaia, but rather, the Demiurge of Fallen Skies.

His single sentence put an end to most of the rumours. What happened next left no room for anyone to entertain any idle thoughts. The broadcast shifted from the conference style and zoomed out into the bird's-eye view. What appeared on the screen was a wide bone ring constructed on the wasteland. Apart from the hums of the activating machinery there was complete silence. At this moment, there was no need to talk further. Every citizen of Erde knew the gist of the experiment.

For eons they had been unable to use Ether in its purest form. The followers of the shrine 'borrowed' it from the seven via various blessings, while the warlocks used natural resources and monster remains to accomplish their tasks. From the screens that were made up from transparent crystals to the bone ring reinforced by the avatar of Gaia. All were made using the same principle. In the end, Ether was considered the celestial element. It was above everything that existed on Erde.

Even if they purified materials on Erde to the extreme, it was impossible for humans or any other creature to manifest Ether in a tangible form. The chair moved towards the counter from the tremors, yet Kayzen's eyes remained fixed on the ring. Each quake signified the emergence of an Ether tide. Humans were unable to 'hold' onto pure Ether, but what if they made two streams of Ether clash with no room to escape? Theoretically, it would have no choice but to materialize, to be concentrated.

The sole reason why this hadn't been put into practise was due to lack of sufficient Ether flow. But now, things were different. During the supernova explosion Erde was like a raft passing through a stormy ocean of Ether. It was a simple task to 'borrow' two streams from the chaotic tides. [Haah] The Demiurge of Fallen Skies shouted from the center of the ring that spanned kilometres.

The role of Avatar of Gaia was to reinforce the ring, while his task was to make the Ether flow in reverse and make it collide, over and over again. At this moment, everyone realized why this pot bellied man was one of the strongest in this realm. A giant sphere, The Regalia that signified his title as Demiurge of the Fallen Skies appeared beneath his feet. It looked no bigger than a pebble on the screen, yet it was this pebble that was making the spacetime warp around the ring.

'A manifestation of gravity well…' Kayzen sighed in admiration as a lone man bent the rules of this realm and accomplished what was considered a myth. All those looking at the broadcast saw pale-blue shards manifest under the colourful skies. For the first time, the creatures of Erde had seen pure Ether with naked eyes. Alas, they didn't have the opportunity to celebrate this feat. BOOOOOM The earth cracked, the thunder flashed, the wind howled…. it was an utter mayhem as all sorts of calamities occurred at once.

"Fuck, are the seven really going at war?" Kayzen cursed and immediately activated the ward he had bought. He looked at the skies and saw the seven colors entwine and wreak havoc everywhere. The lofty mountains of Elgon range were shattering; the Sambia river was flooding the town…the chaos was too much for his senses to take in.

"If this is happening all over Erde, then it's too much even if all Armageddon class monsters teamed up." Who apart from the seven possessed such power? But this caused even more questions to arise in Kayzen's heart, causing his spine to tingle in alarm. If the seven weren't attacking, but rather, protecting the Erde… then why was there such a catastrophe? It was almost as if– CRACKLE With a final, loud rumble, the laws that governed Erde since its creation were rent apart.

A large hole appeared above Greenford as if someone had taken a bite out of the sky. And from within that came a swarm of monsters, the kind that none on Erde had seen before. This, was the Dawn of Apocalypse.