Chương 4: Akashic Records

Dozens of winged creatures whizzed by the tower. Kayzen's red eyes were fixed on the largest of them all: The fiend class. He had lost count of the times he had sworn by the seven today. The abomination that clouded the skies of Greenford defied all the rules of evolution. The best way to describe that creature would be a merge between an elephant and a mosquito; in the most horrifying way imaginable. The monster had an elephant's head with pulsating proboscis.

At this moment, its compound eyes were glaring down at the streets below.

'I'm glad I bought the ward…' The faint silver dome around the lab gave him a sense of safety. Kayzen knew it was the sole reason he could stand on the balcony and watch. For now that is. Once the ward ran out of Ether, he would be no different from those who were being chased down by the winged creatures. The fiend lifted its head and let out a high pitched roar. Was it fortunate that all were awake despite it being close to five o' clock?

The response of the trainee templars and town guards was enough to make Foudre proud. With his high vantage point Kayzen saw them marching atop their horses; as well as the monsters rushing towards the western area.

'I hope Bran's safe.' He clenched his fists to the point where his palms were bleeding. He, an heir of Ashbourne, was unable to protect himself. How pathetic was it that he could do nothing but worry about the lives of those he cared for? Kayzen had never yearned for power. But now, that single desire had overwhelmed everything else in his heart. The piercing cry of the fiend class brought him out of his self inspection. The templars were trying to protect the commoners, yet the monster didn't allow it.

It flapped its net-like wings and whizzed past a quarter of the Greenford. From the central square to the northwest, all it took was a second to traverse that distance. Those who were looking at the scene realized just how small their town was in front of such a creature. Kayzen snatched the telescope from the wall and ran to the other window. He had bought the device to see the supernova explosion, but the first thing it gazed on was a hideous monster.

'Deep breaths. Your job is to analyse all details.' The words of his drill instructor spoke from old memories. Ever since he came of age, his role had been that of a scout. The monster didn't use any fancy moves. It dove down from the sky and tore through the cavalry charge. Rather than a confrontation, it was a one-sided massacre. There was a gulf of difference between those who could use Ether and those who could not.

'It has quick reflexes despite the ten feet long body. The wings are also reinforced with Ether currents.' Kayzen's eyes didn't react to his kin being slaughtered by the monsters. The burning smoke coming from the western district and the screams of the fleeing crowd were filtered by his senses. Right now, his whole attention was focused on analysing every minute detail about the monster. No matter what, there had to be 'some' logic behind the monster's appearance.

Even if its form differed from the evolutionary pathways he knew; Kayzen believed there had to be a reason behind this grotesque mixture of elephant and a mosquito. And as if to answer his questions, the fiend made another move. It hovered above the bloody street and sucked the blood of fallen templars and their steeds. Even the chunks of flesh that were stuck to its barbed tusks were wiped clean by the proboscis.

After two minutes of confrontation, twenty-six remained from the hundred trainee templars that guarded this town. The seven elements were still haywire. Most of the Ether tech was malfunctioning for unknown reasons. The town's barrier had failed to activate. People… were dying. Kayzen left the window and dragged his feet towards the door. He wasn't turning his back against the massacre; rather, he predicted where the fight that decided this town's fate would occur: Right here.

He had seen the Eikon of Nir less than twenty-four hours ago. She was weak and way past her prime. If she were to stand a chance against the unidentified fiend class then she had to take advantage of the terrain. The central square that was surrounded by river from all sides was the most advantageous battlefield. Kayzen tore off his nameplate by leveraging his weight against it. He needed to talk with Ms. Dullar, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave beyond the silver dome created by the ward.

He knew better than anyone he was no match for any of the attacking monsters, even if most of them were unable to use Ether. An overgrown locust had enough power to maul mortals to death. Kayzen walked to the window and placed his golden nameplate against the rising sun. If the Eikon of Nir was clever enough to take the last stand in this area, then she should notice the glaring sign. And indeed, his prediction was on point. A stream rose from the nearby river and extended all the way to his balcony.

Riding on it was none other than Ms. Dullar.

"What is your plan?" Kayzen didn't waste any time on pleasantries and asked what mattered the most.

"Mother Nir is... unusual. Despite all this misfortune, I-I feel stronger than ever?" Kayzen heard the tremor in her voice, and for a moment, he too was speechless. The trainee templars who died were unknown to him, but for her, she had spent the majority of her life alongside them. And yet she had to stand firm despite that grief. Could he say that she should be glad that there's something good at least? Should he talk about how exactly does she feel stronger? He wasn't rational enough to do that.

"The sooner we kill that thing, the better. I have a plan if you're willing to follow through."

"Please, go ahead."

"Let the mayor deliver one trumpet to me and tell him to encircle the square with those holding sound instruments. The louder they are, the better. Their sole task is to make as much noise as possible once I start." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Ms. Dullar nodded without asking anything. The prestige earned by his family held enough sway for her to consider his advice.

"I have seen your vision, but to clarify, that's a ring of water, correct?" Kayzen questioned in order to optimize the strategy.

"Yes. To be specific it's a ring formed with water droplets." For a moment, there was a gentle yet sad smile on the woman's face. Kayzen didn't probe further and requested her to convey the orders. Oftentimes the best cure for grief was distraction. He would've spoken a few words to rouse her anger or desire for vengeance, but she was the Eikon of Nir. The strongest emotion in her heart was 'Love,' and it would continue to be till the day she drowned in Nir's embrace.

Kayzen sat near the window and thought about the sudden attack. During this chaos he hadn't forgotten the primary source of his unease; the fiend class he had seen in the river. There was a possibility that it might take this chance and launch a pincer attack. He wasn't that worried though, since in this town resided an old man whose strength he was aware of. Right on time, the fiend appeared in the central square without anyone drawing its attention.

Kayzen felt somewhat reassured since he was able to predict its behaviour. Why did the monsters and humans clash in the first place? The answer to that was laylines. Ether flowed throughout Erde like veins in the body, and these paths were called 'laylines'. The intersection of these laylines created areas where Ether was more concentrated. These places were known as 'Nodes,' and they were the original source of conflict between humans and monsters. A sudden knock sounded behind him.

"Sir Kayzen! I've-""Alright, you may leave, or stay if you don't have anything else to do. Should be safer here." Kayzen took the trumpet from the squire's hand and looked down at the square.

"T-then I'll stay." There was no more conversation as Ms. Dullar had finally made her appearance. At this moment, the entire town's hopes were laid on her aged back.

"O mother Nir, I beg thee to drown this fiend," she raised her hands high and a scene similar to yesterday occurred, on a much larger scale. Every source of water was drawn towards her hands, taking the image of a wide ring. One mustn't look down upon that as a mere stream of harmless water. It was said that the seven created Erde from the ocean of Ether. All things were made up of Ether. What an Eikon did was to borrow the power from the seven and alter the reality itself.

Nir was the progenitor of water and to an extent, all that was liquid. If the monster so much as touched the water; its own blood would be controlled by the Eikon. Kayzen adjusted his telescope and observed the reaction of the elephant-mosquito hybrid. It seemed afraid of the ring based on how erratic its flying path had become.

'It's trying to dive down.' His red eyes looked for every minute detail in order to find an opening. It was apparent that Ms. Dullar was hiding her full strength since she hadn't shown how her powers had improved compared to before.

'Lower…. lower…' The monster was trying to get close despite being wary of the water. Kayzen waited and waited until finally, he found an opening. TRUMMMMMM The monster who was about to dive down was caught off guard by the sudden sounds. Both mosquitos and elephants had sensitive hearing. No matter how they evolved there was no way they wouldn't be affected by the sudden acoustic overload. It shrieked and tried to escape with its shrivelled up wings, but it was too late.

The neural breakdown caused by the sudden attack had made it lose track of someone.

"YOU SHALL PAY FOR THEIR DEATH!" The shrill scream of the Eikon overwhelmed the sound of blowing trumpets. And it wasn't just her words that were powerful. Waters of Sambia rose from all sides and converged around the floundering monster, trapping it from all sides. Kayzen didn't dare relax since he saw that Ms. Dullar was bleeding from her eyes. The sphere formed from rings of water deformed as the fiend flailed around to escape. Its barbed tusk even managed to pierce through the barrier, but that was it.

"It's over," Kayzen dropped the telescope to the side and took a deep breath. The clear water of Sambia had turned muddy red. Beneath, Ms. Dullar knelt down on the marble square and broke into tears. The bloated corpse of the fiend fell down on the marble streets and created a garish sight. No one celebrated this victory. All of the hundred templars were martyred. They, who were full of potential, died before ever becoming an Eikon.

At this moment, all who were left to guard this town were a broken woman and the town's guard comprised of regular folk.

"Tell the mayor to be on guard. There migh-, no, there will be more attacks. Tell him I said so." Kayzen left the flustered squire behind and rushed down the stairs. As much as he didn't want to leave the safety of the ward he couldn't just remain a sitting duck. The ward didn't have infinite duration, and more importantly, there was the corpse of the fiend class. Just how many had died after this attack? He didn't have much hope in Greenford's survival. And if the same was happening throughout Erde….

He shook his head and ran all the way to the crash site. He wasn't going to wait for his death or someone to rescue him.

"Young master." Rakh'ar stood straight in front of him, no longer pretending. Kayzen nodded at the old man and gestured at the corpse, "Glad you're here, please help me dissect the corpse."

"We should leave." Rakh'ar uttered a single sentence. The implication behind it was obvious: This town stood no chance.

"Don't worry. I'm not stupid enough to risk my life for sentiments. If I can't protect my home then I would live on and avenge it. For that, I need strength," Kayzen's eyes didn't leave the corpse even for a moment. That was the only clue they had about everything that had gone wrong since the Ether collider experiment. Where did that portal originate from? Why did Ms. Dullar's powers increase? There were so many questions he needed to find answers of. For him, knowledge was power. Yet that alone wasn't enough.

"… Fine then. But remember that you can always go back." Rakh'ar moved forward to dissect the corpse, but all of a sudden, his dull eyes rose up at the western horizon. Kayzen also followed his gaze and saw a scene that he would never forget in his life. Seven rays of light extended from one end of the horizon to another. Fire, water, wind, lightning, earth, light and darkness. Even those unable to use Ether could feel the vast power emitted by those seven rays.

Every time those beams passed above a node, a part of them descended and merged with the land. Greenford was no exception as it too was bathed in a colourful halo. Kayzen straightened his spine as all exhaustion left his body. The same happened to the Eikon of Nir who was shaking before. The wounds of residents were healed regardless of their severity. At this moment, those bathed under the light felt as if they were a crying child being soothed by their mother.

╬ It has been a while since we have spoken ╬ A chorus of androgynous voices echoed throughout the whole realm. Who else could possess such majesty except the progenitors? ╬ We have seen you build our shrines from mud and stone. We have seen you yearn for power and built towers that pierced the sky ╬ Even though there were no Ether screens, people saw visions of the past as if they were watching a film. The words spoken by the seven were enough to alter the reality itself.

╬ We have seen you try to wield the power that was restricted from you. You… have grown ╬ The people saw the sight of the Ether collider. Contrary to what everyone was thinking, the experiment had succeeded; albeit partially. The Avatar of Gaia and the Demiurge of Fallen Skies were standing above a ruin; and in front of them floated dozens of blue shards. Quinta Essentia was no longer just a myth. ╬ A bird must leave its nest in order to spread its wings.

This shall be the last time we interfere, for we shall restrict you no longer ╬ ╬ Fly high, our creations. We will be watching, as we always have ╬ All beings on Erde gained new knowledge at this moment. It didn't matter whether they were sentient or not. It didn't matter whether they were alive or not. Two words were imprinted on their very existence Akashic Records. They were the root cause of everything. It was the answer to all the questions they sought.

Just like they had seen in the vision, blue shards manifested in front of the people gathered at the square. That, was Ether. And written on it were records of who they were and what they might become. Kayzen's red eyes were drawn to the five shards in front of him. They were the result of the life he had lived. And at the same time, a crossroad that led to five different futures.