Chương 2: Life & Death

Ethan struggled to keep up with the man's walking speed, even as his strange shadows propelled him forward, turning them invisible to the people around them. Not invisible, Ethan reminded himself. Just easy to lose focus on. Raphael had explained how his powers worked, instead of hiding them it simply made them harder to notice. If Ethan suddenly started shouting loudly, people would pay attention quickly. The technique only worked if you actively wanted to keep a low profile. So cool...

Despite everything, he couldn't help the thought. He would love to have a Talent too, to have powers himself. He reminded himself that apparently he already had one, it just happened to be killing him instead. Ethan switched his focus back to Raphael's words, chiding himself for getting lost in the possibilities of what his Talent could be.

"—the Samsaran Order is a group that is dedicated to upholding the circle of life across the universe, making sure no person completely subverts it," Raphael explained as they walked out of the city. He was smoking a cigarette while keeping up his abilities and talking at the same time. And he was doing it without a single hint of effort.

"Your parents, Sarah and Jack Collins, were a part of it, and so am I." His voice dimmed a bit when it came to mentioning his parents. Ethan noticed it, but his mind was focused on something else. Sarah and Jack. My parents were Sarah and Jack Collins… And they were part of some kind of… eco-friendly peacekeeping organization?

"I've never heard of the Samsaran Order. Are you part of the Greater Planetary Association?" Ethan asked.

"No, the GPA hates us and what we stand for. They erase any mention of us in public records or known history."

"Why?"

"Because we follow a God other than theirs," Raphael said.

"Because of that hatred, we've had to keep our operations underground for a while now. Our Lord Alphome gives us our orders, and we carry them out without the GPA finding out." A God not from the GPA? To Ethan, that was the most unbelievable part. The Gods of the GPA were the only Gods anyone ever knew, so to say there was another was… blasphemy. But blasphemy Ethan could bear, if Raphael was telling the truth about saving him. The taller buildings faded out the further they went.

People walked around the both of them without even noticing they did it.

"Alphome gives you your orders, does that mean…?"

"Yes, Ethan, Alphome was the one who told me to bring you to him." A meeting with a weird God who might not even be real. Were mom and dad really members of this cult?

"Why would my parents join the Samsaran Order?" Ethan asked, skeptical. Raphael turned back towards him with a scrutinizing look.

"Don't you think the GPA's been slowly tightening its leash around our planet, ever since they first came here?" He asked Ethan.

"There's more and more alien Designers brought in to keep the peace. A camera on every corner, and when they even hear the hint of disobedience, there's always a Starlaw there to figure out what's going on? It's all too unnatural. And your mother knew it, Ethan, which is why she joined us. Her and your father too." In all honesty, he wanted to say "no." The GPA had brought Talents and skills to the people, medicine and technology, culture and enlightenment.

Ever since they'd come to Earth a hundred years ago, the world had been slowly progressing towards a utopia. He didn't even notice half of the things Raphael was talking about, and the more he went on, the more Ethan began to wonder if the man was all there.

"I know that look. You don't believe me, do you?" Raphael asked.

"Sorry, Mr. Magnus, but I don't."

"Just Raphael's fine. And that's okay. You'll just have to see it with your own eyes. And we're here." Here ended up being an open meadow in the middle of nowhere, where no one walked by. There weren't even any ships in the sky here.

"This is where we're meeting Alphome?" Ethan asked.

"Yup." He said it so matter-of-factly. Like he'd done it dozens of times before.

"I don't trust this. How do I know this god of yours is even real, Mr. Magnus?"

"You'll see for yourself that Alphome is as real as the Gods of the GPA. And I told you to call me Raphael."

"And meeting with him, that's going to cure me?"

"If you listen to what he has to say, yes," Raphael said, producing a pill out of thin air.

"Take this." Yet, Ethan was still hesitant. His mind was second-guessing, wondering if he should double back and just spend the time he had left in his life. The pill could just as well have been a roofie, and he was about to get trafficked. Everything Raphael said could have been a fairytale, crafted to lure in desperate fools like Ethan. People like him didn't fight against unfairness, they were swept away by it.

"You're the one who wanted to save himself, kid. If you're still up for it, this is the way." But what if people like me did have the chance? Ethan shifted on his feet.

"Do you… swear…" he let out.

"Swear? Swear what? I can't hear you if you don't speak up."

"Do you swear… on my mother and father, that you're telling the truth?" Ethan asked, locking Raphael's eyes.

"You sounded like you cared about them. So… do you swear on their lives that you're telling the truth?" Raphael gave him a look Ethan couldn't quite comprehend. A rarity, given he'd grown up learning to know from a glance what people were feeling to keep himself safe. Being weak from birth taught you things.

"... Yes," the man went on." Not that you know the significance of this, but nonetheless. I swear on Sarah and Jack's life, and on my own, that this will help you with your condition, Ethan." Given the dramatic words, Ethan expected some light shows to happen. He had heard about designers, and soul oaths or something or the other, but he didn't think they were as simple as just saying something. He knew Designers could lie. Still, there was nothing more to be said.

Ethan walked up and snatched the pill from his hands. He glanced one last time at Raphael for guidance.

"You'll want to sit down before you take it," Raphael told him. He did as asked, laying on the soft grassy hill, and threw the pill back. The capsule travelled down his throat, and for a few moments nothing happened. And then, all at once, he felt a spike go through his heart. A pain like no other encompassed Ethan, and he looked towards Raphael for help. But the man was gone, and all he could do was loosen his limbs, and fall back on the ground as he took his final breaths.

Ethan awoke, but not to his own body. It couldn't be his body, because he felt completely fine. I feel better than I have… ever. Ethan thought as he sat up. All the fatigue, the aches and stabbing pains he'd had to deal with for all his life, they were all gone somehow. Was it an effect of this place? Ethan wondered as he scanned the horizon.

Faded purple light illuminated his surroundings, including the numerous plants, flowers, brambles, vines and trees that stretched towards the horizon and into the mountains that lay within. What is this place anyway? Could it have been some kind of afterlife? If so, it didn't sound like any of the ones from his world history. This looked like an entirely other place, and one that seemed strangely… serene to Ethan. He rubbed his hands across the ground, and it felt softer than the softest bed he'd slept in.

I could spend forever here… he realized. There was a silent tune in the air that put his mind at ease. It was like his worries were being eaten away by the second. He could lie down, and merge slowly into the realm around him. No, wait, I'm not here to lay down? What am I doing? Suddenly, something began to shake Ethan. In fact, something was shaking the entire realm out of place, forcing Ethan back up and vigilant. Something… or someone.

Ethan watched as the mountains rose and slowly took shape, dropping miles of dirt below them and kicking up clouds of dust in the process. Those mountains coalesced into a single humanoid figure over what felt like hours, but looked like minutes. And when they were done, patches of purple flowers bloomed in the eyesockets and stared down at Ethan. He felt scared under its gaze, but not like how it was before a surgery. No, this was a different kind of terror.

The terror that came from being noticed by a being orders of magnitude above you." ETHAN…. COLLINS… WE FINALLY MEET." If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The voice spoke directly into the deepest parts of his head. Smooth and vaguely british sounding. Each word made the clouds above the creature light up. It felt like he couldn't hide a thing. And the sound, it was a booming cacophony that tried to split his head in half.

"H-hello. Who are you?" Ethan asked, trying to push against the noise. Raphael had said this wasn't one of the Six Gods of the GPA, and that meant it was something completely alien." I AM ALPHOME, THE BRINGER OF LIFE AND DEATH. THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF ALL LIVING CREATURES. NURTURER OF LIFE AND GUIDE FOR SOULS IN DEATH." That same sound again, booming and cracking, broke the tops of distant mountains into rockslides.

"Are you really a God!?" Ethan shouted into the sky. His shouting must have stirred something in the angry sky God's disposition, because it paused for a moment before replying." No. Some may call me that, but I am a servant of the universe's will, not a God as you have been deluded into considering those who hold power. Is my voice still painful for you to hear?"

"Uh, no, it's fine now!" So the voice could be reasoned with.

"If you're all-powerful, did you know my mother?" Ethan asked." First, I am not all powerful. Second, your mother, Ethan, was one of my followers. A member of the Samsaran Order, an upholder of the cycle of the universe. And all those who uphold that cycle are given my blessings, my Talents for their own." The words sunk in deep. His mother had been given a Talent directly by this God?

Only the Gods of the Universal Design could do that, and the Talents they bestowed were said to be some of the strongest to ever exist.

"What… happened to her?" Ethan's voice came lower this time, but Alphome had no difficulty parsing it." Your 'Gods' happened, Ethan. They found out the source of her blessing, me, and hunted her down. Sarah Collins was clever enough to avoid them, but that cleverness could not help her save herself from her biggest trial." Your birth."

"What? What do you mean by that? Did something happen around my birth? D-did they get her?" The voice was silent for a pause. A pause that told more than the proceeding words." Childbirth is not easy, Ethan. And your soul's strength, the thing that you call 'Talent', is… particularly powerful. Though you survived, your mother was not so lucky. It is my regret that it took me this long to find you, but your mother had taken many steps to hide you, from everyone, including me."

Ethan stood in stunned silence for a long moment. Just today, for the first time, he'd learnt that he had a talent, that it was killing him. He'd learnt the name of his parents, and how they were part of some weird cult worshipping an alien god. Now, he was learning that his Talent wasn't just killing him. My Talent killed her… Even though the woman was a stranger, something about that hit him like a punch to his gut. Ethan clenched his fists. And now it's killing me..

"Raphael said I could find a way to fix my problem. What is it? And how do I do it?" Ethan asked." My powers, they are a duality. Your mother was a Life practitioner, your father, a Death practitioner. Normally, a child born of such a couple would inherit either one of the parent's Talents. Or die in conception otherwise. But you… you survived. And the clash of Life and Death in your soul drew upon your mother's Talent, to reinforce your life." Alphome paused.

"She was a talented Life-practitioner. One of the most skilled ones. She would have known what was happening… and she could've prevented it." Something got stuck in Ethan's throat at that.

"She gave her life, willingly, likely pouring more than the fetus even asked for, which is why despite your condition, despite holding both Life and Death inside your soul… you are still alive." Ethan stood in silence, a mix of strange feelings swirling in his chest.

"What about my father?" Ethan asked.

"Living beings are not meant to harness Death," Alphome said.

"The more you use such powers, the shorter your lifespan becomes."

"Death practitioners are the weapons of the Samsaran Order. They are powerful, more so than any others, but that power comes at a cost."

"What does it mean for me to have both? Besides the fact that I'll die soon," Ethan asked. Alphome swirled, and for a moment, it seemed as if the god leaned closer to him.

"Power, Ethan. To have dominion over Life and Death means to hold the ability to wield Death's weapon, and hone its edge with Life- If you can learn to control this power." A stir went through Ethan's chest. Through the sheer strangeness of the situation and the horrible news of the day beforehand, that was the best thing Ethan had heard. Everyone had a Talent they could awaken, but he had a special Talent. He had a Talent even a God praised."

But this power bears a heavy burden, it is far too much for a mortal to bear, much less an unawakened mortal. The life-force your mother sacrificed to keep you alive has already run out. Very soon, your own Talent will kill you, if left unchecked." And that hint of pride Ethan felt faded away as soon as Alphome spoke again.

"How do I fix it?"" A trade, Ethan Collins. You will be given the ability to awaken your Talent safely and the skills that come with it. You will learn to control it in time, and reverse its effects on your body. In exchange, all I ask is a single favour." Framing it as a single favour sounded like trickery to Ethan. He knew that single favour would probably encompass a whole bunch of steps. Even still, he asked on. He needed this.

"What's the favour?"" You must enter the six realms through the Realm Trial starting in three days and reach their zenith.

"And you must avoid the followers of the other Gods wherever you go, for if they find out you hold my blessing as a Talent, they will surely kill you. Only its unawakening has kept you safe this entire time.

"We will do our best to hide you even after your Talent has awakened, but there still may be those who can peer through our shroud." There wasn't a single person in the world who didn't know what the Trial of Realms was. Six realms of danger, but also of opportunity. A person could come in a nobody, and leave with the eyes of the universe on them if they tried hard enough.

"Six whole realms? Most people don't make it that far!" Ethan shouted.

"That's suicide!"" But you can, Ethan. If you learn to wield my power, then you can do what most cannot."

"... How do I know you're not lying?" Ethan asked. It was a stupid thing to say, Ethan knew, but… some part of him was still in disbelief. That instead of learning to live with what he had, he was simply grasping at straws trying to avoid it.

"The inscription on your ring, Ethan. What does it mean?"

"I… I don't know. I just know it belonged to my mom," Ethan replied.

"In my tongue, it translates to 'Live a fulfilling life.'" The God answered, and the ring that Eithan had on his necklace lit up with a bright green light, as something fired in his brain. He saw her face clear for the first time in years, a memory long buried. Her sad eyes looking down at him, filled with tears of regret, and maybe even happiness. His thin little fingers grasped for the ring as she kept dangling it in front of his face.

"My little Ethan. My brave little warrior… Sole Kiryana Delofe." And just as the memory had come back to him, it left. Her face faded away into the recesses of his mind, and he wished he could've glimpsed it for even a second longer.

"Mom…" He said without thinking. And that was all the proof he needed to believe Alphome. But belief did not equal trust, and so Ethan stepped up to God and spoke again. The mound below him rose up closer to Alphome's towering visage in aid.

"You called yourself 'The Bringer of Life and Death.' How do I know you're not going to kill everything in the universe once I complete your favour?" Ethan asked." Ethan, I do not kill that which has not run its natural course. And if I had the power to do so, would I not have done it already?"

"I… I still don't know if you're telling the truth. Maybe what I'm doing unleashes you on the universe, and ends with us all dying."" You cannot know. As I cannot know whether you will even fulfill our accord once you have received its benefits. Trust and hope must take the place of knowledge." Ethan stepped from one foot to the other uneasily. He didn't like the situation he was in, but there wasn't a better alternative. Trust and hope? I've never had worse bets in my life.

"You should be able to tell me. How long do I have to live exactly?"" Three days. No more." Just the right amount of time to enter the Realm Trial. Three last days for him to enjoy his life, or three days to prepare himself to fight for a new life. Truth be told, Ethan didn't know why he was hesitating. This was the chance he'd been waiting for. A way to get rid of his affliction, to get the life he always wanted. What point was there in resisting?

If I die in those trials, at least I'll die on my own terms, and with that thought, his resolve was steeled.

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll agree to your stipulations." Ethan said." Then swear an oath unto me, Ethan Collins. Not one bound by magic, but by your own honour."

"What are the words?" As soon as he asked, a scroll appeared in front of him, written in English. He read it only once, and yet the words became known to him forever.

"I, Ethan Collins, swear on Alphome's name to uphold the sanctity of life and death in this realm and all others. To make sure none encroach upon the barriers of immortality, none fashion themselves against the cycle that would see all us returned to the universe that we were born from. And I swear, to those who cross these laws, to smite them with the powers I shall receive, as long as I live, no matter how far or dangerous they may be."" THIS OATH IS ACKNOWLEDGED.

GO NOW, MY CHAMPION, AND BECOME MY SWORD AGAINST THESE GODS' FABRICATED WORLD." The rumbling that had woken Alphome returned, now ten times stronger than before. Alphome's body broke apart into the mountains it was once formed from, and those mountains too broke into dirt and rocks. The purple light on the horizon receded, and in their place a bright white flash scoured Ethan's surroundings. Finally, the light entered his eyes, and for a few seconds all he saw was white ringing.

Ethan woke up back in the meadow feeling dazed, with Raphael right over him. He blinked his eyes against the light of the sun. Raphael was sitting right beside him on the hill. When Ethan grunted, he pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and spoke.

"What did the big guy say to you?" he asked as he handed Ethan a bottle of water.

"Tell me… what you gave me first…" Ethan replied. He felt even worse than usual from that pill.

"It's something to bring you closer to his domain. Will wear off in just a few minutes. Now, you tell me what happened." Ethan recounted the events of the dream and Raphael nodded along like it was all common procedure.

"My own visions aren't that clear. It must be an effect of your Talent."

"What are we going to do until the next Realm Trial?" Ethan asked after gulping down the bottled water.

"What else? We're going to hammer you into shape until you're ready to survive every monster lurking in the six realms." He held out a hand and helped Ethan up.

"Even the average Trial Goer isn't ready for what's inside. Monsters crafted by Taiphoon herself, esoteric dungeons pilfered from conquered civilizations, and the Starlaws of Ultimax ready to hunt you down if they ever find out where your Talent comes from.

"You're even more susceptible to dying early because of your weakness. And if you die, there goes our chances at fulfilling Alphome's will.

"Ready yourself, Ethan. Because the next few days of your life are just the start."