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There was a room with billions of shining lights, and in it resided what seemed to be an infinite amount of people. However, this space seemed to extend forever, and the room did not seem too crowded. All who resided sat in chairs that had been personally crafted just for them, and almost perfectly reflected who they were as an individual. Each chair was in a row, and each row had a long, curved table in front of it, each having enough space to rest or write on. The group surrounded a larger, much greater table, on which stood a strange globe-like object that could not be deciphered by the human eye. It had many intricate pieces, and some seemed to move slightly while others quickly spiraled and circled others. The room could not be described by mere words, as its beauty transcended vocabulary.
Yet, no matter how grand the space looked, or how brilliant the lights shined, there was no getting around the haunting idea that one seat was empty. This one thing brought fear to everyone in the room, as it had never happened before. There was no need to be late, as any of them could be here and wherever else they wanted all at the same time. That could only mean one thing, and that would be the main subject of the meeting. The reason they were gathered in this room today was the discussion on the course of action needed to save a Universe. A plan to save a sister.
The room was filled with low whispers, many of them were not exactly the most optimistic topics, but as the meeting was about to begin, the whispers quieted. From somewhere out of the billions of people, one stood.
The figure cleared their throat and pushed up their spectacles, which served no purpose other than for vanity. A suit of black covered a green top, which gave her an aura of seriousness. Curls of hair flowed to her shoulders, and it glowed with a silky black, accompanied by shiny mint green highlights. The woman took a deep breath in, and began the discussion. Who was this woman? This was our Universe. She was the home of our Planet, as well as billions of other.
“As you have all clearly heard, one of our own,” She paused as the instrument in the center began to move, changing its shape to resemble a sort of map. “the Universe we are currently looking at, is dying.” Looking back to the map, the council could see its metals twist and blacken, as if mirroring the corrupting universe. “The causes of the destruction is due to an extreme world war on her core planet. It had been raging on for several years, and our sister deemed it necessary to intervene. She blessed the land with a form of energy enabling her people to become much stronger, yet this has only brought harm to her and her people, as battles became even more severe. However, it was unavoidable, as that was the only way she could possibly help, and that is exactly what we are to do.” A sound of agreement came from all the council members, and the speaker began once again.
“Her Apocalypse was released early rather than being held back, and so, is bringing a strange destruction not normally experienced. This is putting her in grave danger. She has even chosen her Champion, her savior if you will, to save her people, but again, her early Apocalypse has left her powerless, and her Champion is no more than a regular mortal.” A gasp could be heard from some of the Universes present, while others cast looks of sadness towards the empty chair.
“But, that doesn’t mean a Universe here can't send their own champion.” This brought a smile to the speaker. “The problem is, not all Champions would be useful in this situation, as there is only one Universe with a compatible resident.” Murmuring was heard among the universes, but the speaker rose her hand, motioning for them to quiet. “But it just so happens that I have located a compatible Champion. He has no outstanding strength, nor is extremely intelligent, yet strangely, that is what we are looking for. Her Apocalypse gave the weak strength, and brought the strong to the ground.”
Another Universe stood up. It was covered in a white cloth, with no features visible. “Very well, your proposition shall now be voted on. All who agree, stand up!” yelled the White Universe. As many of the Universes stood up quickly, the rest who were contemplating also began to stand. The vote was unanimous. She was to bring her Champion to their missing sister. She let out a long breath. This was the greatest task she had ever received as a Universe, as she was one of the youngest of them all, around 14 billion years old.
Universes around her seemed to start taking their leave, so she did the same.As she sat down in her chair, she began finding herself elsewhere. She was no longer in the room, but in a bustling city on her Core Planet, Earth. The towns always seemed to be so busy. They had only covered this planet for a few hundred years, but they have proven to advance rather quickly.
She was rather fascinated by the strange devices that these humans have made for themselves. She would often disguise herself and experience the human lifestyle. She had been drawn in by the hundreds of stories she read, and even though most of them were untrue, her experiences were still amazing. However, she was a little sad and disappointed the humans could not live up to what they could dream up.
Yet, what she was about to do would change all of that. She had read many a legend of heroes being sent to other worlds, and had deduced the perfect way for her to get the boy to the other side. The one thing many of theses stories had in common was the fact that many of the heroes had to be separated from their world, either by death or a coma of sorts. Many of the times, it was of the heroes own volition, others, acts of the universe. In this case, it would be the latter. There was no time to wait for the boy to decide, as each second could be used saving her sister.
The Universe looked into the clear sky, a few clouds dotted the blue ocean above. The sun seemed to be just about past the middle, and began its slow descent to the west. This was the perfect time. She would waste no time, and quickly made her way to a school. Humans had developed a certain knowledge of their world that many others cannot, but to gain it, each human must go to school, and this human was no different. As a loud bell rang, young humans flooded out of the door in an unorderly manner, but there was no missing the Champion of this Universe. What was his strongest quality? What made him stand out? It was how average he was. He excelled at nothing other than his friendly nature, and even as he trailed behind in almost everything, he was not looked down upon. This attracted the attention of the Universe, as it seemed this boy had no enemies. Those 2 would be important traits to have where he would be going, as the less people who hated him, the longer he would last.
On closer inspection, the boy she chose as her Champion had a large amount of hobbies, and even though he was never good at anything, he still enjoyed many of the things he could barely do. This also intrigued the Universe, as the boy seemed to show a rare attitude not many others possessed. Even when gifted with nothing, he could make something out of his life. The Universe was a little mad at herself, but she had to do this for her sister. She had to take away the world this boy had built for himself, but in turn give him something he could never imagine. She would give him nothing once again, and watch him rebuild the world, and even her sister, another Universe.
The Universe swiftly followed the boy as he made his way home. It was a rather uneventful trip, as most of the city’s business was now located in the many buildings all over. However, that didn’t mean the roads weren’t jam-packed with cars. It was a sound you had to get used to, the angry honks of the busy people, and you would grow to even like it, maybe.
As he finally strolled down his house’s walkway, he opened the door, letting himself feel the cool air that had been building in his house while he was gone, and he quickly shut the door to preserve the feeling of his home. As many children do, he knew he had to get down to work, but instead chose to go to his room. As the door to his room opened, nothing separated him from his bed any longer. He swiftly wrapped himself in his blanket, and found himself sleeping almost instantly. After a long day of doing pretty much nothing, he found that a “quick nap” before homework usually helps to calm the mind. However, he would not be able to do his homework, as he would find something more than the warm embrace of sleep.
The Universe suddenly paused, and everything but the room the boy slept in was frozen. Stars and planets began to pull together, taking form in this boy’s very house. They took on the shape of a woman, and the Universe became stable. The Universe smirked as she now had her physical form. It always felt a bit liberating for her. and as the flow of her worlds froze, she would have all the time she wanted to be in this form. However, her smirk was replaced by a stern expression as she realized her sister was not so generously blessed with time.
She got back to work, and she softly stepped to the boy’s bedside. A gentle hand came to meet his forehead, and the Universe quickly put up her hand. A light condensed in her hand, and a not so gentle fist slammed into the boy’s chest, a golden pair of scissors that seemed to produce a faint light became lodged in his body. However, no blood would stain its cold, priceless blades. Instead, the boy became enveloped in the golden scissor’s brilliant, growing aura. The stage was set, and all the Universe had to do now was meet this boy, her Champion, in her Sister’s domain.
Locks of Fate: Heir of the Void
Chapter 1: Awakening of the Spirits
In the void, there is nothing.
Another village was hit with the Hero’s Death, hundreds died, and several more hundreds have fled for medical attention. All corpses had to be burnt to prevent the spread, and the smell alone was enough to drive anybody and anything away, including wildlife. One boy was caught under all of this. There was no one to save him, nobody to help him, and he just lay there. His once large house collapsed, everything was charred and was scattered about. His family lay beside him, although they themselves were no longer alive, and he was alone. His face was covered in soot and dirt, his body fraile from the illness. He would surely die if nothing were to happen, but luckily, the Universe had different plans. She salvaged what was left, and although this boy’s spirit left a while ago, she still had a use for it. Her Champion would take the body of this boy, and he would be reborn into this world.
For a moment, the body lay still, only barely breathing. Without closer inspection, it would seem this boy was already dead. Suddenly, a wisp of some sorts entered in, and the breathing of the body began to stabilize. The boy was peacefully asleep, his illness staved.
In the boy’s mind however, a dream that seemed out of place occurred. The boy dreamed of another world, where he had to worry about homework and other trivial things. This was no longer the same boy. This boy was now the Planet Earth’s Champion.
He continued to dream of his world for several minutes, until a voice in his head shook him from his peaceful dream. He did not wake up, but was in a strange state of both alertness and sleep which startled him. He could see nothing but a black space. He felt nothing but an empty floating feeling, as if there was no substance to touch. Yet, there was one thing he could do, and that was hear. He heard a voice call out to him.
“Boy, you must listen to me. Ah, wait! I forgot, you must be confused...” called a feminine voice. It acted as if it had no direction, and it was frightening the boy. He tried to yell out, but nothing happened. He felt helpless and panicked. There was a newfound fear and pain inside of him, as if something wasn’t right. The Universe noticed that the boy tried to respond, and helped him out a bit. The blank space was replaced with a small, white room with a set of chairs and a table. In one chair sat a woman sporting a black suit and a green top. Her hair was a silky jet black, accompanied by curls of green locks which fell to her shoulders. Her emerald eyes were covered by a pair of black glasses, and her lips were soft and glossed over. Whoever this was, the boy knew meant business.
“Please sit. We have much to discuss” said the woman as she motioned towards the chair. The boy found himself able to move once again, and he pulled the chair out from under the table, carefully sitting down.
“First off, I have like… a thousand questions!” yelled the boy, scared of what was happening. He could not explain why, but he could only really come up with a few, while several others came to mind yet didn’t make sense to him. His brain was flooding with strange things, and he was not able to think straight. The woman who sat in front of him shifted her crossed legs a bit, deciding on how to explain the situation.
“Ask away, I may be able to answer, but we don’t have much time.” she said once she had decided.
“Wh...where am I?” was the first thing that came to his mind, and with that, a strange moment of peace took hold in his mind.
“We are no longer on Earth. Infact, we are no longer in the same universe. We are now currently in a Universe experiencing its Apocalypse, and you have been brought here by me for a very important reason.”
Before she could continue, the boy spoke up. “So let me guess, you want me to help save it somehow?”
“Humans tend to be rather sharp, I have underestimated you.” she gave a joking smile as she once again shifted her legs. The boy was in awe. That was a joke, he was still confused, but apparently he was believing this a lot faster than he expected.
“H-how am I supposed to save it? I have nothing! Sorry, but you chose the…” before finishing his sentence, the woman put up her hand as if to silence him.
“You might feel as if you have nothing, but here, you shall receive everything. This Universe’s Apocalypse has brought a strange energy onto the land, and it will bless you with a power of great strength. It might seem like a curse at first, but as long as you can continue to grow, it will become the greatest blessing bestowed onto any mortal.” said the woman as she pushed up her glasses.
“You talk as if you know everything, what are you?” said the boy as he began to feel doubt. How could he believe any of this? He wasn’t the brightest, but he wasn’t gullible either, right? He then began doubting himself. Even if this was true, how could he be able to do anything with the power? He knew his limits, and he knew they weren’t that high either, so why him?
“I know you may feel doubtful, but just know, I am your Universe itself, and I have selected you out of the billions, trillions of lives that exist within me.” said the Universe as she gave a comforting smile. She held up her hand, a star was born in her palm, then suddenly it died as she made a fist. A strange aura protruded from her body, as if galaxies began spiraling around her, and a blanket of stars surrounded her. All the boy could do was stare as everything unfolded, as if his doubts were gone, even for just a second.
There was no choice, the boy had to believe. There was nothing too crazy now, and he just accepted what was going on rather than continuing to question. This seemed a little unreasonable, but as the boy tried to think, it just gave him a headache most likely caused by the disease. The Universe stifled a laugh with her hand, finding his lack of staying suspicion entertaining. The aura then ceased as all came back to her body. This was another big reason she had chosen him. They could have been here for hours on end if she grabbed any other human.
“I will explain more as you grow in power, but first…” was all the boy could here before he blacked out. The room was gone, but he was no longer in the void. Rather, he felt a bit crusty, as he was covered in dry dirt stuck to his skin. He felt a burning in his throat, a dryness in his mouth, and he sat up, coughing what seemed to be dust out of his mouth. The last thing he could remember was a certain direction that was burnt into his mind by that woman. She said they would continue to stay in touch, but he would first have to make it to a certain town not far from where he was. As he looked into the distance, he saw something, as if it were a sign from the universe itself. Infact, that’s what it was. In the boy’s vision appeared a bright green sign with a small character that resembled the Universe pointing towards a direction, and the phrase “That Way!” blinking on it.
The boy couldn’t help but laugh, or at least try to. However, all that came out of his mouth was more dirt. He stood from the ground, noticing the bodies around him and the smell of burning in the air. He stopped to wonder what happened here, but in the end all he could get out of thinking was a headache. He felt as if he did remember something, but now he could not, as if something had just slipped away. Giving up, he looked ahead, ready to follow where this sign went, still a bit uneasy about all of this.
With the boy on his way, there was only one thing she had to do before getting back to him. The Universe had to see this Universe’s core. To do this, she had to be 100% careful, and if anything went wrong, everything would fall apart. She could not monitor the boy, because if she did, she would not be able to completely concentrate on what she was doing.
She began her descent into the world, finding a strange corruption that lead so far down that there seemed to be nothing there at all. It was as if the core was being eaten, becoming the void itself. Deeper and deeper, there glowed a faint light. As she got closer and closer, she could feel the dark chill of the void lighten. She was getting closer. Finally, she touched down at the very center of the coor. A figure of a person was blurred as they were in what seemed to be chains of pure black. It gave out a strange yelp, as if it was screaming for help but could not speak. The Universe knelt down to try and comfort the other Universe, but her hands simply phased through. She then began to speak to her sister.
“Do not fret my sister, for my champion has come to save you and your people! We will not leave you to die, I promise.”
The figure wriggled in its chains, and it gave out a shriek that would drive mortals insane, but the Universe simply gave it a smile.
“I ask you one thing. Please, help my champion live. As long as you can keep death from the boy, he will be able to save you. As for your chains, I could help out a bit.” With her final statement, the Universe smirked as she touched the chains. They disappeared, the figure released. The blue fuzz of a figure began to change, its form altering in jolts. It began reverting back to what it once was, the Universe’s Sister, but it wasn’t complete.
“Um… I don’t think you really fixed it.” said the figure, no longer just a blur of a person. A small girl sat at the floor of the abyss, looking up at her sister. This was not her true form, but it was all she could manage with the power temporarily given to her. She wore a white furry coat, a flower pattern skirt, and leggings covering her legs. On her head sat a large, white beret. Her eyes were as blue of the sky with strange details in them, as if they held clouds within.
“Don’t worry… it’s just a workaround. It will take a while to truly fix it. As you cannot leave here with your own power, I’m lending you some of mine… so you technically are no longer technically this universe, but that means you can leave and…” The Universe was cut off, shocked from a sudden hug.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” yelled out the small childlike being. This made the Universe smile, patting this girl, Her sister, on the head.
“C’mon, we have some kids to look after for a while.”
In creation, there is everything.
Visions of another world flooded his head, the image of a single boy current in each of them. Suddenly, a cough and a deep breath followed by a bright flash shook the boy awake. The boy sat in his bed, clutching his head. He couldn’t help but ask himself “What was that?” He ran his hands through his hair as he grabbed a brush with his free other. He began to brush his chestnut hair to comfort himself, as he found himself doing this whenever stressed. It usually helped him calm down, but at this time, it wasn’t exactly effective. His hair ran to his lap, each stroke of the brush straightened its nest-like appearance, but it only seemed to anger him further. After a few minutes of blind frustration, the boy began asking himself questions. “Who was that boy?” “Where was he?” but the last question he asked himself was something he knew, but didn’t know why. “Is he here?”
The moment the boy opened his eyes, he could feel a sort of presence. He couldn’t place his finger on what it was, but all he knew was it was getting stronger and stronger every few minutes. However, the boy’s thoughts were completely derailed as a loud knock came from the door, a yell soon following.
“Maron! Get up, you’re going to miss lessons!” yelled a friend of his. This yell startled him, as he couldn’t be late again. He threw his brush back to his bedside table and rushed to throw on his uniform. He slipped on a black cloak over his white button-up shirt and put on a pair of brown pants, which were comfortable enough to stretch in. He put on his socks in a hurry, and as he opened the door, stuffed his feet into his shoes. His friend jogged in place at the door, winking at Maron.
“Morning sunshine, looks like you actually fixed the nest on your head this morning.” he said as he gave a giggle. This boy’s hair was a bright blonde, and it flowed down to his waist. A bow was used to tie his hair into a ponytail, while a pin kept his bangs from getting in his eyes. He moved his head as if to signal to him “Get moving!”
As they began to briskly walk to class, Maron thought it only right to reply to him. “Morning to you to Bertol, I see your glasses are as foggy as ever, getting tired already?”
“Very funny Maron, but don’t forget that you’re the one tired all the time.” said Bertol, in what sounded to be an annoyed tone.
“At least I have a valid excuse,” said Maron. Bertol gave a worried look, knowing what Maron had been talking about. Years ago, Maron’s village had been ravaged by a strange illness known as The Hero’s Death, which had killed most of those who had contracted it. Maron had been thought to have come out unscathed, but it was found he still carried the illness It was both very weak and inactive, yet, he sometimes would become terribly sick, feeling the symptoms of the illness, yet not to their full extent.
After a while of convincing Bertol he was fine, Maron stopped at the door of his class, waving to Bertol. Bertol continued to walk, his class just a few rooms away. Maron was a bit depressed, as Bertol was his only friend, and they were in different classes. This thought would usually make him grouchy, but he felt today was special, like something would change all of this. As he made it to his seat, he looked out the classroom’s skylight,, his eyes focusing on the clouds.
“Alright class, let’s review for our upcoming quiz… Please take out your history books and turn to page...”
Maron began to tune out his teacher, beginning to recall the events that started this whole war in the first place, to his knowledge at least.
The world was once a place without Samson, the energy that drives the powerful. The people were normal, with no great strength, but they managed to survive and thrive. However, the greed of the inhabitants brought fighting into the peaceful land. At the time, they only used primitive weapons like guns and swords, nothing like the army today. At first, it seemed like a war that would end in mere months, but it soon spiraled out of control, affecting the whole planet. Of course, The Goddess would not abandon them, so she gave them a gift.
This gift was Samson, which empowered the weak, and brought the strong to their knees. This gift was bestowed to the women in the world, and for a while, an unsteady peace was formed. It seemed like a miracle, as these mighty women could fight hundreds, thousands of men by themselves, and were soon respected by all sides of the war. They were given a power that seemed like magic to everyone. They seemed to have no physical limits, and had the perfect balance of everything, from strength to smarts. However, the most amazing part about it was their ability to bear an element.
Each Samson Bearer held the power of an element. This was what put them above everyone else. They could manipulate the world around them, the water, the fire, the wind, the ground, and even the life on it.
However, they did have a weakness. There hair was what attracted the Samson from the lands, and if cut, they would not be able to gather as much. However, even with this knowledge, there was nothing men could do. The hair had been enhanced, and with no known weapons strong enough to cut it, this peace that was achieved came with an extreme imbalance of power.
Yet, over the years, a change occurred within the males. There hair began to grow, their bodies adopting the women’s abilities. It did not seem strong at first, but over hundreds of generations, this fact changed. Boys then had the potential to bear Samson, and soon enough, some of them were even capable of bearing elements. However, the most important generation changed it all.
Even if not as potent as a woman’s, the boys of the 149th generation were able to ascend the ranks of an Elemental Bearer, a feat which allowed them to grow in their mastery of the elements. Still, this did not come without consequences. As time went on, boys began to lose what set them apart from females in the first place. At first, it was rather subtle, and all that seemed to be happening was a decrease in muscle growth, a change in voice, and altogether, nothing really important. But soon, it began to affect the growth of their… ahem, privates. Then, the largest hit, was the increase in sterile males. Soon enough, only the few without the ability to bear Samson were able to reproduce, but that didn’t seem to matter. All that mattered was that the genders were now on the same footing, if you could even call them males at this point.
Once again, the world spiraled into chaos, obviously not ready for the sudden evening of the odds. Anger and protests against the laws set by women kick started the second war, thus the world returned to its fractured self. The peace the women had achieved would not last forever. And so history approaches the present, the world is once again divided into Families, and they fight over territory, fueled by the same greed that fueled their ancestors.
In recent years, several Families were either destroyed or fazed in with other, bigger Families, and now, only around 20 known Families exist. The largest Family, Eres Solist, held over 700 million people, and was currently the Family Maron belonged to. The Land of Eres Solesta was also the largest of the lands, spanning almost the entire continent. What stopped it from doing so was the respect it showed for other forms of life that resided on the world, and for it, they were blessed, or at least that was what he was told.
Several minutes passed, but to Maron, it felt like an eternity. His thoughts shifted from History to his dreams. Who was this boy? The feeling in his stomach was getting stronger by the minute, a voice in his head grew louder and louder. He could no longer distract himself from it. Suddenly, the presence grew so strong that Maron stood up, everything around him blank. He panicked, but then it ceased, and his senses returned. Class was over, and their lunch period had started.
In an extremely hurried fashion, Maron pushed past the current of students rushing out of the school, ready for their lunch break. He felt the strangeness in his stomach telling him to go, go somewhere. It told him to just walk, so he followed. He didn’t know where, but he knew to just go.
His brisk walk began to shift into a jog, then a sprint. The feeling was disappearing, and he knew he was running out of time.
He ran faster and faster, and as he turned a corner, he found what he was looking for.
It was a boy with hair worn short was on the ground, crushed by the weight of his own power. He let out an inhumane yell, and the air around him wreaked of an eerie stench. However, what shocked Maron the most was the amount of pressure the boy’s Samson was creating. The ground underneath him cracked, his clothes tore and flapped around. His Samson was doing the impossible. His Samson took a physical form. It seeped from his body in the form of violently lashing tendrils, as if it was being forced out. Maron knew exactly what was happening. This boy was infected with The Hero's Death. Yet, even with the Hero’s Death, how did he have this much Samson? His hair was so short, yet Samson flowed out as if it was endless. Most people like him died almost instantly, but he was producing this much...
He tried getting closer, but the weight of the Samson slammed him into the ground, and he couldn’t move. Maron tried to stretch out, and he put everything into wriggling forward, but nothing happened. He felt as if he would be flattened, and yet he felt as though he had to do something. As if on cue, he saw in his mind the release of some sort of being. Its chains that once held it shattered, and a power filled him. An aura of sorts wrapped around his body, and he once again gained the ability to move. With great effort, Maron got back on his feet. Even when each step felt like they would crush his bones, he continued forward. Crash, crash, crash, his feet dug into the ground, but they always came back up. He knelt down, his arms fighting for a hold on the boy. He picked him up, the boy squirming like an animal. Maron gave a smile, and in his embrace, the wild boy calmed, the presence fading.
Maron once again felt the pulsing, but this time, it was soft, calm, and right in his hands. He walked toward the school, each step feeling like a mile. He was completely drained, and yet continued to walk in a dazed happiness.
As Maron approached the school, students parted, making way for him all while staring. The Samson of the boys intertwined, creating a strange aura around them. All felt the strange pressure, and soon enough, faculty made their way to view the spectacle. The Samson swirled upwards, creating what seemed to be a peaceful tornado of energy, filling whoever touched with a strange light feeling.
Suddenly, Maron fell onto his knees, his body completely drained. Yet, he still carefully held the boy, and with his final strength, put on a smile. His head fell forward, no longer awake, but he remained in his kneeling position, holding the boy tightly. When the staff tried to move the two, a sort of Samson barrier protected them. It was only until the Headmaster broke it by force that they could be moved, and he instructing for the boys to brought to the infirmary, then to his office once awake.
He looked at his hand, as it was brutalized by the Samson, and gave a smile. This was it. He now knew that it was finally time.
In the equality of both, there is existence.
The boys, after brought to the infirmary, lay asleep. However, once again, the strange boy was stuck in a state of sleep and awareness.
“Boy, I have returned…” said the Universe as she appeared in the void. Beside her was her sister, clinging to her side like a child. The void suddenly changed back to the white room, the furniture was in the same positions, and the boy found himself sitting in the same chair. This time, his head was clear, and his body was filled with a light feeling, all effects of his sickness gone.
“Ah…” Before he could finish his statement, he spotted the small girl hiding behind The Universe, confused a bit. “Who’s that?” he asked.
“Oh, this is This Universe. She’s the one in a pinch, and the one we’ll be helping out.” said The Universe, signaling to the small, childlike being.
She moved into the boy’s sight, giving a nervous bow. “Th...thank you very much for coming here.” she said, stuttering all the while.
“No problem.” he said in a calm manner, which was rather strange to him. He was talking to The Universe, well… this Universe. That got him thinking...
“What should I call you guys?” he said as he looked over to The, er… his Universe. She covered her mouth, most likely stifling a laugh.
“No seriously. If you two are both universes, I can’t just say, Hey Universe, I need to talk with you.” he said, seriousness in his voice.
The Universe began to laugh uncontrollably. There were so many things to talk about, like what he should be doing, how could he help, but nope, he wants names. This was actually rather charming of him, as he would rather ask for what to call them then get straight to business, which you wouldn’t expect from a boy dealing with 2 beings of infinite power. There were several reasons she chose this boy as Her Champion, and this was one of them.
“Is something really that funny?” the boy asked. He was now a extremely confused, the look on his face blank.
“Ah… no. I see what you mean, that does pose a… serious problem.” said The Universe as she wiped a tear from her eye.
After taking a second to think her hand scratching her chin, eyes shut, she came to the perfect conclusion. As her eyes opened, she let out the answer. “Alright, I’ve settled on our names!”
“How come I don’t have a say in-” the smaller Universe tried to convey her thoughts, but was instantly cut of.
“How about you call her Yuna, like how you pronounce Universe, and call me Yuni, like how you spell it?” she said proudly. She took the time to really think about those names, and she was happy with them.
“But, I-” Before beginning her protest, Yuna gave up. She didn’t have any ideas, and let out a deep breath. These were the people saving Her, so she couldn’t be too picky.
“Now since that’s decided, could you elaborate on how I should help out?” the boy asked. He knew what he was going to do, just not how to do it.
“You remember how I said that you would be blessed? Well, in this world, the Apocalypse was set off early to give the world a fresh start. It wasn’t the kind you are thinking about though, which will be the hardest part to explain…” said Yuni as she pulled out a chair and sat. She got as comfortable as She could, and intertwined her fingers, resting her elbows on the table.
“The Apocalypse gave the people on this world a strange power called Samson that would allow them to restart themselves. However, not everyone cooperated, and thus, the world was thrown into war. With the powers of This Universe clashing, the Core of the Universe, this planet, was corrupted. What you have to do is use your power, the power of the void.”
“Well, I guess that’s not so surprising, but just what does “the void” do?” asked the boy, as if the fact he had powers didn’t faze him. Actually, it really didn’t. His head was clear now, but that didn’t change the fact he believed. All of this was still so crazy, and even though his brain was fully functional, he didn’t have enough to be sceptical in the first place.
“Let’s see… think of it like air. It doesn’t seem there, but it is. The Void acts like something that isn’t there, but really is. If used, it will appear as if whatever it touches vanishes, but really, it was just changed into the Void. It’s a simple trick but pretty strong.” said Yuni, the boy listening intently.
He was understanding it, but a part of him already fully understood. He could feel something inside of him, but he felt unsure that he could channel it. He felt as if something was wrong.
“There’s just one problem.” began Yuni. This caught the boy’s attention. His eyes widened, as if he was surprised. He almost knew what the problem was, but wasn’t sure. He wasn’t ready for this news, and even if he already had a heads up, he was still shocked.
“The Samson Meridians in your body, the things that let you control the flow of your Samson, were completely destroyed when you went berserk due to The Hero’s Death. It will continue to naturally flow within you, but you will not be able to use your powers normally.” said Yuni, the look on her face shifting from its usual happy to a more serious look.
“Does that mean I can’t-” before he was depressed, Yuni shifted back to her happy self.
“Of course there are ways around it! You aren’t useless. We don’t have anything now, but we can figure something out.” she spouted wildly, waving her arms rapidly as if to shake of any sadness.
It worked, and the boy was reassured. He might have just been handicapped, but that doesn’t mean he’s out of it just yet.
“Well then… what will I use my powers to do then?” asked the boy. His mind was now set. Whatever this task was, he was going to do it. He wasn’t going to question the reality of it too much, as there was nothing he could do about it. He was stuck here. If he couldn’t go back, he might as well do what he can here. It might not make any sense, but he knew it would over time.
Yuna was the one to answer this question. “To destroy the darkness plaguing the land, you must overthrow the 20 Families and unite them. Once this world knows peace, the darkness will be defeated.” she said in a way that seemed grave yet calm, which was strange for how young she looked. Then again, she wasn’t really young, but actually a Universe older than Yuni.
“That might take years, decades even. You might not even be the one to do it, but you are most definitely going to start it.” followed Yuni. If he was going to be here for a while, what about his family? His friends? What about the entire world that they took him from. He was happy to help Yuna, but did he really have no chance of going back?
“If you are wondering about going home. I can take you back, but just for goodbyes. We have a lot of business, but just know, we can’t waste too much time.” said Yuni. She was a little worried, but she knew that if he turned back, he would most likely leave.
“Nah, it's probably better that I don’t do that for now.” he said. It wouldn’t be the easiest to look at all his friends and family and say goodbye. It was much easier to hope they would just forget about him.
“I shall be helping you throughout your quest via my Champion, and I suppose Yuni will be with you 24/7. So don’t worry. This might not be much, but now, we will have to be your family and friends.” said Yuna, in a comforting, almost motherly way.
The boy smiled. At least he still had people to call his family. Although this was all so strange, he felt as if he was born to do this. He felt as if The Universe planned this from the start.
“Oh right, how silly of me. We can’t be family if we don’t know your name!” said Yuni, quickly butting in.
“Oh… well, the name’s… Adrian, Adrian Cheng.” said the boy. He felt a bit uncomfortable, but quickly accepted the idea. These were the people he would be with for a long time, and he felt that they had no ill intent. He knew these people would truly prove to be family.
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