Chapter 2: Night of Century 2

"We'll have to wait for a moment I guess. So gather around my kin, and let me set the scene—"

Suddenly, I was interrupted. All that was written in the book, all the records and knowledge flooded over my head. My eyes glowed in azure hues. My heart pumped like a drum in my chest. And there, I could see it. I could see it all.

The past, the present, and even … 

'The future? Wait, what are these? Vision? Hallucination? What am I even—'

Thousands of pictures flashed before my eyes, events upon events, each overlapping another. I couldn't even comprehend the information I had received. The image was so vague, like clouds of thousands of memories with each being shown for but a second.

"Brother!" A voice called me from far away. 

The same voice called me once more, this time so faint I couldn't interpret it as words. 

"Brother!" 

The voice called out once more, this time loud and clear, so loud that I freaked out and shutted my eyes. 

With just a blink, I found myself in a narrow wooden log, and outside was a deep forest shrouded in darkness with no end in sight. 'Where am I? Wait, what is that?'

At that moment, I realized something, some … object was placed on my head. I looked up … it was a severed hand, cut clean from its body.

'A hand? on MY HEAD!? OK, R'torias, you must go. 

YOU MUST GET OUT OF HERE.'

I crawled out of the log and looked far and wide, seeking any potential threats. As I looked to my right, my gaze was met with four metallic humanoid figures holding some kind of weapon in their hands.

Their eyes shined bright red and there I realized that if I didn't start running, there would be consequences. I got up and ran as fast as I could to the opposite of them.

A crackling sound of thunder came from behind, closer and closer followed by a loud swoosh as the blue ball of energy tore the air and flew right to my face. There I closed my eyes, flinching in terror. Of course, it was an act of instinct, yet I didn't resist at all. As if I had accepted my fate. As if I didn't care what would happen to me.

After a moment of silence, I heard a loud slap and at the same time, felt something was hitting my face. And so, I opened my eyes.

"Sisters?" 

It's one of my sisters, shaking my shoulders violently with both of her hands.

 "Finally! I-I thought we lost you!"

She said in a panicked yet relieved tone. She pulled me in her arms and held me so tight I started hearing cracks in my back.

After pulling myself together, I slowly pushed her away, gently before asking her.

 "Lost who? What do you even mean?" 

 "Brother, you froze like—dead, and blue light glows through your veins, your skin, and even your e-eyes now i-it's bleeding!" 

 "Is this a joke?" I asked. Yet I see our youngest of us crying with others trying to console her. I gently brushed around under my eyes. As I looked at them, my hands were covered red in blood. I tried to run to the mirror to see my face but I couldn't move. My legs weren't working. 

 "Atlas! Hand me a mirror!" Straight like ever before, Atlas flung a mirror at my face so fast it would've hit me if I hadn't been looking. I took but a glimpse of my reflection and what I saw was worse than what I'd expected. My eyes weren't bleeding, rather they were crying in blood. 

'Is … Is this because of what I saw? Is this because of what I am seeing? Or is this because of what I will see?'

My eyes eventually stopped bleeding after a while. Everyone tried to diagnose what had happened to me but no one seemed to have any idea. 

"R'ty, trust me, stop whatever you are doing," Dawn, the eldest of us, suggested.

"I'm fine now, no need to worry."

"Fine, if you say so. But if anything happens, don't say that I supported your action in the first place," he said humorously.

"Now, where did I finish off?" I adjust my posture, take the deepest breath, and open the book as I begin.

"Gather around, my kins, and let me whisk you to a time long forgotten. In the ancient days, on the cradle of humanity, Earth, where our ancestors roamed as mere beasts driven by only primal instincts. They hunted, they killed, they fought for survival, the world where oblivion is the only option. These early humans, through the passage of ages, transformed into beings of unparalleled wisdom. It was the knowledge that unlocked the door to their minds, elevating them beyond any creature's reach. They dived into the realms of philosophy, art, science, and countless other domains, laying the foundation for their thriving civilization throughout history. But, my dear listeners, there was one concept that, like a thorn in the side of their progress, continually challenged their very essence, their very own living: "morality."The concept of morality, my dear brothers and sisters, is the beacon that guides humans to discern between virtues and iniquity. It's why we, humans, are not like those savage beasts. Yet, hold your breath, for this story unfolds with more than a twist. Morality isn't merely a force that elevates us above the animal kingdom; it's a double-edged sword. Humans are not creatures of absolutes, but rather, involute beings swayed by the ever-shifting tides of emotions and thoughts like a lost man in the ocean.

Picture it this way, like glasses of water – goals and limits, boundaries and ambitions. These glasses are not just markers of our aspirations but also the borders of our society. However, many push past those limits, breaking the rules and taking from others to fill their glass. Just like when we pour too much water into the glass, it overflows, so does their greed consume them. We find ourselves acting against our own philosophies, even when we know it leads us nowhere good. Even at the height of our civilization, we're still gripped by this consumption. Are we truly superior to those beings of lower intelligence? Which creatures on this planet kill for wealth and personal gain, driven by ignorance? Despite the freedom we enjoy, people are allowed to do as they please, for the consequences they face are often none. Freedom, my friends, carries with it the chaos that knows no bounds.

Yet, my friend, it is a universal fact that nothing lasts forever. One day, the sky turned crimson red as twin meteorites crashed upon Earth, stripping away mankind's freedom and also its chaos. Billions perished, leaving only a spare few to roam the shattered world. Shortly after, they encountered a man fully covered in glistening silver, adorned with radiant amber-like stones. His helmet bore wings, his boots too, and a staff in hand with twin serpents entwined, topped by yet again, another pair of wings. His presence radiated an aura so divine that it brought them to their knees. There, he delivered a speech. One that would be etched in history for centuries to come."

"Heed my words, filthy mortals, let the words of mine seep into your very soul, for I am Hermes, the divine messenger of Olympus. Since the first flame was stolen from us, your kind has remained unchanged, despite the knowledge and superiority we graciously bestowed upon you. WE elevated your kind to be MORE superior than all that ever roamed this world. Yet you still persist in your loathsome actions coming from pure greed, ignorance and all your abhorrent desire —- slavery, corruption, murder, these are but mere glimpses of your depravity, desperation, or simply destruction. Such wretchedness is beyond pitiful. You grovel beneath even the mindless creatures you ruthlessly slaughter. But fear not, for you now stand purified. Under our radiant guidance, you shall no longer walk astray. We, the embodiments of virtue, the paragons of righteousness, shall direct you on the path to liberation from your sinful bonds, leading you to the perfection that has forever been your destiny."

Suddenly, every mortal's eye that stood before him glowed in golden. 

'Take this as a blessing'

A golden light from the sky bathed the messenger and as the luminous glow slowly ebbed away, he vanished into the planes of existence beyond the sky, leaving behind what would become a great shift to humanity. Since then some people have started calling that power a blessing, others hailed it as arcane, and still, there were those who boldly proclaimed it as magic. Eventually, humanity came to realize that this divine energy had touched every soul upon the Earth. Guided by the Olympians, who reigned over mankind for a millennium, civilizations flourished anew. Nations spurred from the ruins of the old world. After ruling for a span of thousand and five hundred years, the Olympians' legacy remained enshrined in tales and relics of which is called "Artifacts" nine artifacts forged from their boundless power. These relics, awarded upon champions chosen by the gods themselves, stood as testaments to their compassion and might. But as the ages turned, once again, humanity found itself lost, trapped by its own mistakes. Alas, the lessons of the past were forgotten, and the present era is now buried in the fires of conflict. War spreads upon lands, as a reminisce of humanity's failure to learn from history. Yet, among the chaos, a glimmer of hope remains—a call for humanity to rise above its struggles and create a future worthy of its divine gifts."

I closed the book as golden powder materialized in my hand, the essence of the book itself, all that was written down in it. I blew the powder on our bedroom's wall and it started to seep into it, forming a blurred, vague picture of a boy looking at a framed photograph.

Our third brother then asked.

"R'ty, uh is this supposed to be just a picture?"

"A moment, young one, allow me to show you ..." I close my eyes before I speak aloud.

"By my volition of sovereignty, may all falsehoods be laid bare and the singular veracity be illuminated resplendent glory."

As I opened my eyes, the dust started moving, like a record.

"Good job!" Dawn applauded.

"What do we do now, brother?" I asked.

Dawn answered "Now? Now we watch."