Chapter 41: Henosis

  "Woah…" Sasha looked mesmerized. Her eyes were dashing from side to side like a kid in a candy shop. They stood on a railing surrounding the inside of the massive central dome. Below them was a dense black fog, but for some reason, they could see through it. Below was a massive hall. A bustling hall with people walking everywhere. At its center stood a circular reception desk around which people gathered.

  They all had one thing in common, they looked rather young and when they left the desk, they left towards one of the four massive doors. One clearly was the exit, and the other three were engraved with different symbols.

  As he started walking on the bridge, he raised his head, realizing there were similar doors in front of him. Beyond the central elevator were two doors standing approximately sixty degrees away from each other. One had a massive winged sword surrounded by a shield engraved in it while the other was encrusted with the depiction of a wrench crossed with a screwdriver, both surrounded by a massive winged gear.

  Throughout their walk to the elevator, neither of them said a word. Each admiring their surroundings. It was like they were being sucked in, absorbed by the majesty of this place.

  When they finally reached the elevator, they turned around, getting a clear look at the door they'd come from. The symbol on the last door was that of a caduceus, two coiling serpents wrapped around a winged rod.

  Combat, utility, recovery; those three words came to mind. Just like the network showed him… was it like a grading system for awakenings? To his thoughts, a voice resounded in his ear.

  "The Henosis grading system is composed of three categories. Combat, recovery, and utility each possessing their own wing in the Central Basilica. The three grades are used to determine a person's overall ability. It is also used as a qualification tool for certain jobs." Interesting… with his suit, he could access the network directly. He had to get used to this. He understood its use, but how was it graded?

  "Individuals are graded from 1 to 12. Most will only fall in the range from 1 to 10 in any given category. Among those who reach the 10th grade, the best are chosen to be pushed to the 11th grade, where they are granted leadership positions in their respective fields. The normal grades are determined by a series of randomized algorithmic tests that determine the ability's strength, duration, stability…" So, a hierarchical system based on strength. Wasn't that just like in The Union? Hmm… then what about grade 12? If he had to guess, he was probably about to meet them.

  "Ah, you're finally here Ang…" When the elevator's door opened, it revealed three people waiting for them. Standing and sitting around a giant glass pillar, its surface sometimes flashing in a peculiar bright color.

  "Alexandra! And you must be Vich!" Hearing this voice for a second time, something inside Slava snapped. In an instant, his suit overtook his entire body, and he lunged toward the voice. Its owner was scrawny, oblivious to Slava's assault.

  "Woah, what's with this aggression?" His chains were about to reach his enemy's neck when the words stopped him. Not out of his own will, it was like his words had triggered something in the suit, stopping his movements.

  Feeling the resistance, Slava gritted his teeth and his back lit up. The indicators in his vision were red, a virtual lock shaking over them. Meeting the man's confident deep gray eyes, his whole body shook.

  "Holly… So those are the 'Shackles of Time'," the man said, completely ignoring Slava's murderous intent. He was inspecting the chains like a child would a picture book. "Chains that ignore the laws of physics, carrying movement and changing the flow of time." Where? How? This man that caused the death of his friend…

  "Who are you and what are you doing?" Sasha worriedly asked behind his back. She also seemed locked in place, unable to move. Although she seemed to be taking the situation a lot better than Slava.

  "Your Sigil must be incredible, you even managed to integrate it with the suit." The man soon realized he was being spoken to, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh, yes! Sorry for the late introduction. I am Jack…" He abruptly interrupted his words, his eyes growing wide. The sound of a lock breaking resounded in Slava's ears, and his body began moving again.

  "Slava, wait!" Sasha screamed, but it was too late, he had already pierced the man's heart.

  "Kolya died because of you," he grunted through his teeth. His chain had clearly pierced the target, but blood didn't come out. The body before him simply disintegrated into a mist that scattered and reformed a few meters away.

  "I suggest you calm down, kid," he heard a familiar voice say. "You won't get anywhere like this." Slava hadn't even noticed the man sneak up behind him. He could clearly see his hand on his shoulder, but he couldn't feel it. So this was Crow without his hood. A surprisingly handsome man. Short dark hair, full beard, scarred face, and sharp dark eyes piercing through him, somehow exuding an overwhelming pressure. Meeting his gaze, he closed his eyes.

  As he calmed down, his suit retreated back into his skin. Sasha soon joined his side. And the dark cloud in front of them materialized back into the person that had been there before.

  "Jesus, that hurt like a motherfucker." He hunched over reflexively. "And by the way, Nic didn't die because of me." He straightened his back, running his hand through his black and gray hair. "But you really are amazing, to think that your domain could bypass my locks." He was about to continue when the man who hadn't talked yet spoke up.

  "What he means to say is that he did not kill Nicholas," he sighed. "That man made his own decisions, and Jack simply prolonged his life." Slava finally focussed his eyes on the man's figure, meeting his reflection in his tinted glasses. "And I'm sure you already know that." He was by far the most lavishly dressed out of the three. His neatly combed light-brown hair, accentuating his outfit. It was odd that they hadn't noticed him before.

  "Yeah, yeah Vinc." Jack broke the tense atmosphere. "I'm sure he knows that, he just overreacted, I get it. Nic was a good man." Despite his nonchalant attitude, his hands were shaking. "Anyway, where are Angel and C?" He asked, his eyes wandering about as if looking at something they could not.

  "She left carrying him," Slava said. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sasha's jaw open slightly from shock. He had made an unnecessary blunder, the least he could do was answer the question he was asked. Besides, he was starting to like him, his transparency and playfulness reminded him of his late friend.

  "Hmm… did he get hurt during training? Or…" he was cut short once again by the man he'd called Vinc, probably short for Vincent.

  "What was it this time? Was it his grandfather? Or was the love-struck fool still on about his predecessor?" He looked annoyed, grabbing his jaw and leaning on the giant glass pillar. The barely transparent pillar that contained a strange liquid and a… silhouette?

  "Haha! Well, you know he wouldn't dare talk about his love in front of Angel." Jack laughed, letting himself fall onto one of the levitating chairs.

  "Ah, fuck! Can we just get this over with?" Vincent was impatiently tapping his boot on the ground. He clearly had somewhere else to be.

  "Well I think we should at least wait for Angel, I saw her earlier, she's almost here." Leaning forward, Jack was about to wave his hand, his eyes emitting a light glow when Crow who was now sitting in a chair in front of him stopped him looking to the side.

  "I'm here!" A door on Slava's left slid open and Angel emerged from it. She'd changed now wearing short shorts and a loose crop top, holes spread around its fabric, giving it a unique look, showing off her fit figure, her muscles unusually defined. Passing them by, she reached the pillar and turned around.

  "I was hoping you wouldn't make a mess." She carefully scrutinized their surroundings, the carvings on the walls, the circuit-like patterns pulsing here and there, nothing escaped her sight. "I guess I should be grateful," she sighed. "Did these guys even tell you anything about what we're doing here?" Seeing Sasha's shrug, Angel brought her fingers to her temples before turning around and touching the glass.

  "We're here to meet" to her touch, circuits flashed on the pillar's surface, "the leading figure of Henosis, one of the first Awakened," the glass turned completely transparent revealing a golden-haired woman floating in the liquid, her eyes closed, "The Prophet."