Chapter 42: Prophet

  "Every time one of the six 12 graders dies, we wake her up, so she can choose a new one." Hearing an invading voice in his head, Slava raised an eyebrow. "Alright, don't go off trying to kill me now." Turning his head, he met Jack's smile. "I'm just talking through it, nothing invasive, just some telecommunication. This much should be expected, I made the suits, after all." Telecommunications, huh? His suit did pick up on all passing communications.

  "We lost Nicholas." Angel suddenly said, interrupting them. "He wasn't always with us," she paused, giving some space for Jack to but in. "She means he was never here," he heard him chuckle in his head. "He was a 12 grader, one of us, the strongest of Henosis." She looked down, clenching her fists. "Well, he was the strongest of us after Crow," Jack butted in once more, his voice now dejected.

  "He was and forever will be a beacon for all of us. We will give him a proper funeral," She turned around to face them. "But for now, we must wake The Prophet. To choose our new comrade and find a place for our guests." Her gaze wandered between him and Sasha.

  "Isn't she good at doing the official stuff? If you ask me, she should get the title of apostle or something." This guy sure was lively. But it was true, this whole thing almost felt like a ceremony. Turning back towards the glass, Angel swiped her hand across its surface, and following her movements, with a soft sound, the liquid started to drain from the tank.

  As he looked on, Slava's mind trailed off. Did he say he'd made the suits? Was he the one Kolya used to talk about? If so, then did that mean that he could finally get some answers? About the purple sea, the artificial domains… He also called his chains 'Shackles of Time'. Did that mean that they were linked to something he wasn't aware of?

  Hearing the sound of air escaping through a small gap, his eyes focused in time to see a kneeling figure slowly stand back up. The previously hazy silhouette became clear. She wore a white exosuit, golden patterns lining its surface. A slim pristine body, skin smooth like porcelain, silky golden hair flowing onto the floor. Her eyes opened, emanating a golden luster, momentarily blinding him.

  "I see you've brought me the child." She paused for a moment. "She's much older than I expected." Her voice was echoing through the room, as divine as her form. "And, she seems… weaker." When his eyes finally adapted, he saw as she stood before Sasha, holding her chin, her hair slightly levitating behind her. "It's good to see you again, Arissa." Sasha froze. "Even if it's only a part of you." Sasha's previously disgusted expression turned to shock. "Good job, Nicholas," she continued, her eyes not leaving the frozen Sasha. Not hearing an answer, she abruptly turned her head, scanning the room. He felt her gaze gloss over him, sending a chill down his spine.

  "Prophet…" Angel looked down when her eyes landed on her. "Nic didn't make it." A long silence ensued, during which the prophet's eyes grew wide.

  "What do you mean?" She asked, slightly squinting her eyes, her gaze almost menacing. "What about his fa… about Lightbringer?" This was dangerous, she felt stronger than anything he'd experienced so far and on top of that, she didn't seem to consider them at all. He didn't know what she would do to Sasha, but looking at her expression just now, he didn't want to find out.

  "They both fought to the death… neither of them survived." Now even Angel looked uneasy. At this point, the prophet had taken her hands off of Sasha and was simply staring incredulously at Angel.

  Now! This was his only chance to take Sasha and run. He didn't like this idea, but something felt wrong. They had to get out of here. Without a second loss, the world around him began to fade and slow down. From color to different shades of grey and finally to black. He had learned much from his previous fight. The light would no longer reach his eyes, but he didn't need it. His back lit up and so did his eye. He could feel the surrounding movement, from one to the next, a chain of momentum.

  Sasha was right there, he could feel her familiar domain invading his. But something was wrong with the movement around her. There was no order to it, it was… chaos. Wait, where was… Not letting him finish his thought, he felt the movement shift in front of him. Shift!

  "Who are you? You're fast. To evade my predictions…" When the blow came, his arms were already in front of him. The message that came with it rang through his head. If he hadn't redirected the blow to his surroundings, he would've been at least severely injured. Shit! How was she so fast? He was faster than he'd ever been, yet he wasn't fast enough.

  "You still won't talk? Fine, I'll see for myself then." The next blow came from below. As it was about to hit him, he spread his chains, anchoring them onto the ground. The shock this time was bigger and even with his chains spreading the force throughout his surroundings, it wasn't enough.

  He felt the bones in his jaw crack, and his feet leave the ground. Something else was coming from in front of him, he couldn't move fast enough. As a last resort, he removed some of his chains from the ground in an attempt to restrain the upcoming object.

  "Ugh," he gasped for breath. His vision slowly returned. In front of him was a hand grabbing his neck, his chains wrapped around it. A menacing golden-haired goddess holding him by the neck. He tried constricting his chains and as they began moving along her somehow glowing skin, cracks appeared along their surface. Soon they shattered, leaving no trace behind. At this sight, his eyes grew wide.

  The world around him became clearer, and he could see the cracks on the walls slowly closing. The others seemed to be frozen in place, both Angel and Sasha fruitlessly trying to get to them, screaming something he couldn't hear. He couldn't see the others… His vision was beginning to fade once more.

  "Now, show me what you really are." The godlike being begun to glow even brighter, her hair floating up in a storm of lightning. Using her free hand, she put her thumb on his forehead. He felt his eyes roll to the back of his head, everything turning black.

  He felt something seep into his lobe and the next thing he knew, scenes began flashing before his eyes.

  His attempt to go back, Kolya's death, Despira's injury, Sasha's, and his awakenings. Every scene became dimmer, hazier. The interval of time between them also increased. They were also scenes he'd never experienced. They were of him, but it was like seeing himself from a third person's perspective.

  His first time meeting a corny Sasha. The sceneries passed by faster, only focussing on Sasha, Kolya, and his most impactful memories. His military discharge, his father's disappointment. His memories of his endless training with Kolya, the calm moments he shared with his platoon, the beers, the jokes… and finally Kolya extending his hand to him for the first time. He felt something running down his cheek as the world continued to shift.

  His excursions to the surface with a training suit. The birth of his little sister, her sweet innocent smile. The world was mistier than ever. He couldn't see most of what he was shown, details were missing, and some images were distorted. His mother's twisted smile, his arrival from the beacon, and finally, Akasha's death… The scene of his sister's disintegration was stopped right after the cracked parts came together.

  "No, it's impossible…" he heard an ethereal voice say. "This can't be… the prophecy…" The grip around his neck was released, and he fell onto the floor, gasping for breath. As soon as he was released, Sasha ran to his side. "No… you weren't supposed to… how did she awaken so fast…" The Prophet began rambling incomprehensible words, digging her face into her hands. "When he came… Then Thorn… No, impossible, someone must've messed with chaos, I have to check." She raised her head, her expression showing a mix of fear and desperation. "Whoever it is I…" not finishing her words, she gritted her teeth. Spreading her arms, she began to float up, a halo forming around her head, golden strands dancing around her fingers.

  "Slava, what did she do? Are you alright?" Shaking him from side to side, Sasha looked at him with eyes full of worry. He didn't fully understand what had just happened, he was just grateful to be alive. She could have snapped his neck at any time.

  "Hey, snap out of it," a voice rang in his head. "Turn around." Following the order almost instinctively, his eyes landed on Jack, signalling him to move. "Come! While she's distracted!"

  Seeing him strangely turn around, Sasha followed his line of sight. Seeing what he did, she instantly grabbed his arm, and they arrived next to the door he was standing next to.

  With a questioning gaze, Slava took a last look around. He couldn't read Vincent, Crow was expressionlessly staring at the ground and when his eyes landed on Angel, she bitterly bit her lip, looking away. This was the last thing he saw before being dragged away through the narrow opening of the door.