All Manners Of Beats

The world resumed its flow with time before Icarus. He stood up and stretched.

It has been a long period of time since he had sat on the bed.

"Aaah." He sighed. His head, now full of matrix, nodes and star's pattern, and a lot of things.

Right. The kids. Where are they?

Icarus looked around in the room yet to no avail. No one was there. He glided to the windows and opened them.

"Ah. It's morning." Icarus realised. He supposed that's why they're absent. They probably are going to get breakfast.

"Oh well." Icarus turned around and walked out of the room. He needs to bathe and eat. Even though he doesn't need to eat, he does it for the comfort it brings.

"Alright. First order of business, Bath, eat and find the brats." Icarus nodded to himself.

He was about to close the door when he sensed something.

He frowned.

Nowadays he tunes his senses down, not because they're overloading his brain but because it's not fun knowing everything. That's why he uses his Eyes scarcely.

The World beats at an irregular pattern, that's concerning.

"What's wrong with Gaea now?"

Something is wrong. Gaea isn't someone who does false alarms or something. And she's been inactive since the past Titan generation. What made her nervous?

And since when did she awaken from her dormant state?

Icarus can just ignored this and go to his duties but—

Well, he's curious.

Icarus sighed.

"Argh, fuck." He opened his multiple Eyes and slowly unveiled his True Form.

Immediately, Time and Space warped. The World was but a 2d drawing before him. Any and everything seen before his eyes, his brain running faster than light managing to piece the puzzle before him together before he can so much more than blink.

The Kaleidoscope was breached.

Icarus' eyes widened in surprise.

"T-that's…" He almost said it was impossible but he is the evidence that the Kaleidoscope can be pierced.

Someone or something from another universe just landed on this one.

Icarus sealed his Form and closed his Eyes.

"Well, damn. Things just got more interesting." He smirked.

He doesn't want to discover the intruder with his Eyes. Where's the fun in that?

Omniscient is a curse. How can he have fun if almost everything was known to him from the start?

Well, no matter. The intruder shall make things interesting in this dull world.

Mayhaps, they will bring chaos?

Icarus laughed, "My, how interesting."

Now, his bath and breakfast.

He will deal with the intruder when he finishes squeezing all the fun in them.

——————————————————————————

Icarus dipped his black bread in his soup and took a bite.

Black bread isn't something that a person from the modern centuries can eat. It's foul and the food of demons.

Which… to say, it's tough as a rock and tasteless.

Icarus cried inside.

"Master, Is something wrong?" Jason, o' dear sweet Jason, asked worryingly.

"I am fine." Icarus drawled out. His body was slugging.

"You're not. Your face looks dead." Asclepius', still having his vendetta against him, snarky commended.

Icarus turned his dead fish gaze to Asclepius. Perhaps he should kill Asclepius after all, he's annoying him after all. But Apollo will intervene and bring trouble to his doorstep.

Hmmm.

Decisions, decisions.

Urgh.

"Lets commence with the Ritual." He stood up from the table. Breakfast was eventful and disgusting. He should've cried to Athena to get him a full five star course breakfast.

Who knows, mayhaps she may even give him Ambrosia.

"Come." Icarus grabbed his cloak at the back of his chair and draped it on his shoulders.

...

With a last flourish I finished setting up the ritual. It's only thanks to Hecate teaching me formal craft, otherwise… Regardless, I finished setting up the ritual.

I clapped my hands, dusting the chalk powder on my hand. "Now. Lie on the ritual, Jason."

"M-me?! But you didn't tell us our concepts yet!" Jason sputtered.

I frowned. "I didn't? Strange, I thought I did. Nevertheless, I was thinking of you embodying the concept of… "King". "

I smiled smugly, "What do you think?"

Jason's eyes widened,"Is that possible?!" He exclaimed.

Is that possible? Bruh… My name is the synonym of 'Magus'

Regardless of Jason's shock. It is plausible, the concept of 'King' is strong. So strong that Jason has the possibility of being the Emperor of Magic. Yes, it's that strong.

People don't understand what a 'King' is.

A king is a Ruler. A Ruler is a dictator. A dictator is the 'Supreme Ruler' and the supreme ruler is a Sovereign.

The King of a Kingless world. And thus, everyone shall be his subjects.

People don't understand what a king is.

Even if you don't want to be his subject, your Will will go against you. You will bow even if you don't want to. Your body will betray you.

Because the World has wanted it so.

Because the King had wanted it so.

The World is without a King. Only Olympus has a King, the mortal World doesn't.

All those phonies aren't king. They are playing house, they don't have real qualities to be a king.

What I'm doing is equivalent to giving a mentally unstable man a weapon of mass destruction.

My lips quirked, "Yes, it's possible." Jason himself doesn't have real qualities to be a king but the concept will subtly implant them in him.

"Right!" Jason saluted and stepped towards the ritual.

"With your clothes off." My mouth opened in a fanged smile.

Poor Jason's face had gone pale," B-but teacher!" He tried to deny it but no dice. I didn't relent.

After a few moments, Jason lay on the matrix circle.

I sighed. Already feeling a headache coming," What is it Jason? " Jason was fidgeting when he lay in the ritual. He was nervous, I can see that.

"What's in it for you?" He asked.

No use lying, I felt a slight stab of hurt at the question. But I masked it, "Hoh? You don't trust me?"

Jason waved his arms wildly, "No! I trust you but I don't think you'll do this without a catch."

They grow up so fast. I reached up and wiped a nonexistent tear. It's actually good for Jason to not be gullible.

What's the use of a king if he's a fool?

"The catch is, you'll be my assistant in my journey unless stated otherwise." Easy task to do. All Jason has to do is walk around with me for a few years and the contract between them will be fulfilled.

That's what Jason may be thinking.

But, I was trained by Goddesses. And it makes all the difference in the world.

I'm immortal, Jason will be Immortal too after this ritual.

Crazy grin split on my face.

"Easy right?" I said. Tempting him to accept. After all, once he agreed, a geas will bind them. A verbal geas, all it needs is agreement of the two or more parties and what they are agreeing to to be said as the other party may understand.

Even still, I don't necessarily need it.

Jason, still unnerved, took a few precious moments before — "Alright."

I nodded, expecting him to accept.

Despite my attitude towards Asclepius and Jason, I love them. I truly do.

They're my children. What I'm doing is teaching them a type of tough love. After all, at the end of the day I'm still 'human' and humans are social creatures.

"Alright! Let's start." I was about to feed the ritual mana and activate it but—

"W-wait!" Jason stopped me.

I was starting to get annoyed to be honest. I can behave like a human only so much.

"What is it now?"

Jason asked nervously, "Will it hurt?"

Will it hurt? "No, it won't. It's not like your whole existence will be broken down and built back up. It's not like you will lose everything dear to you. So, no it won't hurt."

My smile was all teeth and a little more.

Jason paled, "Wait wha—"

"La-la-la-la I can't hear you!" Then I activated the ritual.

Ah, the sweet anguish screams of tortured souls.