[Your record has been locked]
Akhand stared at the message, expressionless.
Heâd been here nearly a day now, and he still couldnât believe the words in front of him.
Heâd been separated from it, disconnected from the great magics of the Akashic Systems. All because of a single âmistakeâ. It didnât make sense. All heâd ever wanted was peace and freedom, for this reality to prevail.
Heâd only ever wanted his home to be safe. So, heâd done everything to keep it so. Akhand dedicated his life to the Systems, to fighting their wars, crushing their enemies and proclaiming them to the rest of the unenlightened universe as saviours of the universe.
And theyâd tossed him aside.
After everything, theyâd just thrown him away and stolen the only gift theyâd ever given him. If they could do this, then they werenât and had never been what heâd thought they were.
He stared at the message, reading over the words again, reliving the immeasurable pain theyâd brought him the first time heâd laid eyes upon them.
[Your record has been locked]
He reached out for it, but like always the message was in front of his hands, within his vision. He never had been able to touch it, let alone change it. His hand fell to his side and finally the message disappeared. He took a moment to look around, to gaze over the great hills of grass and trees in the distance.
The natural beauty of his home world was as breath taking as usual. And it was only here because of him.
[Your record has been locked]
Heâd saved his world and it had cost him everything.
He hung is head, the last of his hope nearly dying. But as he stared at the grass, he remembered his childhood. He remembered the blue sun above them, the wondrous laughter of his brothers and sisters, the endless joy heâd shared with them in these very hills.
The systems hadnât taken everything. Not yet at least. But if his suspicions were right, theyâd come for him soon. His home would be under threat, and with his current powers he couldnât leave without some measure of risk.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
But if his home was destroyed, then his life, his sacrifice wouldâve been for nothing. He wouldâve been severed for nothing.
It meant he needed to respond before anything happened. A pre-emptive attack could spare his world. Though if this was how theyâd treat him, after everything heâd done, then it was an attack he likely wouldnât survive.
It doesnât matter now. Only the memories that fill these hills do.
He clenched his fists tightly, feeling his mana swell. His growth may have been severed, his record locked, but he still had his power. And now that he knew how theirs worked too, he could fight them. Maybe only for a moment, but at the very least heâd make sure the damage lasted. Heâd make sure they felt this blow for ever.
He glanced down at his foot to the small slime that bounced up and down, nudging his foot gently. He could sense the curious joy emanating from it, the childlike ignorance that almost brought a tear to his eye. It knew not of what was happening, or the importance of its existence.
âForgive me Etreaâ he whispered, kneeling to gently pet it. He looked up from it as it nuzzled into his hand, looking back out of the sprawling hills of his home. âForgive meâ
Then Akhand stood, holding the slime in his palms.
He focused on the feeling the slime had, the essence of its heart and soul. He could feel the layer of protection heâd created around it, the only thing currently protecting his world. He destroyed it and instantly felt the atmosphere shift.
More messages scrawled across his vision, warnings, alerts, threats, but he ignored them focusing on his own power. The sky above his head began to darken the clouds fading along with the sun as hundreds of impossibly bright stars appeared in the sky above.
He centred his energy on the blinding star within his chest, the rest of his body glowing as he took to the air. His surroundings rippled with energy, physical space warping from the power that emanated from his soul.
Engage he whispered, the words echoing through the physical and magical space around him.
The slime looked to him and he could feel itâs fear and confusion as it looked to him and the stars above.
âItâs ok little oneâ he whispered. âYouâll be okâ
He pressed his cheek against it and closed his eyes. With focused his intent on the slime in his hands and uttered one word.
Protect
His energy bent around the slime, warping reality even further as the stars in the sky continued to grow. The slime squirmed for a moment and looked to Akhand who could only offer a smile. Then it was gone, taken to a place of protection by the will of Akhandâs soul.
It was beyond the systems now, beyond everybody. No one would be able to retrieve it until they met the conditions of his kindness. Until they could offer Etrea a home.
Then he looked to the stars, watching as great runes filled the sky, the chains of Akash breaking for the first time in millennia .
âNoâ Akhand whispered in disbelief.
The chains were only supposed to break on him. They were only supposed to attack him. He roared powerfully, flying upwards faster then he ever had before. He reached out to the chains with his power, but the act was futile. The chains were beyond the systems, there was no doubt they were beyond him.
His eyes widened with horror as the sky suddenly grew bright. He reached out with all his might, setting his body aflame with his own power, extinguishing his life for the singular desire of protecting his home world.
[STOP]
The word shook the very fabric of reality, the heat of Akhandâs magic reaching even the Systems. But it was not enough. In the face of the Akashic Systems even magic as powerful as this could only slow. After only a moment, the power of the stars struck him, obliterating him and his world into absolute nothingness.
Slowly the stars faded, leaving only darkness. Or so they believed. Beyond them, beyond everything golden sparks, the fires of hope, flickered. Waiting.