Location: Planet Cryo
Date: Ninth of June, 3025
Saying that the weather was cold on this cursed planet was an understatement. On a planet where the warmest daytime temperatures float around negative twenty-five degrees Celsius and the highest it gets when the crimson light of Aredon fades into the darkness of night is around negative thirty-five degrees, it was expected to be cold. It was in the planet's name, really: Cryo. At least I was wearing a Cryosuit, a piece of equipment designed to ensure human survival in temperatures down to negative fifty-five degrees by converting the natural ether into heat. Even then…
It's still fucking cold!
In the skies of Cryo, the calls of birds native to this freezing hell echoed, sounding both beautiful and eerie at the same time. It was as if they were singing an anthem of liberation or chanting a promise of freedom. Beneath the choir of creatures, the sound of snow crunching beneath my footsteps accompanied my frantic running as I desperately tried to outrun my trio of pursuers.
"Stop!" I heard someone barking an order, expecting me to follow. "You damned bastard!"
I am not a bastard, bastard! I wanted to shout.
Instead, however, I gritted my teeth and increased my speed. Ignoring the Cryosuit, the cold bit into me as if it were the numerous saber-like teeth of a Smilodon. The memory of being bitten by one of those abominations would've sent a shiver down my spine, if not for the fact that I was already shivering uncontrollably.
I miss the warmth of the Domes, I thought.
Just the warmth, though. Other than that, for me, the Domes were hell on Earth… on Cryo? I never really visited the Mother Planet of Humanity, but I had heard stories of how utterly beautiful and magnificent Earth was. I also heard how warm it is in most places.
Why did we have to leave it…
Interrupting my thoughts, I saw a streak rush past my face at terrible speed. It was followed by a sharp pain at the edge of my right ear and the sensation of liquid droplets flowing down from the point where the streak connected with my flesh. I instantly felt the drops of blood the arrow drew freezing. I raised a hand and broke the frozen blood off my skin, fearing the worst that could happen, not that I knew what would happen.
At that moment, the snow beneath my feet shifted treacherously, and I fell forward onto my face. I would've gotten my face frozen if not for the mask covering half of it.
"Fuck!" I rasped.
I pushed my hand against the pinkish snow, trying to get back up on my feet, only to fall once more.
No, no, no!
Refusing to let go of hope completely, I tried again. Just then, a shadow fell over me, blocking the crimson sunlight. Turning, I was met with the grinning face of the male guard accompanying Tyris.
The embers of hope ran out, so did the anthem of freedom.
***
I can't breathe.
A cold hand was wrapped around my neck, blocking the air from reaching my lungs and the blood from reaching my brain. My heartbeat quickened, my vision started getting blurry around the corners of my eyes, and tears welled up behind them.
I can't breathe.
My head ached as if it were being struck by a hundred nails. I started feeling lightheaded and dizzy.
I-I… can't… I can't breathe?
"Let go of the slave at once," I heard a female voice coming from behind the guard. Calm and commanding.
Tyris.
Indeed, it was Tyris' voice. She stepped around me, looking the guard in the eyes, daring him to disobey.
"This one is the property of the House of Oath. Any harm done to him could and will lead to the annihilation of your whole clan."
The guard looked at her for a moment and clicked his tongue, an action that would've led the other guard to slice his head clean off if not for Amanda's interference, then released his grip around my neck.
I fell to the snowy ground, immediately gasping for air. I massaged my throat, my breathing heavy and labored. Blood rushed to my brain, making me feel like it was going to explode at any given moment.
I snapped out of it when I heard Tyris' voice.
"Aether," she said.
I sat upright and looked at her figure looming over me. We were the same age, and still our lives couldn't have been any more different.
"Why did you have to run away?" She was frowning, her tone full of pity, like an owner talking to their pet dog.
I looked up at her, my gaze full of hate, full of loathing, full of anger, full of…full of despair.
Don't look at me like that, bitch. I thought, though I dared not say it out loud.
"Jordan," Tyris said, the pity in her voice disappearing as she directed her gaze to the male guard. "hand me the schakels."
As he summoned them from a storage relic, my gaze shifted to the disappearing crimson light of the setting Aredon.
Tyris took the shackles from Jordan, and looked at me again, her gaze returning to one of pity. I could even see something resembling sorrow flickering in them. As she crouched, a beam of white light suddenly descended from the sky above, drowning me in its warmth.
What the…?
Confusion gave way to joy and excitement as I realized what was happening.
***
Aha was slang in the forgotten Arabic language, specifically from the Egyptian dialect. It was used to express surprise, or disbelief if used in a confused tone. It could also be preceded by a nose-snorting sound if the person wanted to express dissatisfaction, whether in confusion or dissatisfaction. In a way, it was like how people use Bloody Records nowadays. Ironically, Aha seemed to be my catchphrase my whole life.
Aha!
I was currently drifting in a void of utter blackness. There was nothing for me to hear, see, touch, or smell. The sudden numbness of my senses wasn't maddening or driving me insane in any way. Instead, it was somewhat peaceful and tranquil.
Time passed. A moment? A millennium? I didn't know. Maybe both, maybe neither. I didn't really know. My sense of time was dull, like I was between dream and reality. Like the few moments where the body is fully asleep but the mind is still holding on to consciousness.
I eventually regained my full consciousness, and with it started remembering more of who and what I was. I was Aether, the Prince of Shade. Or rather, the former Prince of Shade. Anger flared in my heart. The mere memory of anything related to the House of Origin sent waves of loathing running through my soul like a swarm of marching ants.
I clenched my jaw, but didn't feel any tightness or pressure near my ear.
What the…?
Confusion reduced the flame of anger to a mere spark as I tried to feel… anything. I waved my arms, kicked the darkness with my legs, opened and closed my eyes, frowned, clenched my fists, and tried flexing every single muscle in my body.
Nothing.
I felt nothing, nothing at all.
The spark of anger was snuffed out by panic. So was the confusion.
What the hell is happening!? I wanted to scream, but no sound came out of my mouth.
Did I even have a mouth?
Nothing. I felt nothing, heard nothing, smelled nothing, and saw nothing. The same thing that once filled me with peace and tranquility now filled me with dread and primal fear.
I never understood why humanity had an innate fear of darkness. Now, however, I understand it. I understand how the mere absence of light could be so horrifying, so… dreadful.
Move. Move, god damn it! Why can't I move!? Why can't I fucking move!?
It was as if I didn't even have a body.
Did I even ever have a body?
Was I floating, standing, or falling? Do I exist? Did I ever exist?
{Chosen!} A familiar and friendly voice boomed throughout the blackness, saving me from slipping into insanity. {Welcome to the Akashic Records.}
As it sliced through the silence, the void fractured into numerous pieces, colorful rays of light bleeding through every crack. Nine great, golden-framed mirrors rose from the ground.
I fell, and pain struck my back like a war hammer.
Pain.
Sweet and soothing. Proof of my existence.
"I hurt, therefore I am," I laughed, sound assaulting my ears after a decade of silence.
What nonsense am I spouting!
My shoulders trembled. I was relieved that I was still alive, comfort filling my aching heart.
The rays of visible light struck the nine great mirrors and bounced off, converging at a single point high above me. From the point of convergence, a bright white star exploded into existence.
I stared at it, enthralled by its brilliance.
Under my gaze, a relatively thin ray of light descended slowly. I didn't move, knowing what was about to happen and bracing myself for agony.
And agony it was.
The moment the light touched my body, agony flared so intense that I passed out.