Abraxes knew that for some, becoming one of the Enlightened was an opportunity of a lifetime. For most people, it was a chance to change their lives for the better, for others, it was an accepted destiny to bring glory and honour to their family.
For people like him, it was a death sentence.
Once they went through with their Ascension, and become Enlightened, there would be no rest for them, except for in death. No rewards, except for another day of living.
No honour or glory, just chaos and ruin.
They'd become another number again, only with a fancier title strapped to their name. But others would know of your origin, of you being a slave, and they would sacrifice you quickly if it meant they got to see another day.
So, as he fell into his soul, he had to wonder, was there any real point in him becoming one of the Enlightened?
Death seemed like a far better alternative than trading one collar for another.
When Abraxes opened his eyes, it was to a world of darkness, a reflectionless black which surrounded him. Beneath his feet, stretching endlessly, was a calm, almost serene sea.
"The Eidos…"
The whisper that left his lips was almost reverent. Because this was the soul, his soul, to be exact, made physical and spiritual form.
Abraxes didn't know much about the outside world, but everybody, no matter where they were born, eventually learned about the Enlightened and what made them truly so special.
The drop of Sacral Essence he had been granted surged within him, the mystical power circling his body continuously as if it was lost. It felt as though it was begging him to guide it in the right direction.
Except…he didn't know where it should be guided, nor what the right direction was.
Almost as if to answer his question, his Eidos began to change. The sea beneath his feet began to churn, a bubbling and violent vortex of water that spun and parted to reveal something.
From within the vortex, a small, crystal-like sphere, the size of his palm, began to levitate from its centre. It glowed, an ethereal blue glow that illuminated the world around him, and the previously dark mirror of night began to light up.
Water dripped off its shell, and the surging sea finally began to calm down as it floated calmly in his direction.
He watched it in wonder, his eyes glued to the sphere as it pulsed with a subtle warmth.
It was an Axion Core, one of the seven relics that lay dormant inside of the human body. He could feel it now, that instinctual knowledge slotting into his mind almost seamlessly.
He could very easily take the Sacral Essence and guide it towards his Axion Core.
But he hesitated, that same question from before plaguing him as a fly would.
'Why should I go through with it? What was the point, if all I am is to become a slave once again…' it was a bitter realization, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he fought and bettered himself…
…He'd always be seen as a slave.
And that, that made him unsure of his choice.
Time was slowly running out, the ethereal energy within him beginning to burn out and turn to sputtering embers, yet he hesitated and didn't make his choice just yet.
He stared at the Axion Core, at his Axion Core, and wondered, would there be anything more to his life, if he went through with this?
Through the sorrow he felt, through the anger which consumed him, through the struggle of living and surviving as if his every day, would be the last, would it truly change if he became an Enlightened?
He knew, deep within him, in the safety of his Eidos, that the answer was no. Because it would only become harder.
It left him consumed by anger…but he was human, and he was more than just a rat that only felt rage and despair. He dreamt, like those far above him did, he wished for more, he felt, he loved just as much as he hated, and he hoped just as well as he despaired.
He thought of Keres, of her gentle touch, of the sweet taste of her lips against his…and he thought, was she not worth surviving for?
A slave he would become again, but he would be a slave with strength, with power, with something pure and loving that those above him could never truly feel in their games of politics and power.
Gently, Abraxes touched the glowing sphere, he felt its crystalline body at the tips of his fingers, the water which still clung to its form. His eyes were stuck to its ethereal glow.
It was a beautiful creation, a marvel that his body had created.
The world was an ugly place, a vile and twisted realm of life as corrupt as the depths of Tartarus were…but it was also beautiful in places, packed within small pockets of breath-taking beauty.
For a slave like him, bound to those stronger and more powerful than him, it would be enough.
He thought of Keres, he thought of her eyes, the same shade of grey as the clouds above him, and he pulled on the dwindling Sacral Essence within him. He pushed the embers of its power into the Axion Core, and allowed his choice, his hopes and desires, to become real.
The sphere within his hands began to glow brighter, steadily growing in strength until the darkness around him no longer remained. Its ethereal light banished the reflectionless black, and it began to float away.
Abraxes watched it patiently, devotedly, fondly. He traced the pattern it drew in the sky as it reached higher, growing brighter by the second, and reaching its zenith just above the centre of his Eidos.
He breathed in as a rush of energy, power the likes of which he had never felt before, flowed freely through him. He felt it in his veins; through his muscles and lungs, he felt it in his every breath.
He bathed in its radiance with his eyes closed, before opening them when a certain click echoed around him.
There, floating before him, sat a translucent, almost see through, screen. Black in colour and accented in golden livery.
[===]
[Name]: [Abraxes Basilus]
[True Name]: [All for One]
[Axion Core]: [Legionnaire]
[Sacral Essence]: [0/500]
[Affinity]: [Assimilation]
[Blessing]: [-]
[Divine Domain]: [-]
[Bloodline]: [-]
[Innate Talent]: [The ability to sense and assimilate Bloodlines, Talents and Affinities through touch]
[I]-[Axion Talent]: [-]
[===]
"All For One…" he read the name, his True Name, for the first time into existence and felt the hidden power within it rush through him once more. He took another deep breath, savouring its taste.
He felt nothing, yet at the same time, he felt everything.
It felt as if an integral part of his very self, a part he didn't even know was missing, had finally returned. As if there had been a wound within his body, and it was finally closing.
He felt whole for the first time ever.
But his attention didn't last long on the sensation. Because there was something…different, about his Eidos that he had never heard of happening before.
His words were almost a whisper as he muttered to himself within the peace he felt.
"I have an Innate Talent…but no Axion Talent. That…should be impossible, nearly improbable." His brows furrowed in confusion as he scanned the screen again. Because every Enlightened he had heard of, always received an Axion Talent, and only a rare few were ever graced with an Innate Talent.
Yet somehow, he had one and not the other.
He went through the runes again, etching every word into his mind.
"The ability to sense and assimilate Bloodlines, Talents and Affinities through touch…" a powerful talent, no doubt about it, yet it only left him feeling more puzzled.
Countless questions swam in his mind.
Did it mean copying them, or outright stealing them? Was there a limit to what he could do? Would it replace his empty Axion Talent, and he'd be left with only one?
Unfortunately, his questions would have to wait for another time. Abraxes hissed suddenly, feeling something sharp and painful erupt from his side. Kneeling over with a sharp breath, he understood that somebody was trying to wake him up.
Taking a steady breath, he closed his eyes again and followed that familiar knowledge from before, muttering three, mystical words.
"All for One."
[===]
When he opened his eyes again, it was the sight of mud, stained with a murderous red that took him a moment to place.
'Blood…'
The realization, and the prominent stench of iron in the air, made him jump to his feet. He ignored the pain radiating through his body and looked around him in panic.
All he saw around him were the bodies of those he had been surrounded with only minutes before. Blood stained the ground, it stained his clothes and hands and the leather armour of the Enforcers around him, each of them poised with their blades dripping the red liquid.
Panic threatened to overwhelm him, but he grit his teeth and stayed composed through sheer will, clenching his fists with enough strength to pierce his palms and draw blood.
"My friends, come now! No need for such aggression!" the familiar voice of Nero made him turn, spotting the man now sitting on his ice platform and swinging his legs carelessly over the edge.
He smiled at Abraxes as their eyes met and spoke politely.
"You there, my new friend, what if your name? If you have one, of course." He said with a chuckle, and a cheery smile.
His mouth went dry at being pointed out, but he robotically bowed his head lowly, as expected of his status, and spoke as calmly and clearly as he could, staring at the blood pooling beneath him.
"Abraxes Basilus, my Archon!"
"Ha! Abraxes! What a glorious name for someone of your station! I respect it, come, my friend, my Legionnaire, join the others of your group!" Every word out of Nero's mouth sounded as if it came from a snake.
He spoke as if they were friends, as if Abraxes had nothing to worry about, as if he had a choice.
Not trusting his voice, he nodded silently and raised his head slightly, turning to find a group of five waiting to the side, away from the pile of bodies surrounding him. His eyes searched through them, yet he didn't find the one person he hoped to see most.
Dread began to build within his stomach. Against every instinct of his body telling him not to look down, he did.
He felt the world around him freeze.
Looking up at him, with a bloodied smile, dead, grey eyes the same shade as the clouds above him, and pale skin with a purple bruise on her cheek, lay Keres.
Abraxes fell to his knees without even realizing it. His entire focus was on her, on the person he loved and cherished most in the whole world. His arms shook as he reached for her.
Her blood flowed freely down his clothes, but he didn't care. Because the one he had done this for, the one he had survived every day for, lay dead, her eyes distant and peaceful, her lips parted, and blue.
Under the watchful gaze of those around him, he bowed his head and allowed the building tears in his eyes to flow freely. He held her gently, lovingly, as if she was still alive, and not a cold, pale corpse.
He thought of their nights together, of the promises they whispered to each other in the mornings, he thought of her laugh, her smile, the small gleam in her eyes when she looked at him.
He thought of her eyes, which would never shine again, and in the cold winter morning, he felt his entire world crumble around him.