Chapter 10: The Great God
In the viewing portal outside the Kinetic Containment Chamber, Reiyo sat slumped in a specialized support chair, the light of the Syqnix still intense in his eyes. His body was recovering, but his mind was flooded with the unstable memories of someone else. He could feel every tremor from the chamber, where Kenji was desperately trying to dodge kinetic blasts.
The Captain stood focused on the trial monitors, while Silas watched Reiyo, his expression a mixture of fatigue and watchfulness.
"You've been calling them 'the others' or 'this organization,'" Reiyo said, his voice raw and unsteady. "Tell me the name, and tell me why they exist. And don't give me any more of that 'Source' or 'Scar' nonsense. My head is full of things that need a goddamn explanation."
Silas didn't hesitate. He looked away from Kenji's struggle and met Reiyo's burnin gaze.
"The organization is named Anima," Silas stated, the name spoken with reverence. "It is not just an organization; it is a sacred covenant. Anima is the great God who we serve and worship, and this collective—the fortress, the masters, the powers—is faithfully blessed by Him."
Reiyo absorbed the answer, the chaos in his mind momentarily settling. "And what is y'all's purpose?"
"Our purpose is absolute, Silas continued, his voice dropping to a serious tone. "We exist for a single reason: to kill and exorcise all those who get corrupted and possessed by false gods and spirits, and to eliminate those who worship them. Their power is not just chaos; it is spiritual contagion. It is the creeping dominion of the things that exist outside of Anima's true light."
Reiyo looked at the screaming pressure gauge on the trial monitor, then back at Silas. "The Aetherium… the Authority?"
"The Authority are the devoted zealots of the False Gods. They use technology to harness the raw chaos of the Scars—the unstable power you had—believing it is the key to ascension. But they are merely puppets, vehicles for the possession that seeks to unmake our world," Silas explained, his voice hard. "You are the proof. The Unwritten Scars are the residue of a failed attempt by the False Gods to corrupt a soul. Anima intervened, and the Scars are the result."
Silas tapped the glass of the viewing portal, the sound barely audible over the thunder of the chamber.
"You have been claimed by the Syqnix Tree because your life-force rejected that corruption. You are a holy weapon waiting to be wielded. We need you to fight this spiritual war. That is the mandate of Anima."
The pressure gauge on the monitor suddenly redlined. The Captain slapped an emergency release rune, but the mechanism failed.
"The final phase has activated!" the Captain yelled, his voice strained. "A full-force compression! The chamber is trying to rush him!"
Inside the glass, Kenji was pressed flat against the wall, his coat smoking as a superheated blast of kinetic energy slammed against him. He wasn't moving. He had failed the endurance trial. He was about to die.
"The Tree!" Silas screamed, eyes fixed on the inert body of his friend. "It must claim him now, or he's gone!"