Click
The wooden door clicked shut behind Sky. Sky's gaze immediately surveyed the room he entered.
It was a medium sized cozy room with a living room integrated together with an countertop kitchen. All furniture were made of furnished wood with metal at the edge for a sturdy framework.
Cabinets and cooking utilities lined the kitchen, functional and ready to use. A dining table of six at the corner, just outside the kitchen, and towards the side of the entrance.
In the extreme right corner of the living room, under the closed window, was a plain white bed. It was spacious enough for two people to sleep side by side.
There wasn't much decoration, except the small gas powered chandelier hanging in middle of the middle of the room.
Gas lamps were cleverly arranged to provide maximum coverage while still being aesthetic, blending in with the room's style. The pipe work across the room was sophisticated, giving a steampunk vibe while maintaining the cozy modern vibe.
Due to it being afternoon, sunlight seeped through the window, illuminating the room in its soft bouncing sunlight.
Sky didn't give much thought to it and immediately went towards the mirror in the living room.
In the mirror stood an abomination.
Black veins spread across his pale skin, as black gooey tendrils sprouted around his body.
Eyes and mouths made home on his body, looking around and spouting words in an indecipherable language. While the tendrils swayed around, like a tendril of an octopus out of water.
A pair of human hands that originated out of his periphery tightly clutched his neck, suffocating him.
Sky ignored them, acknowledging would only worsen it.
What he focused on was his pair of molten golden eyes that had grown deeper.
Faint reddening was visible around his eyes, while the pupil subtly glowed dark golden. It stood out from the rest of the horrific sight, capturing the attention of whoever looked at it.
Small, almost imperceptible clockwork gears spun in its depth, operating something vast and unknown.
Unlike before they held a sense of omniscience in them, like all the answers are present in them. They felt....divine.
Aeon didn't notice them or maybe he did but didn't question it. Other's like the cafe owner did, but stayed silent.
They were the effect of his overclocked inherent trait. As for the rest around him...that was the madness of StarStrek that is attempting to consume him now that he is on verge of extreme overclocking.
He slowly closed his eyes to feel the bridge that connects him to the world. It was wider and greater than aeon's bridge but unlike the acceptance Aeon felt, he only felt rejection....replusion. As if they don't wish to heed his command or even be near him.
[The World Rejects You.]
That is what StarStrek informed him upon his Ascension, it has been rejecting him for as long as he can remember. He knew the world rejected him to certain degree but to think it was to this degree.
Its like the world didn't want him to exist, the very laws push against him, rejected him.
But if they want him to disappear....
He opened his eyes and slowly extended his hands forward,
[Inherent trait : [Swordmaster's Dillema (70%) X [Sage's Dillema (30%)] is extremely overclocked! Please take necessary caution!]
...it has to try harder.
A ball of wind appeared in his grasp, making a small guest of wind run circles inside the room, orbiting the ball in the center.
It was the same sorcery he did to subtly redirect their fall towards this desolate street. To suppress aeon's strong gust of wind and landing them without injury.
He may not be able to normally use it but he can make it comply using pesudo omniscience and omnipotense of overclocked Sage's Dillema.
Though it comes at the steep cost of frying his brain, Overclocked swordmaster's Dillema can heal his fired brain faster than it can critically injury itself. Creating a loop of destruction and regeneration of his brain.
It may limit his time and use of elemental laws, but he never needed to use them 24/7 anyways. Only when absolutely necessary.
Efficiency over convience.
"Haa..." Sky breathed out a sigh filled with exhaustion.
Today was hectic...a glimpse of what he will have to deal in future.
He had made much progress. From getting Aeon to follow him, to building a somewhat cooperative relationship.
From acting whimsical and crazy to appear like the rumours, to subtly showing cunningness to not come out as just another daring idot. To act kind when needed, to act ruthless when required. To crack jokes and do subtly acts of skinship to subconsciously lower aeon's guard.
Aeon isn't stupid, he definitely has seen through those acts. He knows he is being manipulated. I made sure to leave those cracks for him to find.
To him - unfounded goodwill is more dangerous than known manipulation.
He doubts kindness without reason, because doesn't understand their true intentions. While knowing that he is being used gives him profound grasp over the situation he is in.
He is exploiting him and in return is allowing himself to be exploited.
Even if sky wanted to show genuine concern and goodwill, he can't.
For now atleast.
Sky sat on the bed and pulled out an red cover thick book from his storage. On closer look, it was an diary.
He recounted and wrote down everything he did today in detail. From meeting Aeon till this very moment, everything from his actions to his inner thoughts at that moment.
After a full hour of writing, he put it back into his storage and laid gently down on the bed.
Giving a final look at his surroundings, he clenched his teeths and deactivated his overclocked trait.
[Inherent trait: [Swordmaster's Dillema (70%) X Sage's Dillema (30%)] As returned to its natural state!]
Immediately, the consequences hit.
The bridge thinned out as the world exploded into colors.
Cracks appeared on his body, bleeding out dangerous level of blood onto the white sheets. An unending agony spread throughout his body consuming every fiber of him.
His muscles tore apart and reconstructed itself, his organs moved around inside, his senses went heywire without any limit in sight.
But beyond that was the burden on his mind and soul.
He could feel everything inside him, the pain he felt multiplied due to it. He became oblivious to the outside world.
He could hear roars, screams, senseless ravings, incoherent mumblings gawing at his thoughts and sanity.
It didn't let him sleep, it didn't let him be at ease, it didn't even let him coherently think. He just suffered, lying there... without any ability to resist. As this was the price he has to pay.
Only after what felt eternity did he black out.
.
.
.
.
Sky's eyes opened, only to be met with a wooden ceiling.
He got up to survey his unknown surroundings. The time outside was evening with the sun setting.
The most glaring thing in the half dark room was the fact that his bed was covered in dried up blood. To which he found comfort in.
'Where..am I?' he muttered inwardly in confusion.
Last thing he remembers was humming on the gaint clockwork gear of the tower....no
..was it when he destroyed the crown infront of ashur?..... But he remembers being in the still lands somehow? ....where is he...?
There were gaps in his memories, the closer he got to current timeline the more prominent those gaps got.
It was as if his memories got slightly burned.
Sky accepted his memory gaps calmly and summoned the red cover diary.
He turned the pages upto the latest entry..
- ######## aeon ###### distrustfull ######
- In .....rags..... similar.....
- @#$; Ashur....winner.@__#';
- Akidftdvnncv
The entry even though was perfectly written, couldn't be read except few sentences and words in between. As if his brain refuses to register them.
Damn it