The year was 1900. Atlantis...
The hidden city was in decline, with the sea race constantly dying off. The people of Atlantis had never seen the sun nor knew why their city was located in the depths of the ocean.
When the lost city was at its weakest, without any signs of hope, meteorites arrived on Earth. A small meteorite sank into the ocean where Atlantis was located. Ignoring the existence of the barrier, the small meteorite entered the city.
The meteorite opened up to reveal a large 'egg' made of blood-red crystals. The people of the city provided the warmth required for 'hatching'. After five long years, the egg 'hatched', and a fairy-like baby was born.
Her skin was snow-white, and her hair was silver-white. Faint traces of blue wings were visible from her back. Even with all her differences, the people of the sea accepted her as their own.
A few years later, she was old enough to speak. Her first words were: "Where am I? This is not my home! No! This is not even my world!"
She was born with innate memories of her world, but there were things she didn't know. This included why she was on a different planet or what happened to her home. Soon she learned her answers after leaving the city and finding different meteorites around the world.
Her world was no more...
She was all alone, but then she remembered the people of the sea. She returned to the city and guided the people of Atlantis by using meteorites and the Divine Particles, based on her innate memories.
Atlantis flourished, and soon she was revered as a goddess. She told them to call her by her innate name - Rhea - but the people of the city called her goddess, a title she loathed, for what type of goddess would be an orphan?
Years later, the people of Atlantis gave her the title of Holy Seer after she awakened her innate ability. It was a title she accepted, for her path was that of a seer and a holy guide to Atlantis.
**Present**
Rhea opened her eyes slowly. She sat stark naked on the throne made of blue crystals. Her skin was snow-white, but there were parts that were blue after fusing with the crystals.
Poseidon bowed towards her with deep respect and reverence. He had gained strength that could destroy cities, but in front of the Holy Seer, he had no arrogance. He was like a devotee in front of a god.
"Poseidon, you have grown up," Rhea said with a bit of melancholy. She hadn't aged for years, but those she knew had long died of old age.
Poseidon didn't reply, for he didn't know how to reply.
"How many years have I slept this time?" Rhea asked.
"37 years," Poseidon politely answered.
"Is that so?" Rhea looked around the room made of blood-red crystals and finally brought her attention to Poseidon, "What guidance do you need?"
"I have learned that at least a shard of the Cosmic Spark is out there in a human city. The humans with whom we have a treaty are going to seek it!" Poseidon answered her with full details, including the geographical location of Delta City.
Four years ago, he wasn't sure, but now he was, due to the repetition of the incident.
Poseidon didn't trust the council members to share the shard with him or with anyone. The council acted as if, after finding the shard, it would be common property, but he knew it was just a farce. Each council member would secretly try to get their hands on the shard and never share it with anyone else.
In any organization, there was always conflict due to the limited amount of resources and authority. The council was the same, with each member wanting more power than the other.
Poseidon even believed there might be some shards of the Cosmic Spark with the other members of the council or the other mystic heritages. It was just that anyone having possession of such a treasure would never let others know.
As for stealing the shard that was under the possession of the World Government, Poseidon knew it was impossible for now. There were far too many eyes on that shard, and he didn't want others to benefit from his work.
"Cosmic Spark?" Rhea shook her head and said, "My innate memories are not clear about this so-called power source of my homeworld. I know one thing for sure: there is more to this Cosmic Spark than you or the humans believe."
Poseidon thought it was a treasure worth having, given its power, regardless of its origin. He had seen the shard under the government's possession and had felt its unimaginable power. If he could get such a shard, then the power of Atlantis would soar.
"I will look into the future and guide you," Rhea could pretty much guess Poseidon's thoughts.
"Thank you," Poseidon once again bowed. He was aware that looking into the future was no easy task and that she would be paying a heavy price. His respect for her wasn't just due to her origin or power but because of the sacrifices.
Rhea closed her eyes, and the blue crystals inside the throne started melting. Soon, the molten crystals covered her fully and released a blinding glow.
-------------
-------------
Rhea found herself as a phantom in a high-class restaurant. The restaurant was full of people, but she noticed one person different from the rest. He was a human, just like the others, but with a halo!
"Him having the halo means the future I'm seeking revolves around him," Rhea muttered to herself. The man had black hair and blue pupils, appearing to be in his early twenties.
Currently, he was sitting opposite a brunette girl with glasses. The girl seemed on the verge of tears, but she put on a brave front.
"Can I know the reason?" the girl asked.
"I don't want you to drown in a sea of sorrow because of me," the man answered her.
"That's not true! You are the kindest person I have known! So you are wrong!" the girl refused to believe the man in front of her was capable of doing wrong.
"What you've seen so far is what I wanted you to see," the man explained with a sigh, "My true self will disgust you."
Rhea wanted to hear the girl's reply, but time and space distorted, and she found herself in a whirlpool of colors. She fell into the upper region of the whirlpool, and the radiating lights made her close her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a luxurious bedroom.
A brown-haired woman, in her late twenties, covered her body with a white blanket. She filled two glasses with whiskey and gave one to the man on the bed. The man had golden hair reaching his shoulders, and his eyes were a strange combination of blue and gold.
Rhea was shocked to discover that the halo was on this golden-haired man. This man's appearance and life energy were totally different from the man before!
"There is something familiar about this man! That feeling was there in that man as well, but it was very faint! But in this man, the feeling is very strong!"
Rhea let go of her thoughts and focused on the scene before her.
The man sipped the whiskey and quickly placed the glass on a table next to the bed. In a complaining tone, he said, "No drink in this world can intoxicate me as you can."
The woman was rather amused by his words. She took a sip of whiskey and kissed the man. The man greedily sucked on her lips and tongue, as if they were truly the best intoxicant in this world.
Rhea watched as the man and woman made love like passionate lovers. After thirty minutes, the woman pushed the man back and took another sip of whiskey.
"Too much of an intoxicant can kill you!" the woman lied down on his chest and said with a smile. The man looked into her eyes as if he were contemplating something.
"What are you thinking?" the woman asked.
"About our future," the man's voice was serious.
"Hmm?" the woman was rather surprised by the words.
"I meant those words I told you back then," the man twisted his body around and made the woman lie on the bed.
"Hey! Don't speak those cheesy lines again!" the woman knew better than to trust the words of this man.
Rhea wanted to hear the entire conversation, but once again, time and space distorted.
"I finally realized what was similar in both men! Cosmic Spark! Yes, that can only explain why I saw them with the halo and not to mention both scenes should happen in the same city! They are not two people but a single person with two forms!" Rhea quickly thought as she was sucked in by the whirlpool.
"My ability is trying to show me every important character relevant to this man, but if this happens, the backlash will be stronger! I have to make sure I only spend energy on the important scenes!"
From the back of Rhea's body, two blue wings emerged. She controlled her falling and entered the deepest part of the whirlpool instead of going into the middle parts.
----
This time, Rhea was on an office floor full of corpses and weapons. Rhea looked around and found the golden-haired man near a broken wall. Some distance away, the brown-haired woman was standing with a complicated expression.
"Who is she?" Rhea saw a raven-haired woman in front of the golden-haired man.
The raven-haired woman's hands were filled with blood, and her eyes were soaked with tears. Rhea noticed there were stains of blood on the man's face as well; the blood on the man's face and the blood in the woman's hands were of the same person!
"You swore you would protect her!" the woman pulled the man's shirt and said with a voice filled with grief.
The man's face was full of guilt and sadness, but he didn't know how to respond to his emotions.
"You promised me twice! Or have you forgotten?!? Answer me!" The shrieks of the woman were heart-wrenching. The man remained silent, for he didn't know how to console a woman who had lost everything.
Exhausted, the woman fell on the floor like a corpse. She was alive but without any will to live.
The brown-haired woman took the raven-haired woman in her arms. She turned towards the golden-haired man and said, "Let us get out of here."
"You two leave," the man looked at the sky from the broken wall and continued, "I have to kill that bastard."
"But---"
Before the brown-haired woman could protest, white rays of light surrounded her and the unconscious raven-haired woman.
BOOOM
It was daytime, but suddenly the entire sky was filled with dark black clouds. They were full of golden lightning, trying to free themselves from the clouds, but it seemed as if the entire power of this world was stopping them.
Rhea saw the man's aura growing stronger with every second. Quickly, he dashed off into the sky and met head-on with a mysterious giant being.
Rhea felt the presence of the mysterious entity was familiar as well!
The man and the mysterious entity fought for dozens of rounds...
The time and space once again distorted, and Rhea arrived at the last part of the colorful whirlpool.
"This should be the most important part of the upcoming future I seek! I am sure everything I saw in the last few parts has happened in the span of a year! A year for doomsday!"
When Rhea opened her eyes, she found herself in the middle of the city. The city was no longer a city but a graveyard. There were corpses of ordinary humans, mutants, beasts, and so on.
The sky was clear, but it seemed as if the entire world was colored gray! Far away in the sky, the mysterious giant being was fleeing for its life!
"This is the continuation of the battle, but I have missed something!" Rhea noticed the greyness in the area was like a poison of death. It has covered everything.
"What is this greyness? Before, the sky was filled with golden lightning, but now the entire world is painted gray!"
Far away, she noticed a man slowly walking, sporting a sinister smile.
With each step, it was as if the world was falling into chaos. The buildings around turned into nothingness, including the humans in it! He was the epitome of death!
The man was naked to the core, but the gray particles in the air crystallized and struck his body to transform into a robe.
"H-how can this be?!"
When she looked at the man, she felt a type of fear she had never felt in her life.
Suddenly, the man turned towards her as if he could perceive her existence. With a malevolent voice, he asked, "Bitch, do you want to die?"
Impossible!
How could he notice my existence when I am just a phantom of the past?
Before she could think further, she was engulfed by a gray vortex.
"Aahhhhh!"
Rhea opened her eyes and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The crystal throne started cracking, and it was as if Atlantis was under an earthquake.
"What?" Poseidon quickly rushed to support Rhea, but she told him to back off.
"I have been infected!" Rhea waved her hand and absorbed energy from the blood-red crystals on the floor. Her skin started turning gray, but the energy from the crystals stopped the infection from spreading.
Poseidon couldn't understand what type of infection could affect her.
"Don't you dare set your eyes on Delta City! That city is soon going to become a graveyard!" Rhea warned him.
"Holy seer, what do you mean?" Poseidon asked, with fear evident in his voice.
If something can injure her, then what type of existence could it be?!
"There is something in the city that can exterminate us all!"
I can assure you, the novel is NOT a tragedy!
"There is something in the city that can exterminate us all!" Rhea's body trembled as the gray particles on her body fought with the energy from the blood-red crystals.
Poseidon found those words hard to believe, but he knew she had no reason to lie. Was their strength not even enough to defend themselves against that existence?
"Urgh!" Rhea's face turned pale as she tried to control the corrosion inside her. "There was something wrong with the future I saw. That man could perceive my existence and even attack me. How is it possible for someone in the future to attack someone from the past? Unless..."
Rhea thought of something horrifying but quickly brushed off her guess.
"No! That should be against the very laws of the universe! Not even those from my homeworld can do that thing! But then..."
She looked at Poseidon and said, "My duty is to guide you and not order you. If you still want to take action, then I won't stop you."
"You have every right to order me," Poseidon bowed and replied, "I don't want my ambitions to destroy the smile of my family and the people of Atlantis."
"Good," Rhea sighed deeply, "I need to have some rest."
"I understand," Poseidon took his leave.
-------------------------
Thrill Park, Delta City
12 miles above the ground, one man and two women were falling downwards. They were wearing the standard diving instruments excluding parachutes!
One of the women had a very excited appearance, while the other two not so much.
"Enjoy the fall!" the woman enjoyed the air passing by her and eyed the man, "I wouldn't have to do this if you weren't so introverted! Just what type of man sheds tears of joy because some celebrity was going to become a father?"
Zed bitterly smiled. He regretted his actions in the cafeteria when the news of Kiba becoming a father was released.
How was he supposed to know Felicity would book a thrill ride for him?
Another woman beside them wanted to cry, "Felicity, I wasn't even there so why am I jumping with you two!?"
The woman felt her luck was good with her making friends with Zed and Felicity, but now she realized she was happy far too early. After the academy was closed, Felicity invited her for a ride.
How was she supposed to know the ride would mean a free fall from miles above the ground?
"Jessica, this will make you strong!" Felicity answered, without caring if her words made sense or not, "Anyways, just enjoy!"
Zed saw the ground getting nearer and the fear he felt increased. If he was Kiba then he wouldn't mind falling from earth's orbit but not as Zed.
If Kiba was a man with wings then Zed was someone whose wings have been chopped off. It was like a police officer knowing he was not wearing armor while finding himself a target of a thief with a gun.
"Daniel, you are going to pay a price soon!" Zed tried to divert his mind by blaming Daniel, "You think you will go scot-free after creating so many problems in my life?"
"Ahhh!" Jessica screamed as she felt the ground rapidly approaching.
"What a disappointment," Felicity waved her hand, and a cushion of flowers sprouted from the ground upon which they fell.
Zed and Jessica sighed in relief knowing they didn't suffer any injury while Felicity remarked how boring it was.
"Felicity, I am feeling unwell so I have to return home!" Zed knew she will try to find more exciting rides so he tried to make an excuse.
"I have an appointment as well so I should leave," Jessica adjusted her glasses.
"No way! I have a good ride in my mind!" Felicity ignored their words of protest.
But it seemed the gods were in Jessica and Zed's favor as suddenly Felicity's phone rang.
"Dad?" Felicity felt a headache after seeing the caller's name. Grudgingly she picked up the call.
"I am helping Zed with a medical emergency," Felicity answered on her phone call, "So no, I can't come back and leave him for death."
Zed's lips twitched.
"What do you mean there are guests?" Felicity was annoyed, but she then grew excited, "You promise to allow me to go to the jungle? Good! I am coming back now!"
Zed: "......."
Felicity put her phone back and said, "Some guests from the government are arriving, so I have to leave for their welcome."
Jessica knew Felicity's father was a senator, so she wasn't surprised.
"There would be more guests in the upcoming week," Felicity started cursing loudly, "I want to kill the person who created that scene in the wasteland! Couldn't he (she) have done it in another city!?"
Zed: T__T
Jessica was startled. She asked, "Scene in the wasteland? But wasn't the golden lightning created due to a missile test?"
"No. Dad said that the missile test was just an excuse to fool commoners. There is some huge secret, but from what I know, some scientist is probably responsible," Felicity answered.
Seeing the look of disbelief on Jessica's face, Felicity continued, "Don't trust the news or what others tell you. Even the history class is nothing more than propaganda!"
As a daughter of a senator, she knew the way the world worked.
"Most likely, there is going to be an investigation in the wasteland. Then there is that missing low-level scientist and her team," Felicity shared the details she knew.
Zed had a nonchalant expression throughout. He wasn't worried about the investigation because he and Claudia have cleared all evidence that could lead up to him.
He was confident in his ability to survive the upcoming ordeal even in the worst-case scenario.
"Anyways, I have to leave," Felicity turned towards Zed and said, "It is late so accompany Jessica to her home."
"There is no need. I will take a bus," Jessica felt her heartbeat racing.
"He is rich, so I doubt driving his car for some extra miles would be a problem!" Felicity's decision was final.
"N-no I don't want to create a problem," Jessica said.
"It is not a problem," Zed didn't mind giving her a ride.
He opened the door of the hovercraft and allowed Jessica to take a seat first. He then sat on the driver's seat and quickly put on the gear.
Jessica was nervous thinking whether she should start a conversation or not.
"Who is in your family?" Zed started the conversation.
"My mom, dad, and a younger brother," Jessica was glad he took the initiative first.
"That's good," Zed nodded while his attention was on the road ahead.
"What about your family?" Jessica asked.
"My parents died when I was young, so I live by myself," Zed gave an excuse.
"I am sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Jessica apologized.
"It is not an issue," Zed smiled.
---------
"We have arrived," Zed parked the hovercraft outside a building and accompanied Jessica outside.
The community was rather congested with buildings sticking close to each other. He looked around and thought the area was rather poor but still far better than the slums.
"Thank you," Jessica wanted to invite him to her apartment for a cup of coffee, but she didn't know how she should ask.
"If you really want to thank me, then just stop thanking me!"
Zed didn't find it was a big deal to give her a ride. He lived the life of Zed for multiple reasons, and one of them was to experience things he couldn't as Kiba.
Just as Jessica found the courage to ask him for coffee, she noticed a familiar group of people some distance away.
"Z-Zed, see you at the academy," Jessica hurriedly said.
"Hmm?" Zed noticed the group of people as well. From their clothes, they appeared to be members of some local gang.
The group of people arrived in front of Jessica.
"Why are you late today?" One of them asked her.
"I-I was with my friends," Jessica tried to explain.
"Are your friends more important or the life of my friends?" the man demanded.
"I didn't know you needed my help," Jessica nervously replied.
"You are coming with us now," the man ordered. He noticed Zed's gaze, so he turned his face towards him and asked, "Do you have any problem with us?"
Jessica wanted to explain, but she was stopped by another member.
"Not really," Zed answered, totally relaxed.
"Then why are you staring at us instead of getting lost?" The man didn't like the attitude of Zed.
"I was just curious if I have seen you somewhere. You see, I have met quite a lot of gangs in my last few years," Zed replied.
From the conversation between these men and Jessica, he could judge the situation. Jessica's healing ability was definitely a boon for the local gangs.
The group of men was rather annoyed by the laid-back attitude of Zed.
"If your curiosity is satisfied, then get lost," The man felt Zed was unappealing to the eye.
"I can't as the duty given to me is not yet finished," Zed pointed his finger at Jessica and said, "I have to accompany her to her house. I am outside the building, so how can I get lost?"
"Do you want to die?" Another man couldn't control his anger.
"I don't want to die, but what about you?" Zed curiously asked.
That man wanted to punch Zed, but the man from before stopped him. He has noticed the hovercraft of Zed and knew a person who could afford such a vehicle isn't ordinary. Perhaps he has an influential background, and the man didn't want to create unnecessary trouble.
"Consider your duty done," The man said, "Jessica is with us, so don't butt in our matters."
"Is that so?" Zed then looked at Jessica and said, "There is something I really want to tell you."
"What?" Jessica was confused. What type of words did he want to say in such a situation?!
"You are a true trouble magnet."
"......"
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