บท 55: Bleak Future

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!"