EPISODE 231: ATAVISM 1

— GREAT EDRYAN, YEAR ???? SEASON: ????

"What?"

I squinted, rereading the notification once again—the temperature of my sol increasing. "…(Ancestral Beginnings)…?"

"So, you see it too," Madria questioned. Her eyes gazed at an unseen notification; I held no doubts that it matched my own. She grasped my hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

"Whatever Rasheed has done to us… it's… well…," I attempted to speak, but my voice trailed off.

What exactly had Rasheed done to us? The eggs, my children. Why were they my children? Why did I even believe they were mine? No… I held no doubt that they were mine… mine and Madria's.

"The Sol," Madria began, eyes now gazing at me. Her voice was soft; she was speaking aloud, more or less, and not just to me. "He's manipulated the sol. Not just the sol—he's changed our bodies, our potential, and the future of our Paths… atavism? Something about igniting our bloodlines… changing them into something else—something more , some new race. He's likely a [Life Manipulator] or [Life Smith]—if not, he possesses the skills of one."

My eyebrows scrunched in confusion at Madria's words. I'd never heard of those classes before. Madria saw my expression, and before I could ask, she continued. Her voice continued in its soft tone, but now it was fully directed at me.

"It's… the Gamal House's biggest secret—one that many don't know about… but they do know we have a special treatment… for creating children."

My confusion continued, I hadn't heard of anything like this before. "What exactly are these classes?"

Madria sighed. "The classes do exactly what you're thinking Lawruthian. They manipulate Life at an extreme—height, physical properties in general," Madria waved her free hand. "They can even ensure the child has a body that is near Legendary."

"This… is done on children, or…?"

"No—it takes place even before—at conception, or it can be used to induce conception… there is… a reason so many of the Little Greats and other talents were all born during the same time as you…," Madria trailed off. Her voice had grown softer with each word spoken. "My mother told me of the story—it was long known the year prior that the Queen would request a child from the Goddess."

"Are you telling me… the Little Greats and many of the talents in Imperius Academy…," My voice trailed off, frown deepening.

Life manipulation magic? Why hadn't I heard of this? I didn't know what to think. The Little Greats were all designer babies…

That was… well, it explained some things. Were they designed as companions for me? Did Madria love me or… no , I couldn't allow my thoughts to continue down that path.

"Not many, the Little Greats, yes… even me," Madria confirmed. There was confusion on her face as she stared at me. "Did you never wonder why the Six Great Houses had children directly from the [Heroes] your age? Even those like Vivian who have children the Queen's age?"

I did, once, but I chalked it up to a baby boom that occurred after a steady period of peace emerged following years of civil war. This is what happened after the World Wars of Earth… I expected the same here.

"I did, but…," I shook my head, not explaining to Madria. "Why is it a secret?"

"[Life Manipulators] are rare, I mean Rare —only one or two every few generations appear. They are a very difficult class to achieve, but once done, the Power you wield is enough to change the regime."

My brows scrunched together, my gaze on Madria. I'd already analyzed the possibilities of such a class in the little time since she exposed such a secret. "You could produce warriors from [Commoners] near or at the Rare grade bloodline—you'd only need twenty to thirty years to have an elite group of soldiers ready."

Madria nodded, "That is why the Gamal's keep the class hidden, and should one arise from our ranks, its secret is deeply hidden. Only the [Life Manipulator] and current clan head are allowed to know about the class."

"Then why do you know?"

Madria gave me a gentle smile. She looked away, her eyes seeing a notification I could not. "What do you think is needed to achieve such a class," Madria questioned.

"Potential. High Mind and Life elemental understanding. I'd expect your understanding of Life to achieve one hundred percent and beyond. However," I paused, thinking over what such a class may require. "You'd have to have an extreme understanding of life and the body—muscles, organs, and more."

"You're right—you also have to achieve this before the age of thirty."

"Ah, I understand."

Madria was the next candidate for such a class—she was the youngest of the Gamal daughters, had already achieved a complete understanding of Life, and if there were any other factor to decide in guiding her to such a class… being close to the Chosen of Madris would fit perfectly.

I turned away, my gaze on the six burgeoning sols that developed as we sat in silence. Hints of my sol—this land that constituted the Six Great Attributes and my understanding of them—entered the burgeoning sols. Slowly siphoning from me to build their own.

"That's why…," I said.

"That's why…?" Madria questioned, confused at my outburst.

I pointed at the siphoning portion of our potential, of our Sol. "That is why we think of them as our children. What if, because of our connection and their development from our Sols, they become our children without the need of…," I trailed off, a bit shy at finishing my statement.

Madria picked up on my thoughts, and her hand grew hotter in my embrace, even though her dark skin remained unblemished. She turned away in embarrassment.

"They're our children if this is truly how new sols are developed. Although we haven't…," Madria's words trailed off. "Anyway… what do you think of this…? Do we accept this change or…?"

"Do we have a choice," I responded, playing devil's advocate. "Rasheed stuffed us in here without much option."

In all honesty, I had lost my initial bravado about the entire situation. Rasheed was a man… being with nothing but a simple obsession—reviving his deceased children. Somewhere along the way, he'd lost sight of his original goal, or perhaps it's better to say he'd grown weary and chose a new avenue to pursue. Me, Minerva, Madria… were just collateral in a game between Gods, Aspect, and Titans.

…

Nothing more than chess pieces to be manipulated on a board called Elrunian.

…

If I wanted to ever be in charge of my own destiny, I had to become a Player. I have to become a God.

Such a simple-sounding goal was anything but. The easiest levels were always the earliest; it was the latter that took time. Time. If only I had more time or could warn myself of future events.

Time was an element that could be manipulated.

…

Time was an element that could be manipulated.

"There's always a choice."

"No, not for mortals," I shook my head. I'd always believed that humans had a choice, especially when I was Lawrence Brown. Even in my earliest years on Genesis, I still believed in the illusion called choice. Even now, I desperately wanted to believe in that option.

Then the Gods showed me otherwise. It didn't even take that sort of power. I should have understood it when I saw my mother and her cohort become Demigoddesses and Prestiges. I believed they weren't that far ahead in strength. I thought myself the [Chosen of Madris]. I'd thought…

A Son Who Thinks Like No Other. A Son Who Talks Like No Other. A Son Who Will Not Walk Amongst Others. Not Because He Is Behind, But Because He Is Too Far Ahead!

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

…those words to be truer as the years go by. None of my peers could match me. Not Ade Oni, not Lorde Drumian, not even Simra with the [Light of the End] to help. My strength, my attributes were just beyond.

" Even for mortals—even if we choose to do nothing. That is not something even the Gods can violate," Madria countered. Her eyes were wide, and she gazed at me in concern. A moment later, she fully turned to face me as she grabbed my face in both hands. "There is always a choice. Always."

My heart melted, and the opposition I had drummed up fell apart. I stayed silent, gazing into her eyes, a small smile at the edge of my lips, for I gently repeated. "There's always a choice."

Satisfied, Madria let me go, once again returning her attention to the notification. "So… atavism."

"So atavism," I responded, still smiling. I cocked my head slightly to the left as I stared at her. She turned her head even further, refusing to look me in the eye."What do you think?"

I focused on the notification again, carefully reading it from the top.

Congratulations! You have activated (Ancestral Beginnings).

You have ignited your bloodline; atavism is initiating. ‎ Conflicting bloodlines: Saphen — Magi and Saphen — Semi-Divine Being are interfering. Would you like to establish a new bloodline? WARNING: Establishing a new bloodline will break away certain ties to the prior bloodline/s. This process is irreversible — You Will Be Come More. You Will Become an Ascendant Grade being, unique among oneself—first of its race. WARNING: All bloodline descendants will experience a change in their physiology and psychology. ‎ THIS PROCESS IS IRREVERSIBLE. ‎ THIS PROCESS IS IRREVERSIBLE. ‎ THIS PROCESS IS IRREVERSIBLE.

Yes.

No.

The opportunity to Be Come More was present before me. Perhaps this was what Realm Lord Elrunian was about—creating beings to become more.

"I think," Madria began, she paused, still formulating her words. "Well, I don't know. The opportunity sounds like it would transcend us past just regular mortals—it… it sounds like it would change our bloodlines—change our species entirely… we… we wouldn't be magi anymore, and that scares me," Madria responded honestly. "What about you?"

"I think I'm going to say yes."

Madria turned to stare at me, her face showed one-third confusion, one-third surprise, and one-third worry.

"Why?"

"Because I have a choice . Because I need the strength. Because…," I trailed off, leaving my last words unspoken.

Because if it breaks me away from Goddess Madris's direct control and influence, I would accept it in a heartbeat—even if I paid a price I couldn't afford. I need that strength, by any means.

…

By any means.

…

"Not all strength is good strength," Madria countered. This time, she was the one playing devil's advocate. "We don't know what this would do to our bodies—or sols. We don't know how this affects us."

"You're right, we don't, but if possible, I'd rather take this step forward with you."

I squeezed her hand, pulling her attention toward me. She stared at me, staring deeply into my eyes. Madria sighed, and I pulled her close, hugging her. "Truly, if you don't want to, just say no. I don't believe Rasheed would do anything to compromise us at this stage. I think… I believe his plan has already been successful. He's gotten what he wanted."

Madria stayed silent for a moment, her gaze on the six sols that were slowly developing. " Yes ."

The word was quiet, like the whisper of the wind on a chilly forest night. For a moment, I didn't recognize the sound Madria made, but the change that began immediately allowed me to understand what she did. That was her answer, that was her saying she was willing to walk this path with me.

I silently turned back to my notification. " Yes ."

…

…

…

Madria gasped, one hand tightly gripping mine as heat began to radiate from it, and the other over her chest. Her eyes turned to gaze at me one final time as that same heat began to overtake my sol.

No words were exchanged, no sound other than the initial gasp—nothing. It was the land that responded, the sol. My grassland field, that very field on the royal farms, where we began to invest in honeybees… where my mother said she would support my dreams no matter what, ignited. The heat we felt came directly from the sol itself—its pain worse than death.

It was a gradual, slow cook, like a roast that took several hours to get soft and tender meat. I kept my eyes on Madria. I remembered what it was like to experience pain so deep that your soul remembered it. I could never forget as it was my introduction to the Genesis Realm.

Silent tears began to stream down her eyes… and… I knew not if they were from the pain of her sol burning or… the decision that would alter her life and relationship with everything she knew and loved.

A single nub appeared on her forehead, its shape knotted like Madria had bumped her head. I reached up, not for the nub nor the second one that began to appear, but for her tears, gently wiping at them with my thumb.

Sloooiish.

With each wipe, a memory appeared.

Sloooiish.

Madria's laughter as we read the sign, Here Be Dragon. She didn't even understand fully why I laughed, but she joined in with me anyway… oh, how I loved that.

Sloooiish.

Her twisting Amaya's ear, then asking me why I hadn't been to church when we first met. Our days spent at Imperius Academy were some of the best I ever spent.

Sloooiish.

The bright excitement in my voice as I asked both ladies if they ever played chess. Oh, their confused looks still brought a smile to my face.

Sloooiish.

I laughed; the memories continued to flow. The pain never halted… but I laughed. For what else could you do when you were powerless in a world where nothing but such mattered?

The tears continued to fall, but their laughter only grew louder. At first, Madria glanced at me in confusion, my vision blurred but still clear enough to see her.

A hand reached up, and the touch of her on my face only intensified the heat and memories. Madria wiped…

Oh, I was crying too.

Sloooiish.

Oh, Lawruthian was crying too.

Madria joined him in laughing, even though she didn't know why he laughed in the first place. Memories flowed through her mind, both good and bad.

The tears continued to fall, but their laughter only grew louder. Madria laughed with each passing moment, and another tear would fall and be wiped away. The world around them brightened, every color magnified and heightened.

Madria wiped gently, and each wipe brought forth another memory.

Sloooiish.

His cocky, passionate rant about chess and his words on studying the history of Edryan. Oh, how she loved that—the memory still brought a smile to her face.

Sloooiish.

His panicked expression and hurried movement as he placed A Mother's Love—the necklace that saved both their lives was still around her neck. She still kept it, and he had never once asked for it back.

Sloooiish.

Their days walking the Academy grounds, her, him, and Amaya had quickly grown into a unit. Oh, how she missed those days.

Sloooiish.

She continued to wipe, and the memories followed.

Sloooiish.

She glanced at the nubs on Lawruthian's forehead, one growing slightly bigger than the other. She laughed, and everything faded into white.

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