Chapter 10

Flowing like Water

Walking through the aqueduct, I noticed how the water was rising to a very dangerous height. Noticing four towers, I found myself at the base of the first one. Going inside, I climbed the staircase to the top, noticing several strange pictures, one of them depicting me with a strange woman with long dark green hair and dark green eyes wearing a black and dark red dress with a dark red opening to show her cleavage, her fingernails covered in thick purple nail polish. I felt like I knew her from somewhere; unlike the previous people I met, she felt very familiar to me, maybe even too familiar. Reaching the top, I found a clockwork mechanism that seemed to depict an opened sluice gate. Closing the depicted gate, I felt a strange rumble; as I wondered where the rumble had come from, I saw an opened drawer. Rummaging around in it, I saw an opened logbook. The text within said, "They are Lord Jack and Lady -, Our Sovereign and the Maiden who shall rule beside him. For it is they who can harness the power of the Great Astral Spirit and use its power to bring a new dawn to Aionios, ruling over us for eternity. Long may they reign o'er us.". "Wait, who could be the woman whose name is blanked out?", I asked myself. Suddenly, I saw the book catch fire, leaving nothing but ashes that promptly dissolved in the wind. Finding myself at the base of the second tower, I walked inside and climbed to the top, seeing a strange mural depicting myself on a throne and a figure who resembled Ganondorf rather uncharacteristically prostrating himself before me. "Please, Your Majesty, I beg of you! Become the Sovereign and reign over Aionios like the God you are!", a voice said. Reaching the top of the tower, I saw another mechanism resembling an opened sluice gate; much like the first one, I closed it, hearing a strange rumble. "OK, these rumblings have to be coming from somewhere, but where?", I thought. Next to the mechanism, I saw a small cyan crystal; picking it up, I then found myself in a strange forest facing a dilapidated mansion. As I walked forward, the mansion then suddenly repaired itself; opening the door, I saw that it was suspiciously empty. "Hello? Anyone home?", I asked. I then found myself at the base of the third tower.

Looking around, I sensed the feeling that I was being watched. "OK, you can come out now.", I said. "Why, you're quite perceptive. Then again, it's not really surprising.", a female voice sounding suspiciously like Goldmary's said. I turned around to see a woman with long light purple hair and light purple eyes wearing a light blue crop top, grey shorts and lilac sandals. "Wait, who are you again?", I asked. "Don't tell me you've forgotten me already? Well, that simply won't do. Call me Quinella, Empress of the Human Empire of Centoria.", the woman said. "Do I know you from somewhere?", I asked. "No, but my son told me about you. He said that you're having trouble unleashing Odin's power. I can help you with that.", Quinella said. I nervously looked at the dark purple triangular prism that Quinella was holding, with a sinister smile on Quinella's face as she advanced towards me. "You trying to brainwash me like you did with the Integrity Knights?", I asked. "No. This is going to help you accept your destiny as the Sovereign and unleash Odin's power in its entirety, with you not needing to care about things like morality and ethics that only hold people down.", Quinella said, her smile growing very eerie and uncanny. Terrified, I went into the third tower, bolting up the stairs. As I ran, I noticed another mural, this time depicting me unleashing the power of the Ifrit with 9 figures bowing before me. Reaching the top, I saw a third model depicting an opened sluice gate; closing it, I heard a third rumble. Before I could think as to what was causing the rumbling, I heard Quinella say behind me, "Got you!", as she forcibly inserted the triangular prism she was holding into my head. Panicking, I screamed as I unleashed a large amount of dark red energy that forcibly ejected the triangular prism and atomised it. "Wait, what?!", Quinella asked in shock, promptly teleporting away. As the energy died down, I asked myself, "What was that just now?". "There's no way. No-one before has ever resisted a Piety Module. And it was a special one too.", Niffty said behind me. "Piety…Module?", I asked. "Yes, a Piety Module that Quinella used to brainwash innocent people and turn them into her Integrity Knights.", Charlie said. "But if you can resist Piety Modules, then maybe you are the one after all.", Vaggie said before the three disappeared. Noticing another cyan crystal, I picked it up, witnessing a vision of Kazuto arguing with a girl with black hair and dark grey eyes. "You know Mother and Father aren't happy with you, brother! They know you're coming home later than usual for us and that isn't normal!", the girl said. "Come on, Suguha, you know as well that Mom and Dad care for me.", Kazuto said to the girl. "Does Shino know?", Suguha asked. "Yeah, she knows that Mom and Dad would do anything to protect me.", Kazuto said. The vision then faded.

Finding myself at the base of the fourth tower, I entered, noticing a strange mural of myself praying to the Waxing Moon Vessel. "Why would I pray to the Waxing Moon Vessel?", I thought. Climbing the stairs, I found a black knight wielding a nodachi brimming with dark purple lightning blocking the way to the top only for the figure to completely disappear after I passed through it. Reaching the top, I saw (you guessed it) a model depicting an opened sluice gate; closing it, I heard a fourth and final rumble, this one being longer than the previous rumbles. As I looked at the centre of the aqueduct, I saw a circular stone platform rise out of the water with a giant blue crystal at the centre of the platform. Looking at a cyan crystal next to the model, I picked it up, witnessing a vision of Quinella placing a Piety Module into Kazuto's head and tucking him into a bed, then kissing his head before leaving the room. The vision faded, only for me to find myself facing the central platform. Walking onto the platform, I caught sight of a dark-skinned man with dark brown hair and brown eyes wearing a white tunic, white gloves and white boots. As I came closer, the man turned to face me. "Can I help you?", I asked. "No, but I can help you.", the man said. "Hi, my name's Jack. What's yours?", I asked. As a sign of frustration formed on the man's face, he said, "I knew your amnesia was bad, but I didn't think it was this bad. Anyway, my name is Arjuna, the Endowed Hero.", the man said. "So, how are you going to help me?", I asked. "Like this!", Arjuna said, forming a bow in his hand that he used to fire a volley of blue arrows at me that I just managed to dodge. Then, I felt something within the blue crystal as it covered me in a pillar of blue energy that caused my body to seize up again. "It seems your body is not used to using mana or any of its offshoots. Still, you cannot embrace your destiny as Our Sovereign if you do not unleash your true nature.", Arjuna said. Clenching my right hand, I absorbed the blue energy into it, causing me to summon two Zantetsukens, both of them taking the form of a double-bladed sword with ominous red blades, one of the blades being shorter than the other. "It seems you're still rejecting your true nature. Embrace it and defeat me!", Arjuna said. "I'll show you!", I said, rushing at the archer. "Yes! The first step has been taken!", Arjuna said, an aura of excitement about him.

Rushing at Arjuna, I launched a flurry of fast slashes with my Zantetsukens, the flurry deflecting the arrows that Arjuna shot at me. Launching several beams of darkness, I saw the beams manipulate the water itself, the fluid dispelling the arrows that Arjuna was creating. It was only then that I saw that the arrows were composed of blue fire, yet they didn't seem to be hotter than normal fire. Arcing his bow, Arjuna then shot a more powerful arrow that certainly bounced off the ground only for me to deflect it. Gripping my swords tight, I then rushed towards Arjuna only to me accosted by a wall of blue fire that I ran on easily. Then, I found myself extremely close to Arjuna for him to physically strike me with his bow only for me to deflect the attacks. "No, no! Not like that!", Arjuna said. "What do you want me to do?", I asked. "That's simple. Just fight with Odin's power, not your own. Don't use your own skill; use Odin's blade and its properties of slashing through everything in Creation and you will actually win against me.", Arjuna replied. "Why you little!", I said, unleashing a giant storm of red electricity that vapourised the water surrounding the platform holding the Water Crystal. "That…is not Odin's power.", Arjuna said, easily dodging an attempt by me to stab him in the stomach. Redirecting the slash, I then unleashed a brutal flurry of stabs and slashes only for Arjuna to fire a volley of arrows at the Water Crystal, destroying it. Angered, I unleashed a dark storm of energy that Arjuna easily dodged. "It seems Cu is right. You really aren't worthy of becoming the Sovereign. You have one last chance aboard the Space Colony ARK; if you fail to unleash Odin's power there, then you will be required to hand Yuito the Dein Nomos and the Renas Alma and revoke your claim to the Sovereign throne. I am very disappointed in you.", Arjuna said before warping away, causing my Zantesukens to disappear.

As the water started up again, I then noticed a circle where the Water Crystal once stood. "It seems that you've been a very naughty boy.", Ivy said behind me. I turned around to see her brimming with purple energy. "That's right; I am the avatar of the Sage Force now.", she said, examining her purple nails. "What happened to the previous avatar?", I asked. "Well, Bashir died alongside Deon and Alexa; as they were dying, they bade me, Himari and Alastor to succeed them as avatars- Himari becoming the second avatar of the Still Force, Alastor becoming the second avatar of the Strength Force and me becoming the second avatar of the Sage Force. That said, Barry is still the current avatar of the Speed Force but I think Wally is proving himself a fine understudy to him.", Ivy said. "But how can a Consul also become the avatar of a Force of Nature?", I asked. "Well, Z did something to me to allow me to still use the power of the Sage Force despite my death. That is how I can still use the Sage Force despite succeeding Irma as Consul I.", Ivy replied. Suddenly, the circle where the Water Crystal started glowing as a spherical space colony appeared in the sky above. The colony itself was a brown-coloured Bernal type spherical space station. "I see the Space Colony ARK has appeared. Though I hear the people there have been experiencing strange winds as of late.", Ivy said. "No doubt caused by YHVH overtaxing the Wind Crystal.", I said. "Maybe.", Ivy said. Frustrated by my inability to beat Cu and Arjuna, I stepped on to the circle which teleported me to the Space Colony ARK.

The story continues in the next chapter.