Arden didn’t waste a second and dismissed the message. As soon as he did, Life’s energy which could be felt by everyone suddenly disappeared, as if the Archon’s shift ended and he wanted to go home. Arden had questions he wanted answered, and he believed he was well within his rights to demand them.
Why did the Archon of Life support Arden’s doppelganger and help him steal Beyond’s Legacy, only to then return it to Arden and allow him to absorb the doppelganger?
Why did the Archon let the doppelganger run amok and nearly kill everyone here, only to heal them after the fight?
What, in essence, happened?
Arden trembled and paled as he fell to the ground dry heaving. He knew of one thing that happened.
He died. He had actually, without hyperbole, died. He was reduced to a shadow, a soul without a body, as his body was taken by his enemy.
He didn't know what he was when he succumbed. He had no memories, no sense of identity. He was lost.
But somehow, and for some reason, he was given another chance.
Beyond’s Legacy was returned to him, along with some of Life’s powers, and he was restored to his current self using the combined Legacies. His doppelganger was absorbed into him during the process, and again, Arden didn't know why.
But he was relieved, and alive.
So was everyone else for that matter. Everyone survived the nightmarish ordeal.
Sya was the first one to Arden’s side, as was expected. Cirai was still looking up to the sky in a stupefied stupor, and Podren was still unconscious. Arden couldn't blame him. He knew first hand how much it sucked to have your body rebuild itself around you. It was not a pleasant experience, to say the least.
‘Especially that last one…’
He felt a warm hand on his upper back patting him. He realized it was Sya trying to help him get over his bout of sickness, which quickly passed when he realized that while he did come back to life and regenerate, he had done so with no clothes.
“You’re alive,” Sya muttered.
She didn't care to point out his naked form. She could poke fun in a moment when she collected herself.
Arden spat out the last of the contents of his stomach and groaned. Before he could respond to his sister, he heard his stomach growl. He didn't realize how hungry dying had made him.
He leaned back, rubbed his eyes, then wiped his mouth. He wasn't in the mood to care about his lack of clothes either. He was too exhausted to even feel embarrassed. He looked back at his sister’s worried face, noticing all of the shallow cuts decorating it. Blood no longer flowed from them, but they weren't scabbed over either. They still looked raw.
“How’d you get those?” he asked, gesturing to them.
“The cuts on my face? My sword shattered during the fight. Those weird gremlin things were weak, but there were a lot of them. Am I still bleeding?”
“No, you're not bleeding. They’re not scarring over either.”
“Must be the work of the Archon,” Sya mused. “I thought it couldn't heal me because of the Blight.”
“I doubt there's anything that the god of life can't heal. It probably just used more up on those two than on you. You were still capable of fighting.”
His expression turned downcast.
“I thought I'd be able to best him this time,” Arden sighed. “I thought it was close.”
“No one can say you didn't try. You fought harder and longer than everyone else, Vera included.”
“Do you think that would matter to Vera?”
Sya raised a brow and a teasing smile crossed her face. Arden realized he should have phrased the question better.
“I don't think she cares much about you being hard or long. Just that you try your best.”
Arden paused for a moment. He didn’t know if she was referring to fighting or if she was making another remark about him hooking up with Vera. He decided to take it as the former.
“Regardless,” Arden said. “That bastard cheated. We would have had him if he didn’t summon god when we had him on the back foot. I don't know what to think about the existence of a god thing, though.”
“Then don't think about it,” Sya shrugged. “Do you think about what created the Starborn System? I know you have more street smarts than actual intelligence, but I know you don't believe that the system was just spontaneously created one day. And besides, even if we tried to look into these beings, they would be so far beyond us that there would be no point.”
“You make a fair point,” Arden conceded.
“I kind of have to. Ever since you revealed your ability, you've been doing one impossible thing after another. I have to be smart enough to dissuade you from jumping off any cliffs.”
“That is also a fair point. Vera said something similar as well. She said that I act too recklessly because I rely on the Legacy to get me out of trouble instead of relying on my own skill. That happened here as well.”
“To be fair, you didn't use the Legacy this time to win. The Archon used it, used us, and used the doppelganger as well. We were just pawns in that thing's game.”
“Any guesses as to why?”
Sya shook her head.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Trying to understand vast cosmic beings makes you go insane. It makes you realize just how insignificant we all are. Just accepting that we are lesser is enough to keep us from losing it. Them’s the rules.”
“Where’d you get that?”
“P.H. Crovelaft, obviously. The man was a racist freak, but he did a lot for the cosmic horror scene with his stories.”
“Obviously,” Arden repeated dryly. “Well, enjoy your life of acceptance being nothing more than a stain on the universe’s doormat. I’m gonna make my existence the universe’s problem this time.”
Golden light rose from his body just like it had for Vera before. Arden felt his skin tingle like it was filled with electricity. He was brimming with power, and it felt wonderful. This was what transcendental power was supposed to feel like, not like having your soul set on fire.
Golden sparks floated in the air around him. The wisps gave off an aura of warmth and power, like they were blessed by a benevolent goddess. Arden’s eyes went wide when he saw them gradually get bigger. The sparks were for him. He could tell.
Behind him, the sparks of light came together forming a round tunnel the size of a tennis ball. Slowly, it started to expand.
The golden light was enough to drag Cirai out of her stupor.
“...You really weren’t a Starborn,” she said.
Arden stood up, forgetting that he was naked, and crossed the room and knelt down next to the stunned Cirai.
“The cat’s out of the bag now, I guess,” he said. “We never wanted to involve you and Podren over there, but now that we have, we might as well let you in on the secret.”
Arden called up his Status, and showed it to the first person in the slums who didn’t immediately hate him.
Name: Arden
Starborn Tier: Aspirant
Starborn Rank: Aspirant
Constellation: Aspirant
Legacy: Beyond (Sealed)
- Rank: ?
- Description: Hidden
Legacy: Life
- Rank: ?
- Description Hidden
“Oh that’s new,” Arden said, looking at the new addition. “I guess when he was absorbed into me, his Legacy came with. Talk about a windfall.”
Cirai read through it, her eyes lingering on his tier of Aspirant, along with the pair of Legacies.
“Legacy?” she asked.
“We don’t know much about them,” Sya said, joining the two. “You know the clone and how it used those strings?”
Cirai put a hand on her chest and felt her beating heart that had minutes before been ripped apart by said strings.
“I know.”
“Well,” Arden continued from where Sya left off. “As far as we know, those threads were the power of what was essentially the god of life, and a Legacy is the power of that god bestowed to others. Somehow, I ended up with Beyond’s Legacy, and my evil twin wanted it. I’ve had this power for a while. It's how I was able to heal after the fight with Frozhe. But I wasn’t a Starborn.”
Arden stood and turned to face his rapidly forming stargate.
“Not until now.”
Once the golden sparks formed a Golden Stargate, he would be able to begin his trial, and if he did well, he would fully become a Starborn.
“We’re almost out of here, Sya. Once I finish the trial, we can finally leave the slums. No more rations, no more Yaan. We’ll finally be free! You just need to hold out for a little bit longer.”
“I’ve held out for years at this point. What’s a few more days?” Sya’s joy quickly turned to worry. “But will you be okay? I know you’re a lot stronger than a few weeks ago between the training and the Mausoleum of the Maverick, but you have to be careful. You’re so close. Don’t get overconfident. Remember what Vera taught us about the trials.”
Arden nodded his head.
“Survival is the first priority, everything else is second.”
“And no inventory. You won’t be able to use your gauntlets. Only the Soul Cluster is exempt because it's a part of you, but it's worthless to us mundanes.”
Arden nodded his head and checked the progress on the formation of the stargate. The circular golden light was the size of a basketball, so he still had time.
Arden extended a hand to Cirai, who took it and was pulled to her feet.
“Can I have you take care of Sya when I’m gone?”
“Of course. I’ll rope Podren in as well and bring him up to speed. We’re going to need him until the cascade wraps up.”
“We’re going to need some new digs,” Sya said, looking around the building. “This place got hit hard. Looks like the Association is down a lot of Starborn and a building as well.”
“These might help with that,” Arden said, pulling out all but one of his remaining swords that he found in the mausoleum. “Those swords break pretty easily. Might as well have a few extras.”
Cirai knew what he wanted her to do, and immediately put all of them in her inventory to use later when they left the building. Sya didn’t have access to Vera’s Satellite anymore. Now, she had to make do with mundane weaponry.
They looked around, noting the cracks in the foundations, walls, and ceilings. Mysterious red fluids still colored the gray concrete like some morbid painting. Pretty much all of the furniture that wasn’t destroyed in the fight against Frozhe was destroyed now. It was a miracle that the building was still standing.
“Land snatchers are going to go crazy for the slums when the cascade dies down,” Sya said.
Arden shrugged.
“Maybe we can be some of those land snatchers. We’ve got cores and Satellites worth a pretty penny. And there’s an odd appeal to turning your personal torture ground into your own kingdom.”
Sya crossed her arms.
“Arden,” she said, unamused.
“You’re right. That’s too boring. I'll sleep on the idea in the trial, see what can work out.”
“Arden,” she said again.
“Sorry. Just wanted to lighten the mood before I go cliff diving again.”
He looked back at the progress of the stargate and saw that it was almost complete. It was large enough for him to fit through if he crouched
“You ready?” Sya asked.
“Ready as I'll ever be. It's funny. This is something I've been wanting for years, and now that it's finally happening, it feels kind of anticlimactic.”
“Well,” said Sya, coming face to face with her brother. “You won't say that when a giant space squid lays eggs in your face.”
“You're not exactly filling me with confidence.”
“That's not my job. As your sister, I have to keep you alive and embarrass you in front of the girl you like. Whichever I do first depends on my mood.”
“And how's your mood now?”
Sya hugged her brother and gave a radiant smile.
“Pretty good. Just try and stay safe.”
“I’m going to say ahead of time that I will definitely not stay safe. But I will promise to come back alive. Oh that reminds me, leave a note or something for me and Vera for when we return.”
Arden looked between the Golden Stargate and Sya. He sighed and approached the former.
‘It’s time.’
He didn’t know how long he would be gone, but he knew that when he returned, he would be a different person, shaped by his experience beyond the golden threshold. He looked over his shoulder and gave Sya a parting message.
“See you on the other side, Sya. You too, Cirai. Tell Podren I’ll help with his thing when I get back.”
Arden approached the Stargate, while Sya shielded her eyes with her hand from the bright light. When she lowered her hand, the stargate and Arden were gone.