An eerie quietness reverberated throughout the constellation council.
Then Virion sighed and as he closed his eyes, with a flick of his wrist, a wave of energy spread throughout the constellation, conjuring up images of bustling planets teeming with humanity.
Vania watched in awe as the display showed the glory of humanity's past, when her people stood at the very apex of existence.
But just as she was beginning to feel a sense of pride, the scene suddenly shifted.
A hovercraft on the display crashed into a towering skyscraper, causing it to crumble to the ground. In another image, a woman walking with her children suddenly collapsed onto the pavement.
In all the scenes conjured by Virion, one by one, millions of people began to fall to the ground, writhing in agony as chaos erupted around them.
The air was thick with the stench of death and decay, and the once bustling streets were now filled with the haunting silence of emptiness.
The scene before the council was one of utter devastation. The holographic image projected by Virion depicted a world once bustling with life now reduced to rubble and ruin.
The streets were littered with debris and the few remaining humans that walked amongst it were in a state of shock and horror. The sheer scale of the destruction was almost too much to bear.
As the council members looked on in silence, Virion's voice boomed throughout the chamber, causing the very air to vibrate with its power.
The words he spoke were both chilling and awe-inspiring, their weight heavy on the minds of all those present.
"These survivors," he declared, "Are the chosen few of their species. Their heightened connection to the Conscionic Pool has allowed them to withstand the cataclysmic event that befell their world. And now, with their species reaching critical mass, our species has been saved. We will usher in a new age for humanity and guide them into their new existence. This is our repentance for what I have a done for our species."
"You… You have desecrated the laws of the universe you insolent beast. How could you? Elders Apprehend this fiend." Elias demanded.
But no one moved.
A heavy silence filled the room as Virion's words sunk in. The council members looked at each other, their faces revealing a mix of emotions, from fear to excitement.
Vania couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the power that Virion had unleashed, and at the same time, a sense of dread at the implications of what had just happened.
As Virion's power spread throughout the universe, a silent pressure was released from all the entities in the constellation.
The Conscionic Pool's pull on their existence wavered until it could no longer be felt. The relief that washed over the entities was orgasmic, and they now knew what Virion had done for them.
For millennia, they had feared the inevitable pull of the pool, but now that invisible string that tugged on their soul was gone, thanks to Virion's actions.
Vania observed as their morality vanished with the sudden turn of events, and only Elias seemed distraught at what had happened, even though this also benefited him.
But Elias was not ready to accept this new reality.
"Have you all gone mad?" he shouted.
"I said apprehend him!"
Suddenly, the memory paused, and Elias spoke solemnly.
"After this, the other elders sided with Virion, and I was removed from my seat. Most of my power having been syphoned from these leaches. They were drunk on the ecstasy of not having to feel the pools tug on their souls anymore and went mad."
Elias suddenly chuckled.
"I guess that's the appropriate feeling when you escape the jaws of death."
Elias then sighed heavily.
"I managed to escape the onslaught that these people I once considered my kin brought upon me, and for a thousand years, I have been seeking out vessels to imprint my power upon. Your child is the last, as my power has reached its end."
The memory ended and Vania was now back in the medic ward clutching her child close to her heart.
Vania was speechless as she tried to process everything she had just witnessed. She knew that agreeing to Elias's offer would mean going against everything she believed in, but her beliefs had been completely shattered.
The gods she revered were the true culprits behind humanities near extinction, and the thought of being able to save her child was too tempting to ignore. She took a deep breath and made her decision.
"Do it, do it now. Please." Vania said solemnly, as she accepted her fate.
Vania was disgusted by what she had seen, and when she met Elias's eyes, she felt ashamed. She was ashamed of how she initially perceived him, and especially ashamed of how humanity perceived the fallen god, who was the only one to see the wrongness in what the other gods had done.
'I would gladly take this fate over and over again if it meant my child would live, and that the false god's humanity has worshiped for all the past millennia would be brought to their knees when my son decides to seek vengeance.'
"Place your hand in mine. I will serve as a conduit through which I will transfer your essence from you and into the device."
Vania placed her hands in Elias's, allowing him to serve as a conduit. The process took several minutes to complete, and when it was finished, Vania felt drained and exhausted.
The effort of simply being alive and sitting up seemed like an insurmountable task.
"Elias, why isn't my child waking? What's happening?" Vania asked, frustrated and weak as she struggled to raise her voice.
Elias continued to tinker with the object, ignoring her for a moment before finally looking up.
"The process has begun. It will take some time before it is complete. Be patient, Empress."
Vania nodded, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she had just done, and she couldn't shake off the feeling that she had made a terrible mistake.
But as she watched her son lying there, she knew that she would do it all again if it meant giving him a chance at life.
She just hoped that Elias was telling the truth, and that her child would be able to live a normal life, despite the power he would carry.
"It is done, Empress. The device is ready," Elias said as he walked closer to the bedside and placed the object behind the child's neck.
Vania, confused, looked in the direction of his hand, but saw nothing.
"What is this? What did you do?" she asked drowsily.
Elias placed his hands on hers in a consoling manner.
"Enjoy the little time you have with your son, Vania," he said, before slowly fading away.
Suddenly, the world came screaming back to life as the people in the room began to move and the commotion resumed.
The royal midwife and her assistant wore shocked expressions.
The emperor knelt on the ground by her bedside, as if he had lost all feeling in his legs.
It was a frightening sight that tore at Vania's heart. But then, a faint cry could be heard - a baby's wail coming from her arms.
As the baby continued to cry, the volume increased, and the wail became a roaring one that moved mountains in Vania's spirit.
She looked down at her child and saw that his dull red hair had brightened to a vibrant crimson and his brown skin had become brilliant bronze. But the most striking feature was the freckles that dotted his skin.
"He has freckles, beautiful freckles just like me," she thought to herself.
As she admired her child, she slowly felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness. Before she could fully succumb, she managed to leave one last impression on the child, melding her desire with his will.
"Cry until you can't anymore. Let it all out, little one," Vania said through tears of joy as she felt herself drifting into a deep slumber.
The last words that those around her heard her say were,
"Jidan... Son of vengeance!"