"I'm sorry. What?" Zalan spoke, temporarily forgetting his fear and snapped his head towards the Chasm-Born. Zalan's brain short circuited the moment the Chasm born spoke those words. Just that something about Chasm-Born and dear friend didn't belong in the same thought under any circumstance in any sane human brain.
Zalan squinted at the Chasm-Born trying to understand the situation. Friend? Never in a thousand years would he even be civilized to a Chasm-Born. Let alone being a 'dear friend'. Did he meet him in a previous life that he had no recollection of?
'It's definitely possible' Zalan thought before turning his head away.
The Chasm-Born chucked in amusement before bending his knees and squatting on the floor trying look at Zalan eye to eye. This Chasm-Borns face strangely resembled a humans. Almost as if they turned more human-like the more horns they have on their head. His face was sharp and well defined with prominent features that softened as he stared down Zalan with eyes that looked like red human pupils rather than the red flames most of them bore.
"You jokes are never funny Icarus". The chasm-born sneered before letting out a slight chuckle.
However Zalan didn't even think about what he said in that instance. Because Zalan had the privilege of seeing the nauseating black teeth up close when the Chasm-Born opened his mouth. Only then, did he notice that there was teeth line all along the interior of a Chasm-borns mouth. From the front all the way to the back of the mouth.
'There must be at least a hundred in there' Zalan thought holding in his urge to puke.
The monstrous breath released didn't make it any easier cope with nausea.
"Even if you changed your body, I recognize your soul." The Chasm-Born said gently, ignoring Zalan's reaction. Finally Zalan came back to his sense.
'Who is Icarus? Who is this Chasm-Born? Why is he treating me like a dear friend?' Zalan thought while sitting there with a blank face. Feeling his thoughts racing around in his head, Zalan still couldn't come to any tangible conclusion.
'Am I Icarus? But I've never even knew Chasm-Borns can have ten horns, let alone be acquainted with one'.
Zalan was suddenly interrupted again.
"Are you ok Icarus?"
Stopping his chain of thought once the Chasm-Born clasped his frigid hands on the side of Zalan's body, Zalan inadvertently felt a wave of shivers flow down his back. The sensation was very similar to being held hostage in a ferocious beast's maw that could clamp down and end his life at any moment.
"W-who's Icarus?" Zalan responded in genuine wonder. Suppressing his flight response once he sensed no harm coming from Chasm-Born.
Taken aback, now it was the Chasm-Borns turn to bare the same confusion.
"You would never joke like this. It's me Aktatin" He spat with a smile. As if expecting it to trigger a Zalan's memories. The horrifying expression did trigger a reaction, but not the kind that Aktatin was hoping for. All Aktatin received in response was Zalan's gag reflex from his black saliva was dripping down Zalan's face. Hastily wiping off the goop in disgust, Zalan freed himself from Aktatin's grip and distanced himself considerable before looking back at the crouching Aktatin. However Zalan's efforts were in vain as Aktatin just teleported beside him again.
"Sorry I don't know who you are." Zalan responded truthfully.
"Hmm did you lose your memory?" Aktatin finally caught on.
"Probably".
"But first, where are we?" Zalan asked before Aktatin stood up and towered over Zalan.
"Inside your consciousness space" Aktatin said with a sigh as he turned to gaze in the distance.
It was understandable at first, but then the more Zalan thought about it, the more off it seemed. How could his consciousness space house such a diverse scene? Not to mention the enormous trees and a literal star in the middle of the sky. Aktatin said it like it was the most obvious answer and continued:
"When you passed the test, it meant that your vessel was eligible to contain my soul. I would have been reincarnated into your body like how you did."
Aktatin paused slightly before returning his gaze to Zalan with a somber glint in his eyes.
"But I don't want to replace you my dear friend. If I do, you won't reincarnate again since your soul has been accumulating cracks and tears. This time if you die, your existence will disappear forever".
"Why have I been chosen for the test, Aktatin?" Zalan asked.
It didn't make sense to Zalan. There were a lot of tier 9s in Caelum and around the Universe, so why did Zalan receive and pass it? After all, he is only an infant compared to those old folks who have been accumulating Vis for centuries.
"You don't need to know" Aktatin replied condescendingly before returning to back his regular tone. Zalan felt shivers again and decided to leave the matter alone.
'Why not?' He thought but brushed it off. It wasn't worth angering Aktatin over his curiosity.
'So I've been reincarnated multiple times already and happened to become friends with this behemoth in one of my lifetimes' Zalan thought before blurting out an essential question that needed to be answered.
"Then why can't I remember my previous lives? And how do you still remember me or recognize me soul?"
"Let's say, you have a particular power that no one else is able to wield in the universe. Aside from me of course." Aktatin said finally smirking. "It's a sort of individualized destructiveness that is as deadly as it is recognizable. But since you have no memory of anything, I'd suspect that it is only lying dormant in your body right now."
"W-what ability?" Zalan replied both shocked and intrigued. Zalan was dumbfounded, how could he possess such an ability that no one else in the Universe could wield.
Aktatin smiled like a magician about to make is grand reveal before pointing up at the sun in the sky.
"That's your ability"
Zalan followed his hand and squinted at the sun. Trying to look beyond or around, but to no avail.
"The sun? The sun?? My ability is the sun?" Zalan couldn't help but ask.
What kind of ability was that? He couldn't even look at it properly. So how was Zalan suppose to even get close enough to wield it?
"No" Aktatin replied curtly. Trying to hold a straight face, he failed miserably before starting to laugh uncontrollably.
"You can't even see it. Oh how far have you fallen!!" Aktatin screamed in between laughs.
Looking at Zalan's dumbfounded baby face, Aktatin only slapped his knees and laughed harder.
"HAHAHHAHAHHA!"