Year - 2525 AD,
Earth,
Outskirts of Stronghold Astra,
Old City Ruins,
Within a dilapidated Temple with several UV lights attached with seldom flickers,
A crowd of red robes fanatics with inhuman masks circled a tortured young man while chanting a hypnotic Psi Verse...
The young man's eyes were lifeless as he stared at a beautiful red robes girl.
" Why", he asked hoarsely.
" Because I don't love you anymore as you are", She spoke with a hint of mania as she walked across the circle and pressed her palm on the young man's scarred cheek.
"You gave me almost everything, but you still do not dare to take the last step- you are a fop, but a useful fop nevertheless- If only you surrendered your Virgin essence to me when I offered to sleep with you- we wouldn't have to take this step", she titled his chin up to see his lifeless eyes staring back at her with a pleading look.
Eyes that were begging for death from this eternal torment.
"What a coward - he screamed like a dog through the marking ceremony ", A Cultist sneered at the young man's pathetic display.
" Upper breeds like him are always so fragile, I wish you let us deball him- a dog must be neutered after all",
" He threatened us with so many flimsy words at the start, but it didn't take long to break his spirit - what did you do Jiah to turn him so lifeless?" , The Red Robed Cultists asked on curiously to the Girl- Jiah, who smiled lightly as she began ,
"Apathy ofcourse! Apathy from his family who he has angered and disappointed to no end for my sake, apathy from friends he abandoned for me, apathy from everyone who gave a damn! do you know the best part?"
" Oh do tell us!", The Fanatic Cultists huddled closer to her as she began to narrate.
" After we tortured him, I let him call his parents, his more talented siblings for help- they didn't believe him, but he's disappointed them too many times like the boy who cried wolf- naturally no one has any love for him left, I let him call whoever he could think of! But everyone simply dismissed his claims- no one believes in him now... They all simply hung up on him- you should have seen his expression at the end- No one was coming, No one is coming, No one shall be coming Hahahaha- his despair was delicious to see", Jiah grinned as the young man simply looked on lifelessly.
" Start the ritual now, he will be our Demon Slave - at least with the demon I will get to taste the Essence of a Solaris and experience real pleasure hehe", She ruffled the young man's head.
" Poor Kane, always working so hard to live up to expectations, always suffering under the blinding light of House Solaris, The Sole weakest Shadow among the Brightest of your family, it will be all over now- You don't need to suffer anymore, your despair is enough darling"
" I loved you truly Jiah, I am sorry, Please Take my life, take anything -if that's what you want ", the young man, Kane spoke with a hoarse voice with obvious pleading.
" You are a liar darling, you did love me- but you are such a coward - begging for death when Absolution is near, don't worry when the Veil Daemons is finished- you will be mine forever ", With that she slit his throat as his eyes were filled with incredible fear and despair.
The Cultists Began to dance and chant their unholy verses as Kane's vision began to fade...
He woke back in his lakehouse and breathed out a sigh of relief as he weakly walked down to the port and stared at his reflection silently, It was night time- everything was so calm and tranquil... then he felt something odd why was his throat so wet?
He touched his throat and felt warm liquid gush out and he looked at his trembling blood covered hands as his vision began to haze out.
The night sky turned extremely dark as the moon turned red, voices of madness filled his ears as he saw several inhuman figures step out of the darkness.
Veil Daemons...
No.
Please.
" This is the core of your Mental World? Interesting", A huge Hulking Dual horned creature with multiple bone protusions on its crimson body, it's 6 eyes stared at him Predatorily and it's bestial mouth spoke human language so fluently.
Similar smaller Daemons had arrived and gazed at Kane with feral looks.
" Not a good hiding spot for you true consciousness - well? rip it to shreds as per the contract", The creature grinned sadistically as Kane was instantly swarmed by those creatures.
He only let out a Pathetic whimper and was instantly torn apart.
At the same time in Realspace, a Cultists had attached power cables to Kane's head and cracked up the voltage...
" He should have no vestige of his past self that can interfere with your Plan Mistress", They knelt before Jiah as she watched on with a light smile.
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"Strange", The Chief Veil Daemon muttered as he only felt the mental realm tremble briefly but it didn't collapse not did he get control over it....
He had just devoured all of Kane's Consciousness - he should be in control of this mental realm and takeover the body, but this Mental Realm was barely responding to him.
The night became more darker and black fog covered the crimson moon...
*BANG
A Faint thunder crackle echoed through the mental realm as the chief Veil Daemon turned to look at the lake at with curiosity.
* Bubble
A figure slowly floated from the depths of the lake to the surface, a young man who shared Kane's features, his eyes closed-
"What the -?", The Veil Daemon stuttered as the Eyes snapped open with two red glowing eyes staring outward.
The Daemons shuddered as the young man stared at them expressionlessly and they began to take a step back out of instinctual fear.
He floated to the ground and the Mental Realm began to tremble...
"A Veil Daemon dares to disturb my eternal rest?- I didn't look for trouble, but you all came anyway- so stay", With a wave of his hand all of the weaker Veil Daemons exploded into glowing green shards of light, without even having a chance to react.
Only the Chief Veil Daemon kneeled in pain as he stared at the young man in horror.
The Chief Daemon mumbled in terror," Why is your Psionic will so strong?"
"Has the Veil penetrated the Soul dimensions? What are you doing in my soul? Chewing something?", The Red Eyes young man tilted his head in confusion.
" We were summoned to possess a young man's body, we were simply extinguishing the soul consciousness! Honest!", the Daemon pleaded as he felt the Psionic will of the red eyes young man tighten around him.
" A young man's body? I am long dead Daemon- You dare to lie to me?", He spoke calmly and the Daemon's limbs snapped apart like twigs.
"AAAAH! Please - feel your Soul, it's connected to a mortal coil! Don't destroy me!!!", The Chief Daemon cried out bitterly.
The young man then gazed at mental realm and clenched his fists- the mental realm transformed right before their eyes - into a White Room filled with millions of similar looking young men in different attires...
"What- what is this?", The Daemon swallowed in fear as he witnessed the changes.
" My soul is indeed attached to a mortal coil, So I have been reborn but strangely it is not as a Vat born body, then... Am I a natural Born? Not from a Template...", the young man muttered as the Veil Daemon's eyes widened at those words.
" Impossible - those Data AIs have been purged! No one can create Paragons anymore! Nomos is under their control- You can't be - You Can't Be!", The Veil Daemon screamed in disbelief only to be silenced by the young man whose expression turned grim.
" Under their control? So Nomos still exists-Good", He simply waves his hand and the Chief Veil Daemon exploded into green shards of light.
" Damned Neverborn ! You are the consciousness of this new Iteration - No , New form- I guess it's time to wake up and find out more"
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" Why isn't he awake? It's taking too long", Jiah frowned as she stared at Kane intently.
"Wrap him up with the chains in case the Daemon decides to try something creative", She then commanded the Cultists.
They immediately obeyed her order and brought chains close to the unconscious Kane.
*Blink *Blink *Blink
The regular and the UV Lights began to flicker in succession causing the Cultists to pause.
" Fix the bloody generators first- do you want to let those things inside!!", Jiah snapped and another group of Cultists immediately obeyed her and went to check.
The lights began to flicker even more intently.
The Cultists briefly looked up in surprise taking their attention away from Kane.
" My lady the Sacrifice was escaping! She sabotaged the Generators- we've caught her sneaking away ", the Cultists dragged a beaten up a silver haired girl in rags as she struggled.
" Selena -You little bitch",Jiah smiled grimly as she grabbed her hair roughly.
" Let me go you crazy Hag! I need to get away from you two Psychos! My brother -", Selena stopped struggling as she stared at Kane's tortured body and then gazed at the ritual symbols in shock...
"You- what did you do...", she spoke in a trembling voice.
"Oh now you are afraid? I am simply helping Kane become better, but this also started because of you too- this fop seems to like you for some reason - it's a disease, it's disgusting - you helped him in his Psi test when even the others ignored him- you dared to be kind to this dandy- You seduced my Toy!", Jiah hissed.
"You're Crazy, I don't even know him that well! I was assigned by the School as a Tutor- You are mad - Sick in the head- Trait-"*smack
Jiah smacked Selena hard and then spoke," You will be his meal- The Veil Daemon I summoned particularly likes torturing innocent souls like yours- Inwonder what kind of mess will he make of your corpse- Gag this Seductress! Someone fix the bloody Generators!!"
*Snap
Just as everyone's attention had been briefly shifted - Kane's eyes snapped open sharply.
'This body is a mess',he thought calmly and then gazed at the crowd before him and the flickering lights.
'13 Stage 2 Adepts, that black haired girl is a Stage 3 Enhancer, that silver haired girl is Stage - 2? Severely weakened ', He observed
'this body has no Cultivation- fine better than something trash', He noted his own condition as well.
On Nomos fighting above levels was the Norm.
And Pain was a Nomosian's best friend...
*Split
*Thwack
*BOOM
In a snap second, he pulled out the Electrical Cords stuck in his brain and directly pierced the throats of the two Cultists near to him,
'2 down - 12 more'
He closed his eyes and ignored everyone's shocked reaction- he immediately took advantage of their momentary shock to execute a series of simple palm strikes on different body parts of 4 Cultists as he weaved flexibly around them- taking full advantage of the disorientation caused by the blinking lights.
Jiah was the first to regain her wits as she immediately threw knives at Kane who pulled another Cultist onto the trajectory and leapt lithely at another Cultist in a horizontal fashion and quickly punched few spots in the stomach, and then weaved through the flabbergasted bunch of Cultists with Ease using Palm strikes on different body parts.
And retreated into the shadows.
Jiah searched for Kane but the flickering lights and the Chaos he caused in the group of Cultists made it hard to find him.
" You finally grew a spine huh? Is it because of this bitch?!", She then held a poison coated dagger against Selena's neck.
*Spurt
A Cultist suddenly vomited blood and then stared at Jiah and his compatriots in fear as his eyes bulged.
"Too fast- everything's too fast- Ah! Ahhhhh!*Spfff", The Cultist's nerves exploded in a mist of blood and he fell limply.
Dead.
Then one by one like dominos the Stage 2 Adept Cultists exploded in a mist of blood.
Jiah's face turned pale as she held the poisonned dagger even closer to Selena's neck, she began to mumble in disbelief -
" Daemon- that must be it! That coward struck a deal with you didn't he! I I can offer you a much better deal! Abandon Kane Solaris! I have more delicious treats like this wench", she then kicked Selena forward as the lights continued to flicker.
" Is that so?", She heard a hoarse voice but she couldn't quite figure out from where- her stage 3 Enhancer abilities couldn't pick it up at all.
"I am no Daemon"
Then a pair of hands suddenly appeared from behind her - with the fingers cruelly stabbing into her eyes.
*Spurt
"AAIIEEEEEEEEE!", Jiah let out blood curling screams that snapped Selena out of her stupor and she retreated back from what looked like a pure horror show-
Within a few seconds, Jiah's eyes had been plucked and thrown across the room-
She felt quick slices across different body parts, few more seconds later she lost her sensation of touch, smell and taste...
"So part of the Absolution Cult are we?", the hoarse voice asked again calmly.
The scariest part was that she couldn't sense any killing intent at all, she genuinely didn't know what was going to happen.
" Who are you and why were you torturing this body?", The voice asked again - she heard it now- it was - him, Kane Solaris but she never heard him speak that way or inflict such brutality.
" Kane- you bastard- this is how you treat me? Your girlfriend - you promised to marry me!", Jiah screamed out hysterically.
" Marry? You? That's interesting ", the voice closed in...
Jiah then felt a sharp slice behind her neck and two strong hands prying her mouth open forcibly.
*Tear
Kane tore her lower jaw and flung it across the window.
*Shatter
He then elbowed her down and stomped hard on her skull.
He then grabbed a curtain and wiped his hands with an expression of faint disgust- whether it was at Jiah who now lay writing on the ground or at the previous consciousness for having such a Traitorous girlfriend.
The only saving grace was that this body is pure and virginal,
On Nomos- Sex, Love and Marriage was incredibly personal and the average Nomosian was a strict monogamy adherent.
Many never remarried or sought new sex partners because love was sacred, deeply sacred to them - the act of procreation meant far too much to them to be flippant about.
And Cultivation was meant to be pure at the beginning Foundation stages, that's what AI had advised.
For too long they didn't have the Quantum Soul - so they had to resort to legacy techniques and become Psuedo Cultivators, but everyone knew it wasn't the real thing...
Kane wouldn't waste his potential on simple bodily pleasures that could be attained later...
'This body is too injured, I need to get treatment quickly- oh that silver girl hasn't left yet', He thought as he walked up to Selena only to see green veins spreading across her neck as she stared at him in fear and shock.
"You need to get that treated, if I'm not wrong that thing used a potent Aphrodisiac - do you know what to do?", Kane asked calmly as he squatted before her- staring at her curiously.
Selena's face turned pale and she closed her eyes - crying silently.
'Was this it?'
'Was he he going to do it now after killing everyone here?'
'I need to be strong for Johan, I can't let anything happen to him- no one needs to know this- I won't say anything - I won't scream'
She clenched her fists and closed her teary eyes tightly and grit her Teeth.
*Sigh
" Are People so backward still? Did you all not learn how to remove Venom - Hold Still", Kane shook his head in disapproval.
He grabbed a clean, unpoisoned knife and rested Selena's neck on his lap.
He got to work, with few precise incissions and Psi Applicators that he could find on the corpses- he slowed the Poison from spreading deeper within a minute as Selena was simply-
Stupefied.
This wasn't what she expected at all.