Aiden's eyes fluttered open, his breath shallow.
He was lying on cold stone, the familiar scent of saltpeppet and magic hung thick in the air.
His body ached—not in the way flesh and muscle strained after battle, but as though something deeper, something fundamental, had been altered.
He shifted slightly, trying to push himself upright, and immediately froze.
The world around him—it was wrong.
His fingers curled against the stone beneath him, and suddenly—
The room wasn't the same.
No, that wasn't quite right. It was the same, but… also different.
For a brief moment, it flickered between two states—one where he was alone, the chamber still and silent… and another where a figure stood before him, speaking in urgent tones.
He could see the man's lips move, could feel the weight of the words spoken, but he could not hear them.
And then—just as suddenly as it came—the vision collapsed.
Aiden gasped, his chest rising and falling in quick succession.
What… was that?
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to still the pounding in his head. The Force—he could feel it, thrumming inside him, but it was different now. It didn't feel like something he wielded. It felt like something that wielded him.
He reached for it instinctively, as he always had, but the moment his consciousness brushed against it, the world lurched.
The walls of the chamber twisted, their structure unraveling and rebuilding all at once. The air rippled, and suddenly—
He wasn't in the chamber anymore.
Aiden stood at the edge of a battlefield.
It was Atlantis—no, it wasn't.
The city was older here.
The architecture was slightly different, as if designed by hands that had long since been lost to time. The ocean itself was darker, its waters churning as if resisting some unseen force.
And before him, warriors clashed.
Atlantean soldiers, their armor gleaming under the refracted light of the ocean, fought against an invading force.
Their opponents were not human. No—these beings were monstrous, their forms shifting like shadows even as they struck with weapons forged of obsidian and flame.
Aiden could feel the battle—feel the tension, the terror, the rage.
He took a step forward, and—
A general turned to him.
The man's face was covered in grime, his armor battered. His expression twisted in shock, his mouth opening—
"Lord Emperor?"
The world shattered again.
Aiden stumbled backward, his chest heaving as he collapsed onto his hands and knees. The chamber was back, solid and real once more.
But his mind—his soul—was not.
That had been real. Not an illusion, not a dream. He had seen something—a memory? A future event? A possible past?
He swallowed hard.
His hands trembled.
And then, before he could stop it—
The room flickered again.
For a split second, he saw something else—this time, himself. Older. Stronger. A version of him standing amidst ruins, his expression unreadable as he gazed upon something in the distance.
Then it was gone.
Aiden gritted his teeth.
No. No. No.
Something had changed.
Something inside him had broken free.
He was no longer simply moving through time and space.
He was now a part of it.
The Force was no longer something he drew from. It was something he was woven into.
And worse still—
He had no idea what that meant.
Just then, Aiden stared at the words floating in the corner of his vision, his mind struggling to comprehend them.
[FORCE RESONANCE CURSE - EFFECTS]
The System has anchored itself to your existence.
You can no longer separate yourself from the Force.
You will experience fluctuations in reality as the Force adapts to your presence.
Uncontrollable surges of power may occur at critical moments.
Your perception of time, space, and causality will begin to shift.
You are now an anomaly in the fabric of the universe.]
His eyes traced over each line, but the meaning refused to settle. A curse? His heart pounded as unease crept up his spine.
"What is this?" he wondered.
The moment the thought formed, knowledge flooded his mind—not gently, but like a hammer shattering glass.
Aiden clutched his head, a sharp, searing pain drilling into his skull. His body tensed as the sheer weight of understanding crushed down on him.
And then—
He knew.
He understood.
The curse wasn't just a limitation placed upon him, it was a fundamental shift in his existence.
He was now Bound to the Force
The first realization struck him like a tidal wave.
[The System has anchored itself to your existence.]
The Force that was originally a tool, an external mechanism that assisted him, was no longer separate from him.
It was part of him.
There was no turning it off, no rejecting it. His body, his mind, his soul had been bound.
He reached inward, searching for the usual sensation of activating the Force, of issuing commands.
But now… there was no distinction between him and it.
It was as if asking himself to breathe, or to make his heart beat.
It just was.
He could never separate from it again.
His thoughts spiraled into the next revelation.
[You can no longer separate yourself from the Force.]
Whereas other Force wielders could be severed from their power, have their connection weakened or stolen… Aiden was now something different.
Something permanent.
The Force wasn't flowing through him.
He was flowing through it.
And that thought terrified him.
Aiden's breath hitched as his vision blurred.
[You will experience fluctuations in reality as the Force adapts to your presence.]
The moment he comprehended it, he felt it.
The very air shifted.
His surroundings flickered. The stone floor beneath him wavered, as if it couldn't decide whether it was there or somewhere else entirely. The walls of the chamber seemed too distant and too close all at once.
Then, he blinked—
And the room was different.
No—not different. Just… not the same as it was before.
A book that had been resting on a nearby shelf was suddenly on the table. A candle that had just been extinguished was now alight.
The room hadn't changed.
It had rewritten itself.
And he had done it without meaning to.
Aiden's stomach churned.
[Uncontrollable surges of power may occur at critical moments.]
That wasn't just a warning—it was a guarantee.
This power—this Force that was now part of him—it could act on its own.
If he was angry, afraid, desperate… the Force could react for him.
How? How would that even work?
He clenched his fist, trying to push the thought away, but—
The air trembled.
The floor beneath him cracked without him even doing anything.
His eyes widened.
"What the hell…?"
The Force wasn't waiting for his command anymore.
It was watching his emotions.
And if he lost control… so would it.
Aiden inhaled sharply.
[Your perception of time, space, and causality will begin to shift.]
His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Suddenly, he saw it.
Not just now, but before.
He wasn't just in this room in this moment.
He was in every moment he had ever been in this room.
Time felt wrong.
He turned his head, and for the briefest second, he saw a different version of himself.
An older version, standing where he stood, looking at him with weary eyes.
Then—gone.
Aiden gasped.
The past and the future were bleeding into the present.
How long before he lost track of what was real?
And finally, the most terrifying truth of all settled in his chest like ice.
[You are now an anomaly in the fabric of the universe.]
Aiden's hands trembled.
The universe itself had rules, a natural order.
The Presence, the Gods, the fundamental forces that shaped all of existence—they followed a structure.
But now, he didn't.
He didn't belong anywhere anymore.
He was outside the system, a wild variable in a reality that demanded order.
The moment he became an anomaly, the universe noticed.
And it would react.
Aiden exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself.
But he could feel it now.
Something was watching him.
Far beyond Atlantis. Far beyond Earth.
Beings who sat at the edges of reality itself—beings who should have had no reason to care about him—had turned their gaze toward him.
Their attention was immediate.
Their curiosity inevitable.
Aiden swallowed hard, gripping his arms as another flicker of something else—somewhere else—passed through him.
This was just the beginning.
…
The Lords of Order – The Tower of Fate
In the sanctum beyond mortal comprehension, where the fabric of reality weaved itself into infinite patterns of law and stability, the Lords of Order convened.
Their forms were indistinct, golden silhouettes that pulsed with radiant light, hovering above the vast, celestial chamber.
Before them, a single thread in the Tapestry of Fate flickered, destabilizing the order of the cosmos itself. Aiden's existence had changed… and the balance had shifted.
The one known as Nabu, the most recognized among them, studied the disturbance. His voice was like the ringing of a great bell. "A new variable has emerged. An entity bound not only to magic but to something… deeper."
A second Lord, his form shifting like molten gold, replied with calm certainty. "His being is intertwined with the very foundation of the universe. A dangerous precedent."
Another, Khem-Adon, emanated a sharp pulse of power. "A flaw. This cannot be allowed to persist. Anomalies lead to chaos."
But Nabu did not react to his brother's impatience. Instead, his glowing eyes remained fixed on the shifting weave of fate. "No. Not yet. The boy has not chosen his path. He is suffering, unmoored. This may yet correct itself."
Khem-Adon scoffed. "And if it does not?"
Nabu did not answer.
The Lords of Order would not interfere. Not yet.
But their attention was fixed upon Aiden… and should he stray too far into the unknown, they would act.
…
While Order debated, Chaos rejoiced.
In a realm where reality twisted and burned, where colors bled and time bent upon itself, the Lords of Chaos watched with ravenous delight.
Tynan the Unruly, draped in the essence of discord wore a wicked grin. "He writhes. He suffers. How… delicious."
Abyzarr, a writhing mass of shadow and flame, rumbled in amusement. "His soul is in torment. The perfect moment for… intervention."
Sabbac, his lips curled into something resembling a smirk, exhaled a breath of dark fire. "The Lords of Order will hesitate, as they always do. That is our advantage."
Tynan raised a hand, tracing a sigil in the air. A ripple of chaotic energy pulsed outward, searching for Aiden's fractured mind. "A whisper here, a temptation there. We need not force him—only guide him… toward us."
Their laughter filled the abyss.
Unlike Order, Chaos would not wait. It would act, subtly, insidiously, pushing Aiden toward madness… toward them.
…
Vandal Savage
Far from divine realms, deep within the dense jungles of the ancient Europe, Vandal Savage stood still, his senses tingling.
A disturbance. A shift in the natural order.
He exhaled slowly, running his fingers along the hilt of a dagger. "This is new."
For thousands of years, he had witnessed gods rise and fall, empires crumble and be reborn. He had watched Atlantis flourish, had seen beings of cosmic might shake the heavens.
But this?
This was different.
A force neither god nor mortal. A presence that had no place in the grand scheme of things.
Savage's eyes narrowed. "I must see him for myself."
With deliberate purpose, he stepped forward, his path now clear.
…
The Rock of Eternity
In the Rock of Eternity, where the wisdom of the ancients lingered like whispers in the air, Shazam stood at the edge of a vast pool of shifting light.
Through it, he watched the young prince of Atlantis.
Aiden was suffering. His body trembled, his mind fraying under the weight of the Curse of Resonance. He was lost, drowning in forces far beyond his comprehension.
Shazam's face remained calm, but his eyes hardened with understanding.
"If no one else will act… I will."
Raising his staff, he called forth the Lightning of Eternity.
CRACK!
In an instant, the wizard vanished.
---
Atlantis
Pain.
It consumed Aiden.
The Curse of Resonance twisted inside him, its grip unyielding. He could feel the Force within him running amok, untamed, unchecked.
His vision blurred, reality shifting around him. The very air trembled with instability. "No… I can't… control it…"
He clutched his head as whispers invaded his mind. Voices of temptation. Promises of freedom.
Then—
BOOM!
Lightning tore through the darkness, splitting it with divine power.
The force of it sent Aiden sprawling. As he gasped for breath, a figure emerged from the blinding light.
A man, cloaked in white and gold, his presence radiating authority and power.
His voice was calm, yet unshakable. "You are in pain."
Aiden struggled to his feet, his breaths ragged. He could barely focus. "Who… are you?"
He didn't know if this man was from the Dark Order sent to finish what the others didn't but he was sure of one thing.
In his current situation, he could barely harm a fly…Consciously.
Shazam stepped forward, his eyes filled with both wisdom and something else—recognition.
"One who sees your struggle. One who understands the burden you now carry. You are at the edge of something dangerous, Aiden. You wield a power that bends reality itself, yet you have no understanding of its nature. You are an anomaly in the grand design."
Aiden barely registered the words. The pain. The whispers. The pressure.
He barely held any semblance of consciousness and was merely standing from sheer force of Will.
Shazam continued, his tone unyielding. "The Lords of Order hesitate. The Lords of Chaos whisper in your ear. And the world itself trembles at what you have become."
Aiden clenched his fists, anger flashing in his eyes. "I never asked for this." He only asked for knowledge.
"No one ever does," Shazam replied. "But the choice remains yours. Submit to the forces that seek to control you… or learn to master them yourself."
He extended a hand.
"Come with me. Learn under my guidance. Control this power before it consumes you."
The whispers in Aiden's mind hissed in protest. The unseen eyes of Order waited.
Aiden swallowed hard, his mind torn. But deep down, he knew the truth.
If he stayed like this, if he ignored what was happening… he would lose himself.
He took the wizard's hand.
"I accept."
Shazam nodded. "Then let us begin."
With a final crack of divine lightning, the two vanished—leaving behind a world that would never be the same again.
…
The Lords of Order continue to observe, waiting for Aiden's choices to define their intervention.
The Lords of Chaos plot to corrupt him, whispering in his ear even as he trains.
Vandal Savage now knows Aiden exists… and will not rest until he understands what he is.
Shazam has taken Aiden under his wing, beginning a new path for the young prince.
…
A/N: And so, we come to the end of this volume.