"You have it all, Alderic, riches, honour, fame, and even power. What more could a man want?"
This question rang through my mind nonstop. Although it has been four years since he asked me, it seemed like it was just yesterday.
And whenever I was stuck in a dilemma, whenever I felt my inner madness about to burst out, I'll go back to that day and remember my answer.
"Nothing…" I had said.
There couldn't possibly be anything else a man wanted. I was a man known to be the greatest talent mankind has ever seen, a commander at the age of twenty five. A man whose name struck fear into the heart of his foes and hope into the heart of the needy.
I was even more respected than my seniors.
I had everything I could ever ask for, I was living the life. At least that's how it seemed.
But I could still remember that day like it was yesterday, I could remember the voice in my head, it's source none other than the very madness caged deep within me.
It whispered to me….
'You are pathetic, Alderic. Power? What power does a mere commander have? You are barely halfway to the top, you take orders from a man that takes orders from a man who also takes orders from another man who is all but a slave to those in real power.'
I could remember pushing the voice down, keeping a straight face as I stood before my superior and awaited my orders as I usually did.
'We both know the reason why he asks you such…. They are scared of you, Alderic.'
The voice wasn't one I wasn't familiar with. No, in fact it was one I knew better than I knew any other.
It was my Voice.
'They are scared of your potential…. What you could possibly become.'
With every word I heard, the voice got louder in my head. Biting and clawing at the cages I used to lock it, threatening my sanity and at this point, I was clenching my hand tight, trying as much as possible not to let anyone know I was on the verge of going crazy.
'Let me out, Alderic. You know you want to.'
'LET ME OUT!!!'
***
Tzchk~ Tzchk~
Where am I? What happened?....
I tried to recollect as I felt my consciousness slowly recollect. There was a small moment of lull, before a wave of pain shot through my entire body.
Urghh!
My eyes shot open too quickly, prompting me to hurriedly squint before slowly readjusting my eyesight.
Ba-thump~
My heartbeat slowed to a crawl, my pupils constricted and for a small moment, the pain seemed to reduce before it came crashing down once more, reigniting my senses and speeding up my heartbeat.
Flood of memories came, following the wake of the pain, sinking my mind with horror, panic and a bit of relief.
I remember now. We were on our way back to the base. Ayva, our spaceship, was too battered to warp after a battle with the Crucibles, a notorious and highly dangerous pirate organisation.
All of a sudden, there were red warnings and intense turbulence.
The rest was foggy.
I was deep within the basement, what exactly I was doing, I couldn't remember. What I do recall was the deep feelings of panic that surged through me. It wasn't just mine, I could smell the panic of those in the spacecraft.
'There's only one thing I know that could cause such panic….'
A black hole.
I shook my head at the thought, it wasn't possible. If it was a black hole, how the hell am I still alive?
'If I'm alive, there might be others too…'
'Really?....'
I gritted my teeth, ignoring the sarcastic voice as I pulled myself up, forcing the tears back and enduring the pain.
I did a quick scan of myself, my spacesuit was battered and damaged all over. The interface has completely ceased function and at this point, if only served to cover my privates.
Aside from that, there wasn't any major injury on my body. But I could feel it, I had several fractures all over my bone structure. My muscles were on the verge of tearing after being strained by the force of the black hole.
'Considering it was a black hole, I should be glad this is all I had to bear.'
I looked around, all I could see was devastation. I slowly pushed myself forward, reaching out to grab a piece of metal that had been ripped off its frame and using it to support myself.
I slowly walked towards the caved in door that was barely hanging to its hinges. With a gentle push, it groaned loudly and fell with a thud.
I felt my breath hitch as I took in the scene before me. There were pieces of the spacecraft all around, scattered far and wide but what caught my attention the most was the very terrain itself, this new surroundings that I've suddenly found myself in.
Massive mushroom looking trees towered into the sky, fleshing and glowing like bioluminescent jellyfish. Green, purple and red filled the entire space, creating a terrain much like a tropical forest.
The sky was a deep shade of blue, like the deepest depth of earth's oceans and the sun— what I assumed to be the sun—was a giant floating white orb.
Everything so far looked no different from the various alien planets I've been on, albeit a bit stranger. All but one thing,....
High up in the sky, even more eye-catching than the white sun was a gigantic cube. It pulsed gently, life a living and breathing entity and the moment my eyes locked with it, I felt a strange pull on my consciousness.
[New mental wave detected…]
[Initiating connection protocol…]
[Analyzing subject's integrity…]
[Strength insufficient, Evolution status: zero, subject deemed unfit for integration…]
[Initiating Initiation quest…]
[Quest initiated: Survive on planet Xythris for a week or Kill a creature and absorb it's genes]
[Failure means death]
Phruuunhk~~
As if on cue, a shriek like noise reverberated through the glowing forest, sending a chill down my spine.
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[A/N]
Thanks for giving this story a chance! I've always wanted to write a good sci-fi fantasy, and this contest felt like the perfect opportunity. I hope you enjoy what I have in store—stay tuned, and I promise it'll be worth it!