The monastery, State of Avalon.
Faint blue ripples of light originated from Akshobhya’s body and they merged with the floating blood-red crystal cubes.
Slowly, inside his consciousness, two different types of source started merging.
The source was the origin of one’s very own existence. Like for every human, their origin is their parents and so on. The source not only associates parents and children by bloodline but by also psyche.
The psyche has been called by many names throughout the history. Some call it as soul, some as spirit and while others as consciousness. The scientists believe the so-called spirit or soul is nothing but a fragment of data.
Just like how children derive their genes and blood from their parents, similarly, a portion of psyche or soul is derived from the parents.
Akshobhya planned to use the source to seek bloodline and psyche connection.
Swoosh~
The three blood-red crystal cubes, which were joined in the shape of a triangle, started radiating flash of light. A large column of light originated from the center of the triangle and merged with the oculus of the dome. The light then connected to the internal crystalline wires joining a dozen antennas.
Zzzz
Meanwhile, outside the Earth’s orbit.
A satellite covered with blue crystalline layer started moving out of its natural course. Inside the satellite were three small blue cubes which were connected to the receiving and transmitting antennas.
The front of the satellite started releasing blue invisible waves towards the Earth.
Kurtis sat down on the floor since there was no chair in the hall. He looked at the crystalline cubes above Akshobhya and couldn’t help but marvel at them.
"That supreme world was so great," Kurtis thought with some reverence, "The royalty of that world created a system to track down and kill renegade from their families. This made rebellions against the monarch almost impossible."
Kurtis then looked at Akshobhya and gave a sigh.
"The treasure from that world really suits him," Kurtis further thought, "Especially given his innate ability. The fate of that bastard is set."
Akshobhya’s consciousness passed through various locations on Earth at the speed of light. Soon it stopped when he arrived at the region he was seeking for.
"How strange," Akshobhya thought. He felt two lives similar to the source he was seeking for.
While one life fully matched the source, the other life was strange since it only carried a faint part of the complete source. This strange life was like a flower in the middle of budding. A life waiting to arrive in this world.
"That kid has a child?" Akshobhya thought but then he was startled, "No! There is no bloodline connection at all with the kid but there is a connection to the psyche. How can it be?!
"I wouldn’t even able to associate this if not for close proximity of the kid and that life blooming," Akshobhya cleared his thoughts, "It doesn’t matter about the life yet to bloom. My task is that kid."
--------
Cafeteria, Royal Heart Academy.
Zed stood up from the chair after the sense of warning has passed.
"Just what is going on?" Zed was shocked by the sudden life and death crisis his instincts felt, "Is it the government?"
Claudia has informed him about the arrival of the main investigation team in the city so it was possible for them to be a threat.
"Or Sky Fiend Group?"
Back during the party at White Angel Corporation, he (in the Kiba form) has similarly felt a deep sense of life and death crisis when Hank informed him of his plan to attack Sky Fiend Group. This was why he refused to participate in Hank’s plan and ultimately their relationship turned sour.
Ever since he gained the Cosmic Spark, today was the second time he felt life and death crisis. He has hypothesized that his instincts know the full extent of his hidden powers. So they wouldn’t warn him unless it was something which can really create danger for him.
"Is the crisis near or far?" Zed thought deeply, "If the past trends are followed I would know about the crisis days or weeks ahead."
"Zed, are you all right?" Felicity asked. She could see his face was still soaked with sweat.
"I’m fine," Zed said wiping the sweat from his face, "I have to leave for some task."
He didn’t know when the crisis would arrive but he believed he should ready himself since he has no idea what was the danger. The previous time he knew the danger was Sky Fiend Group so he could avoid it.
But this time he didn’t even know what was the real reason. So he wanted to find out what he could after returning to the lab.
"Zed," Felicity looked at him, "You remember our promise, right?"
"Of course," Zed said glancing at her, "Trust me I would never shy away if I need help."
He brought the cell phone from his pocket to contact Claudia.
[[All emergency protocols have been activated.]]
Zed was wearing a bracelet similar to the one Claudia has designed for Felicity’s protection from physical and energy attacks. The bracelet continuously studied his body condition and passed the information to Claudia.
This was why she activated all protocols the moment his instincts warned him.
"Good, I’m coming back," Zed stepped out of the cafeteria.
"I should come with you," Felicity followed from behind.
"Felicity, I am all right-----"
Zed felt the entire world was spinning around. He lost his balance and felll on the floor.
"Zed!" Felicity hurriedly stepped in to support him.
Jessica, Loren, and other students were equally startled by Zed’s sudden fall.
Zed felt the surrounding fading around.
"Psychic Hunter!" Zed gritted his teeth and used his entire strength to retain consciousness.
Without caring about the consequences of his secret being leaked, he decided to send his Will to the Cosmic Spark in order to transform into Kiba.
AARGH!
Before he could send out his Will, he felt thousands of needles poking on his brain.
He lost focus and the Will faded. Everything happened in a span of ten seconds from the time he fell on the floor.
"Urgh!" Zed’s eyes were bloodshot and the veins on his forehead were trembling.
His body continued to wriggle in pain due to agony while his consciousness arrived at a world where there was nothing but blue.
"Kid, consider it as your honor for you to suffer under my hands," A male voice sounded inside the world of blue.
Zed’s consciousness was in the form of a projection of his body. He was in no condition to think ab out the voice. All he cared was returning his consciousness back to the body.
He needed to regain his sanity, or at least loose consciousness completely, in order to activate Cosmic Spark. This state of half-consciousness was the most dangerous for him.
"It is useless to struggle," the voice from before said, "Why don’t you revisit your memories instead?"
Thousands of memory fragment arrived in the world of blue. They were like multiple giant screens projecting movies.
Movies of his life.
Zed could do nothing as his consciousness forcefully entered one memory fragment after the another.
------
Four years old.
In a ruined building somewhere in the slum.
"You can’t even get enough money!?" The brown haired caretaker kicked on Zed’s stomach.
"Sir, there were not enough almsgiver but too many beggers like me," Zed’s eyes were full of tears, "I would get more money tomorrow."
"Useless bastard," The caretaker dragged Zed to another room and said, "No food for two days."
"Please, sir," Zed begged, "Please forgive me for today’s mistake."
He was already hungry enough and he didn’t think he could handle another two days.
"I would never repeat this mistake," Zed pleaded further by knocking over the caretaker’s feet.
"You think I am being cruel by this punishment?" The caretaker separated Zed from his feet and said, "If not for me you would have been dead."
"I know, sir," Zed tried to pacify the caretaker, "You have been only kind to me."
"Kind?" The caretaker started laughing, "I know you feel I am cruel to you."
"Sir..."
"If you want to blame someone then blame your mother," The caretaker’s face carried multiple expressions: anger, longing and even lust, "She promised me money and resources for protecting you from their clutches. I did what she asked by risking my life but she went back on her words.
"Instead I lost my powers protecting you! So stop blaming me for being cruel! Blame your mother and father for abandoning you!"
"Mother and father," Zed muttered in his heart, "just why?"
----
Nine years old.
"It is even worse than horse piss," The caretaker threw a bottle of whiskey on the wall, "Is this how you show gratitude to someone who saved your life?"
"S-sir, this was the best I could get," Zed backed away trembling in fear, "I would buy another one in a few days."
"Few days?" The caretaker dashed ahead and caught Zed by his hairs, "I have to wait for days?!"
What followed was a series of beatings which resulted in a swollen face and broken bones.
Zed sat down in a corner crying.
"Mother and father... What crime I have done for you two to leave me in his hands?" Zed thought with bitterness, "If you didn’t want me, you should have just killed me."
"I can’t let this continue," Zed wiped his tears after few minutes, "Otherwise there would be no end to this. The only one who could help me is myself and not anyone else."
He stood up from the floor and eyed the sleeping caretaker.
"Just wait," Zed’s eyes were filled with sinisterness not suiting his age, "Maybe in a year or two or three, but I would definitely express my gratitude to you for saving my life."
He stepped towards the wall and started clearing the mess the caretaker earlier created.
"Mother and father," Zed threw the broken glass pieces outside the building, "I hope you two rot in hell."
-----
In the world of blue, Zed’s consciousness screamed in agony as more memories resurfaced. He was reliving the torture the caretaker and the slum overlords put him through in the past.
Hunger, physical injuries, loneliness, and cold. Every negative experience in the first ten years of his life was haunting his consciousness.
A sigh ringed inside the world of blue and the memories temporarily stopped invading Zed’s consciousness.
"You had a pitiful and tragic life," the male voice from before said.
"Pitiful?" Tragic?" Zed started laughing even with all the mental pain, "I am alive so how can I be pitiful and tragic? Just because of a few bad experiences?!
"My life is full of what I have always wanted! Women, riches, and vanity!
"I have lived a life which few people in this world can boast! So if anything, I should be glad and proud of my achievements no matter how short my life was!
"And yet you call my life as pitiful and tragic?! Are you sure your brain is not rotten, you shitfaced dimwit?!"
"Kid, calling sensual pleasures as achievements?" the voice sounded offended, "And even using rude words? You truly don’t know what is good for you."
He has even given him temporary relief but yet the kid dares to curse?
"Cocksucker, forget about my good and instead pray for your good," Zed used all his strength to mutter the words, "You better hope that I am entangled in the memory loop forever."
Zed realized the psychic attacker wanted to trap his consciousness inside the memories. This would result in unbearable strain on his brain.
In the best case scenario, he would go in a coma and in the worst case, his brain would be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.
"Oh?" The voice was intrigued by his words, "What would happen if you survive this?"
"Nothing much but you can rest assured that your fate would be truly pitiful and tragic," Zed’s voice was filled with madness, "So for your own sake do your best."