In the heart of a casino, neon lights flickered and danced, casting a kaleidoscope of colours across the room.
The air was charged with the hum of spinning roulette wheels, clinking slot machines, and the murmur of hopeful gamblers. Cocktails flowed freely, their vibrant hues matching the room's electric atmosphere, tempting patrons to try their luck.
Amidst the revelry, Akasha materialized silently, his existence unperceived by all but the person he sought. He glided towards the poker table where a man in a sharp suit with black hair styled in a simple side-parted undercut sat.
"Ranus. I have a request."
The man looked up to Akasha with his mesmerising reddish purple triangular-shaped pupils that spun in a regular rhythm.
"I've discovered a promising potential Candidate of Time. I need a 'Sigil'."
"Promising? You mean that Planetary Consciousness who escaped recently?"
The 'Eternal of Space' replied as he turned over his cards, revealing a hand of all Aces.
Although Akasha was internally surprised he knew of the Cruotis Prime situation, he did not show it and responded calmly.
"You knew? That makes things easier."
"Of course, I know. Another thing I know is what you plan to do with that little poor one."
The calm Akasha had maintained was shattered by Ranus's comment, and the other Eternal laughed upon noticing this.
"Next time, don't think out loud. I may just happen to overhear you."
Knowing that his plan would violate the rules of the Candidate Selection that the Eternals had agreed on, Akasha already lost hope of gaining a Sigil from the Ranus.
Which was precisely why he was surprised by the actions the other Eternal took next.
Ranus raised his hand and an enormous sigil made of blue light appeared in front of him and then floated over to Akasha.
No, it wasn't light. It was cosmic energy.
It was woven together from an unnatural amount and density of cosmic energy and simply being in the presence of it made all the other beings in the entire building collapse and fall unconscious.
It was a mass of overwhelming power. The same kind of power that both he and Akasha possessed.
"…why?"
Rather than joy at the thought that Ranus did this, doubt welled up within Akasha.
"You're not the only one who has thought we're looking at things from the wrong perspective. Others are just too unbothered to take action.
I'd like to see how your plan turns out."
Akasha remained silent for a moment before raising his hand and grabbing the Sigil. As he turned to leave, Ranus's voice cut through the silence once more.
"Good luck getting the Destruction Sigil from her."
Glancing back, he caught a smirk playing on Ranus's lips, indicating that the other Eternal would certainly relish witnessing his upcoming encounter with the next Eternal on his list.
With a disdainful click of his tongue, Akasha vanished from the casino just as the patrons began to stir, regaining consciousness from their sudden slumber.
◇ ◇ ◇
Akasha appeared in a casino cum bar called the Golden Glass located on an unnamed planet.
Fun fact, this was where Arthur's parents had first met each other over five millennia ago.
Akasha headed up to the counter and took a seat next to a woman draped in a jet-black gown, her white hair creating a striking contrast.
Her eyes, glowing with a faint silver light, were fixed on her glass as she downed wine after wine.
"What?"
She questioned Akasha who had silently taken up a seat beside her, prompting the 'Eternal of Wisdom' to ready himself, marshalling all his knowledge and wit before offering a reply.
"I have discovered a promising potential Candidate of Destruction.
I need a Sigil."
The Eternal of Space was the one with the Authority to grant Sigils of Time.
As for the Sigils of Destruction, who else would hold that Authority, besides the Eternal of Creation?
Dealing with her, however, was always a challenge for Akasha.
She was an enigmatic entity who had a penchant for the occasional mischief towards him. Akasha expected her to already know about his plan and was prepared for her to begin listing its flaws, before ultimately rejecting it.
To his surprise, she did none of that.
Without a word, she raised her left hand and conjured a Destruction Sigil, which she handed to Akasha.
"…what?"
Akasha was taken aback.
He scanned her thoroughly, ensuring he was dealing with the genuine Eternal of Creation and not an imposter.
Her unexpected compliance was so out of character that it left him momentarily stunned.
"What are you doing? Get out already."
Akasha snapped back to reality when she spoke, taking the Sigil and leaving quickly before she changed her mind.
Luckily, he had encountered her during a rare moment when she was too preoccupied to indulge in her usual antics.
◇ ◇ ◇
Akasha made his way to his final destination, seeking a fragment of power from the 'Eternal of Life'.
This piece was crucial for granting the Planetary Consciousness the ability to manifest a physical form independent of its planet, enabling it to traverse the Universe freely.
By imbuing it with true 'Life,' Akasha aimed to transform the Consciousness into something more dynamic and versatile.
Upon securing the power, he returned to the Orithya Galaxy, home to Cruotis Prime.
He planned to conduct this 'Dual Candidacy' experiment discreetly, away from the prying eyes of the Race Kings of Valmone.
Since the entity in question was not a sentient being but rather the Consciousness of a planet that had absorbed the lives of its inhabitants, Akasha intended to bypass conventional protocols in favour of a more innovative approach.
◇ ◇ ◇
Cruotis Prime's Consciousness who had technically gone Rogue, was laying low, trying not to draw the attention of any of the Universe's Race Kings until it amassed enough power.
It believed no one had figured out what had happened on the planet was the work of the planet's sentience, which was why when Akasha appeared and drew it out from its core, it was shocked to no end.
Its incarnation had the form of a 'man', with sharp piercing eyes that shone with iridescent light, and long black hair tied in a ponytail below the base of 'his' head.
Despite the impressive aura of power emanating from this incarnation, the moment 'he' met Akasha's gaze, a profound fear surged through 'him'.
The cosmic energy radiating from Akasha was on an entirely different scale, overwhelming and intimidating.
'What the hell...'
Sweat beaded on 'his' brow as 'he' struggled to contain 'his' anxiety.
Even though Akasha was merely looking at 'him', the Eternal gave off an intimidating aura that sent shivers right down to the centre of 'his' core.
The air seemed to thicken around 'him', suffocating 'him' with the sheer power radiating from the Eternal. It was so oppressive that the Consciousness wondered if 'he' had been summoned to face obliteration.
'What sort of Existence is this? Did he come to Erase me?'
Simply standing before Akasha made 'him' sick to 'his' stomach.
|There's not much time so I would get straight to the point.
I am Akasha, the Eternal of Knowledge.
As for why I am here, it is because of you. |
Akasha's words with his True Voice carried the weight of millennia of cosmic knowledge, his tone both firm and solemn.
The Planetary Consciousness listened intently, 'his' apprehension deepening as Akasha addressed the breach of Universal Laws 'he' had committed.
|You, as the Sentience of a Celestial Body, have strayed from your ordained path, and it falls upon me to rectify this deviation.
But fear not, for I offer you a chance at redemption. |
The incarnation of the Planetary Consciousness stared in utter bewilderment as Akasha's words reverberated through 'him'.
Instead of passing immediate judgment, Akasha presented an unexpected choice: either ascend to become the new Eternal of Time and Destruction or face complete annihilation.
As Akasha revealed the Time Sigil and the Destruction Sigil, the sheer magnitude of their power left the incarnation in stunned silence.
The sigils were branded onto the incarnation, marking 'him' as a candidate in the selection process. Akasha then explained the nature of the Candidate Selection and the terms of his experiment.
"You have two choices.
Either Become the new Eternal or die trying.
Do not forget, you would also be eliminated if another being were to succeed in becoming the new Eternal before you do."
As Akasha's form began to fade away, he issued a final weighty warning to the Planetary consciousness.
"Do not disappoint me...What did you call yourself again?"
The Planetary consciousness hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. However, using his 'Authority of Knowledge', Akasha swiftly uncovered the answer.
"Ah, that. It's rather ironic that you've chosen to name yourself what you attempted to run from.
Oh well.
Do not disappoint me, Bewusstsein."