The door swung shut with a clank as Kharon walked out into the empty streets. The only source of light was the ominous, looming rift which stood imposingly above the city. At its center was a giant, multi-coloured eye which seemed to encompass the whole world. Kharon looked at it for a few seconds before vanishing.
He felt the heavy gaze of the eye on him as he sighed in exasperation. As he flew through the desolate streets of the Eclipsed Hollow, something caught his attention. Very faintly, in his peripheral vision, he saw a small figure. It was wrapped in bundles and sat discarded on a flight of stairs.
'What is that? Why would someone leave a bundle of-'
A small cry suddenly came from the bundle as Kharon immediately stopped. He slowly walked closer as he heard the undeniable sound of crying. As he picked up the little bundle, his eyes slowly widened as he saw a little baby wrapped in the thick sheets.
'What am I meant to do...? I can't take this child with me. Even if I wanted to care for them, my life is already filled with countless missions. I wouldn't have the time to watch over a baby while ascending or carrying out tasks. The best course of action is an orphanage. But there aren't any in the Eclipsed Hollow. Moonreach Commons is the best option.'
Kharon looked down at the baby as his gaze softened. He quickly concealed the baby and himself as he flew towards Moonreach Commons with moderate speed. As he ran through the city, he pulled out a white, rune-covered blanket. He slowly removed the other blankets and wrapped the baby in the new ones.
'At least I have used one of my inventions. Even though it wasn't from the armoury. This should protect the baby from the cold. I hope he will grow up and have a happy, normal life. By then, the current system will already be torn down.'
Seeing the orphanage building in front of him, Kharon walked through its gate and knocked on the door. He gently placed down the baby, but as he did he felt a little tug on his fingers. He looked down as he saw the baby's tiny fingers wrapped around his. He smiled as he softly pulled away his finger. The baby began to cry as he took his tiny hand and gave it a peck.
He looked towards the door as he hurriedly pulled out a piece of paper. He quickly wrote something on it. Placing the piece of paper on the baby's chest, he pulled out a little bracelet. He gently put it on the baby's wrist as it changed to fit him perfectly. He whispered something as he felt a bit of aether leave him. His hands ran through the baby's soft, black hair. After doing this, he looked at the baby one last time before vanishing.
A few moments later, the door swung open as a lady in dark robes looked around. Her eyes quickly fell on the baby as she picked him up and went back in. The two massive doors closed noiselessly.
Kharon zoomed past several buildings as he quickly returned to Zack's apartment. He jumped through the wall as he landed in the living room. As he did, his ring shone with a bright, white light before he found himself in the Null Order's meeting room. He quickly made his way to his room as he collapsed onto the soft bed.
'Today has been quite eventful. First a creepy pervert, then an overconfident hunter, followed by a kind, helpful wielder... and finally a baby. I hope he won't hate his name when he is older. Maximus is a good name in my opinion. And the little bracelet will allow me to find him in the future. If someone tinkers with it then I will know that he wants to find me. Or his parents.'
Dragging himself out of bed, Kharon undressed as he had a cold shower. The freezing drops failed to keep Kharon alert as he stood in silence for an hour. As he finished his shower, he quickly dried off and changed before returning to his bed. His wet hair did not bother him as he turned off the lights and closed his eyes. A warm breeze passed over him as he felt the soaked sheets begin to dry.
'Did I make the right decision? I am not Maximus's father and I don't know who his mother is. But I named him—and gave him something that will lead to me... Not his actual parents. I wanted to be helpful, but did I do it the right way? Will he hate me if he ever meets me?'
Kharon placed his palm over his face as he felt himself drift into sleep.
...
In a blood soaked battlefield, Kharon knelt down with a corpse in his hands. Tears streamed down his face as he looked at the dead man in his arms. His grey eyes turned a dark shade of purple as he placed down the body. A pair of dark wings grew from his back as he soared into the air. With each flap of his wings, enemies fell and the ground turned more crimson.
He felt the cold, heavy chain in his arms as he wrapped it around his enemies. They all fell one by one as lightning flashed across the sky. The clear, silver bullets rained from the clouds as Kharon was drenched. His blood soaked uniform dripped as he looked up at the sky. His eyes pierced through the heavens as the clouds parted.
A single whisper from his lips overturned the battlefield as the world bent to his will. Suddenly, a dark vortex enveloped his body as the scenery around him shifted. He stood within a dark world filled with living shadows. They all reached for him as he lifted his hand up. The shadow tendrils stopped in their tracks as Kharon sliced them.
Aether flowed wildly from Kharon as he sensed the vastness of the domain he stood in. But as he was taunted and mocked, Kharon felt himself truly snap. A new scenery began to unfold as the dark, shadow filled world was halved. On the other side, was a world filled with whispers. Secrets were woven into its very fabric. A massive clash ensued as a bright light filled both domains.
...
Kharon suddenly jolted awake as he fell on the dark, marble floor. He groggily picked himself up as he looked around in a daze. He held his head as he felt a throbbing pain from within his brain. The memories of his dream lay fragmented within his mind as he tried forcefully recalling what happened. His attempts were met with a worsening headache as he stumbled back onto his bed.
'I can't fully remember what happened last night...? What type of dream did I have? It was on a battlefield... I think. Someone died in my arms right? But who was it and why was I crying so much? I killed many, many people. And then... I don't know.'
Feeling his headache begin to subside, Kharon carefully stood up as he had a quick shower and changed. He slowly made his way to the pantry as he saw Philip walking past.
"Good morning Raven. Are you ok...? You look very tired. I am guessing you didn't sleep well. Did you have another dream?"
Kharon nodded as he opened the door to the pantry. He picked up a bowl as he took some Aethergrain Porridge and warmed it up. Philip followed him as he held the door open. His worried glances made Kharon feel guilty as he said, "I am fine. It was just a memory. And now it is fragmented and I can barely make sense of it. Nothing new. It's becoming a normal thing so you don't have to worry."
"There has to be a way to lessen the pain you feel. Trying to retain the memories would be ludicrous, but minimizing the pain would help you. If your mind is constantly subjected to this intense pain, then there could be adverse effects. Wielders are not invincible. We may have strong bodies and minds, but they can still be broken."
"Then what do you suggest?"
Philip crossed his hands over his chest as he looked around the room. Kharon slowly took bites of his porridge as he occasionally looked at Philip. As he waited, Philip suddenly exclaimed, "We could create a pain resistance or pain relief device! You could just put it on whenever you are in pain. That way you wouldn't have to suffer as much as you do."
Kharon looked at him strangely as he asked, "Why can't we create a pain immunity device?"
"You still need to feel the pain from your memories. You are still a tier 4 wielder, so you can't normalize receiving high level knowledge without a little bit of backlash. Maybe when you ascend to tier 3. Speaking of, did you get it?"
As Kharon nodded, Philip smiled as he said, "I knew you would succeed. When do you plan on carrying it out?"
"Tomorrow."