Cyrus Solaris
The sky began to brighten, the rift's orange glow taking hold once again. I was exhausted, barely able to stay airborne. I slowed my pace and gently descended onto the wasteland below.
My legs were still nothing more than stumps, unable to regenerate fully. All of my cosmic energy was occupied with stimulating my brain, keeping me conscious and preventing me from passing out from the strain of overusing my abilities.
When I landed, the body I stole plopped down beside me. I pulled out my astral globe tablet; it was cracked but still displayed the time. I still had some time before I needed to meet that Atë member.
I needed to rest.
If I was going to defeat the rift and confront the new and old evil that found its way in here, I needed to be at full strength.
Leaning against a warm exoskeleton, I watched as the dull flame got closer. I was sure it was Mom, and it wouldn't be long before she got here and helped me regroup.
But in the meantime, I had a lot to think about.
What was that black aura that radiated from Lugat and me? I had dark thoughts before that moment, but for some reason, when I gave in to them and reached into the well of madness or whatever Lugat called it, things got worse, and my aura changed.
Did it have anything to do with my black hole core? The core of a phantom echo is already abnormal and something a person could truly see, but did that echo have a core similar to mine in the past? Was this the person who connected to my constellation in the past?
I was left with so many questions that wouldn't be answered anytime soon, so I shifted my attention elsewhere.
I checked whether I still had those sheets of paper I took from the shed.
Luckily, I did.
I pulled them from my pocket and unfolded them. I scanned the instructions and ingredients again.
35 liters of water, 20 kilograms of carbon, 4 liters of ammonia, 1.5 kilograms of lime, 800 grams of phosphorus, 250 grams of salt, 100 grams of saltpeter, 80 grams of sulfur, 7.5 grams of Fluorine, 5 grams of iron, 3 grams of silicon, and trace elements found in the blood of the mad ones.
Gather all the ingredients, mix them, let them bathe in the light of the blood moon while imbuing the mixture with cosmic energy, stir until it thickens, and chant the words: May thy flesh awaken, and may thy blood recall the wandering soul that death has claimed. For I reclaim what was lost; be made anew. Enter thy vessel and rise once more.
My eyes lingered on the final step; Imbuing the mixture with cosmic energy and the blood of the mad ones.
Am I a mad one? No, I'm perfectly normal.
My eyes lingered on the chant.
"May thy flesh awaken…"
Flesh. Blood. A wandering soul that death had claimed.
I reread the last few lines, my stomach tightening as the pieces fell into place.
Wait, this is a ritual to bring someone back to life.
This echo was trying to revive himself, and he was using me to do it.
Is that even possible?
Well…Cendra did mention that her clan could bring people back to life.
So why not Echos?
He wanted to use me as a tool, but he made a mistake;
I'm no tool.
He's got another thing coming if he thinks I'm gonna allow him to resurrect.
Two things immediately came to mind.
First, I needed him to tell me how to defeat this rift. I also needed information about the creature I had fought–the Old and New Evil.
But the second thought stopped me cold.
Mom.
If this ritual really could bring someone back from the dead… I could use it to bring her back.
All I had to do was play dumb and let him think he was the one manipulating me.
I narrowed my eyes.
Then I could get the information I needed.
And if I was right about the ritual, I could get Mom back too.
As I realized it, a soft voice spoke.
"Anquaris, my love, what happened to you?" My mother said, placing her hands on my legs.
Her warm touch soothed me, calming the pain just a little.
"I completed the task to become an Atë, but I had a little run-in with another one of its members. Let's just say he wasn't fond of me."
My mother's eyes traced every part of me, finishing when she laid eyes on the large body I had been carrying around.
Pity and a hint of disgust crossed her face as she stared at it. The only sound was the breeze sweeping across the ground, sending loose rocks skittering through the dirt.
I adjusted my throat.
"M-Mom,"
She turned back to me, her eyes warm.
"Yes, Anquaris?"
I paused for a moment.
"I-I think I found a way to bring you back home with us."
Her eyes widened.
"I found this. It appears to be a ritual of some kind that I think is used to revive people." I said, waving the sheets in front of her.
"I think the Atë member you had me meet is trying to revive himself, and we can use that knowledge to trick him, get the information about beating the rift, and use the ritual for you instead of him."
My mother's gaze passed over the loose papers.
"Anquaris, rituals like that are unnatural and dangerous," she said, her face furrowing slightly.
"Do you think it won't work?"
Instead of a response, she shifted her eyes away from me.
The silence was a gut punch.
My fist clenched.
"Can you at least try? I need you! You don't understand what it's been like to be hunted by the uncle you loved, to watch your father rot away in a coma with no sign of ever waking up. Gramps has become a coward I can't depend on. My chances of getting my license are low. My life is a mess. So please… let's try this together!"
My mother's eyes swelled with water, and she wrapped her arms around me, her beautiful flames embracing me.
"I'll do it. I'll go to the edge of the universe for you," she said, giving me a peck on the forehead.
It felt real. I felt tears welling at the edge of my eyes, but I refused to let myself cry.
Not until it was real.
"But first you need to recover and get your cosmic energy to stabilize. So rest up here, while I'll go find you some cores to absorb."
I accepted her request and eased back on the exoskeleton that had propped me up.
She was right. Whatever happened to me back there with Lugat, it sparked something I didn't understand or could control.
I no longer needed to depend on that strange power; my mom was back, and she would help.
So I let my eyes drift as I fell into the breathing practices my father taught me. It took much longer than I thought, but my cosmic energy began to find equilibrium again. My body loosened, and I was finally at ease.
It wasn't long before my mom returned with cores. I consumed them, replenishing my reserves and letting the hydra scale get to work mending my body.
First, it tended to my brain, giving me greater clarity and control over my cosmic abilities. Then it repaired my back, stitching torn muscles together and weaving threads of amino acids at blazing speed. Finally, it moved on to my legs.
That was the most painful and disgusting part.
Watching my bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles, and blood regenerate in such a short amount of time nearly put me in shock.
In the moment, I wished I was mad again. That way I couldn't feel it. But I needed to. It was a clear reminder that this isn't a place to take lightly, and it also reminded me that I still had a long way to go in my quest for power.
With my body healed, I looked to my mom.
"Ready to go meet this echo?"
She let a small smile stretch her face.
"Of course."