LEGEND -Back To Back Tribulation - Part-4

What happens when a soul Melting Green Lightning Strikes a Mortal Soul?

Nobody knew apart from the Archaic Gods that had disappeared ages ago- Even the New Gods would actively avoid this strange and terrifying energy of the Cosmos. No one ever touched or experienced it- they would avoid it out of an innate instinct like something horrible was about to happen if they ever touched it.

But Eon knew what this Lightning Was! It was why he was so Horrified at what had happened!

'It was a Lightning used by the Archaic Gods to reforge Evil Souls! The Lightning would Shatter the Base structure of the Soul and reduce it to its most Primal Form! But the worst part was- it would do it in a manner that the Person on the Receiving end would experience the full Breakdown of their soul as it slowly fell apart.

It was the most ruthless form of Punishment that was meant for Rapists and Pedophiles! Some mortals indulged in the most horrific Practices but the Archaic Gods always observed Everything the Mortals had done! By Rule of Order and Chaos, they would not interfere in the affairs of the Mortal world.

Avatars and incarnations were used for that! But even then the Archaic Gods let the mortals do what they wanted to but they would remember every action! Be it male or female- anyone that committed unforgivable crimes would first undergo All Kinds Of Punishments from Every Level of Naraka- Before The Devil-Asura Civil War, back when Naraka was Ruled by the Archaic God of Death King Yama and The Ultimate Lord of Death - Lord Shiva!

Those were the Times! Unlike now where a Devil King who had become a New God was currently ruling Naraka and disallowed the use of Hell Punishments for Extremely Evil Sinners, who would then become Devil Slave Candidates under the Recycling Policy.

If Lord Yama was still there these Evil Souls would be sent to Soul Forge where they would be subjected to this Lightning to completely purge them of their Old Existence.

Then the new soul would be sent into reincarnation to start life as a bug first- It would have to go through countless reincarnations to finally become a human...

It was a Terrifying Punishment!

The Cosmic will had decided to take away Aavesh's Mental Mantle due to his Outrageous oath and in order to Alter the Soul Structure it had used this Lightning!

Eon knew about it since his old Partner had indeed learned how to use this Lightning and frequently used it as a weapon while battling the Eldritch Outer Gods and the Old Ones- It was a very Ruthless Weapon!

Eon was having a mental Breakdown on seeing what had happened and did not know how to Help Aavesh with this situation!

How was Aavesh ever going to recover from this!

The New Gods too observed the situation- they had never witnessed a mortal being Struck by this Lightning and wanted to know what would happen to Aavesh next-

*ZAAPPP *BOOOM

The Green Lightning let out a loud flash of light when it penetrated Aavesh. It had Savagely Electrocuted him in the fastest possible manner.

Aavesh's mental body looked colorless and charred like a cracked crystal-

*Kacha

The Cracks around his body had begun to slowly spread.

Everyone fell silent while Eon felt despair on seeing Aavesh's condition, His Family was still thinking that he had been sent inside for protection and was safe but now...

Aavesh felt as fragile as a glass- this time if he died- he died for real. The Green Lightning Injured the integrity of his soul far too deeply.

He did not know what he could do now- He saw Eon's Phantom staring at him with mixed emotions and trying to speak something but could not.

But Aavesh smiled back at him in a serene manner.

'I Did not betray myself - that is the true way even if I must die as the consequence'

For some reason Aavesh did not feel too sad about it- On the contrary, he felt a change in his mind as he held an equally fragile orb in his trembling left hand. The Orb was what remained of his Mental Mantle- It had retained its Consciousness which was good and some of its Unique Structure while most of it had been reduced to Aetheric Energy that was wrapped around it forming an Orb Shape.

It could not fully be called a Mantle anymore though- it did not possess the Original Rigid Structure that represented an aspect of himself- But it did retain its property to serve as the foundation for Mythic Power- Not that it mattered anymore...

He felt happy as he saw the Orb- He managed to preserve the final link between his Mental Mantle and Himself! No matter if it was defective or incredible it was a part of himself! A thought came to his mind -'One cannot be whole if they Keep Removing Parts of oneself that one felt to be unnecessary! It was not removing Waste- It was tearing out a limb from limb! Instead of doing something that foolish, one needed to accept oneself to understand the core issue and... Move On'

As he thought of this - a peace came to his mind and he felt his inferiority complex which he had carried for so long begin to crack-

'So this feeling comes from Accepting yourself!

It felt wonderful- Like he knew what to do next - he finally understood how to deal with his Heart Demons! But now that his soul was disintegrating...

He could not do anything even if he knew!

* Crack * Crack

More cracks were appearing around his Mental Body that was formed with his soul and housed his main consciousness.

It seemed that the death of 'him' was inevitable.

Eon spoke out desperately,

"AAVESH! LISTEN TO ME! CHANNEL MY POWER INTO YOU - I'LL TRY TO PRESERVE YOUR SOUL FRAGMENTS! DON'T LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS!! AAVESH LISTEN! AAVESH"

Aavesh stopped noticing these cracks, or Eon's Desperate cries as he looked calmly at the Scarlet Ocean in the Dark Horizon illuminated by Green Lightning.

*Light Hum Sound

'It all seems so serene in a weird way... strange'

'I feel as if I can hear a faint Hymn?'

Aavesh felt something weird and subtle about this Hymn - He felt it quite Profound...

He then focused on the strange faint Hymn-

'...After Creation Comes Destruction...'

'All souls Came from one... Go Back to One

'Cosmic Seed...Child... Hope of Creators...'

'Infinite...Eternal...Inexhaustible'

'Soul...Destroyed...Soul...Reforged'

'Karma can wound...Karma can heal...'

'Karma...Energy Gathered...Will it...'

'Karma as metal...Consciousness as forge...'

'illusory hammer... mind as guide...'

'seek... temper... mold... quench...'

'hurt self...heal self...'

'What Dies... Is Reborn...'

'...After Destruction Comes Creation...'

*SNAP

Aavesh snapped out of the trance with wide eyes and Before Him- A Soft Golden Mist Revolved Around him as it had always been there- the world had not changed much but except for him- the Cracks on his body were at a dangerous Level.

But Eon did not seem to Notice the Golden Mist Around Aavesh- Actually, Nobody apart from Aavesh did...

He felt that there seemed to be some ability awake within him as soon as he heard the Hymn- Maybe it was always there but had suddenly awakened? Whatever it was it allowed him to sense this Golden Mist.

Aavesh looked at the Densely beautiful Golden Mist as it revolved gently around him- He raised his cracked right palm to touch the Gentle Golden Mist. The Golden Mist coiled in his palm and formed an 'ॐ' symbol.

'ॐ'- The First Primordial Sound in the Birth of the Universe-

It was the Symbol of 'Om'- Aavesh trembled as his eyes shook violently as he saw this and he let out in a hoarse voice filled with Realization,

"Om"

*AUM!

The Sound echoed around in his ears

The Symbol of Creation, Preservation, and Destruction...

It had formed in his hand from just a touch of this Golden Mist.

But Why was it here? He wasn't a devout being- He only ever scientifically worshipped Dharmic Pantheon! It silently faded away as it was just natural... and a strange event took place.

'Knowledge... Given to you child... Your oath... dangerous... to yourself... You have the tools... just do not know... how to use... Use them well... It is Endowed... to you... May You Survive... this Day of Ours...'

A Genderless untraceable soothing voice sounded in him and disappeared quickly, leaving only the cryptic knowledge of the Hymn in him.

'OH MAN WHAT IN THE COSMIC-!'

Aavesh trembled violently again-He knew whoever sent him this knowledge had the ability to affect Freaking Mental Tribulations Realms! Could it be 'them'? Aavesh immediately shut up and stopped that train of thought! He must not think further or doubt 'their' existence! A lot of questions remained but the cracks in his Soul also remained. He Painfully diverted his attention and refocused on the Cracks in his disintegrating soul.

To fix it... One Needed Karma according to the Hymn?

Did he have enough Karma for that?

Aavesh looked back at the revolving Golden Mist and suddenly was struck again with Realization!

This Golden Mist was unordinary! It felt unimaginably powerful yet at the same time, it was invisible- almost intangible to everyone but him. The Golden Mist seemed to be connected together in a Strange Way- like threads... but still moved like fluids- they were like Non-Newtonian Fluids in different forms!

Could it be that... this was Karma?

At least that's what he thought now...

He gently set down the Mental Mantle Orb to the side as he looked on at the Golden Mist...

He Grit his teeth and touched the Revolving Golden Mist 'Karma' intending to direct it through his body- He could only communicate with it through his intent- Besides Karma was not an External Source- It was intrinsic to life and his Karma was his own- so there was no problem with the oath.

As if completely understanding his intent-

The Golden Mist seeped into the Cracks within his soul making him feel Extremely Hot- Hot like the Temperature had shot up to 10000 degrees! Some of it even spilled around unevenly and needed to be set in like hot metal in a forge! It seemed to be very familiar with the Next line in the Hymn.

'Wait this this this... IS SOUL REFORGE! I '

Aavesh snapped in realization as he remembered what the next part of the Process must be according to the Hymn- Use Consciousness as Forge! Illusory Hammer and Mind as Guide- Aavesh felt struck with a plethora of Ideas as he willed an Illusory hammer purely made out of Mental Energy out of thin air with his mind into his Right hand.

*BANG

Aavesh focused on all of his cracks one by one- and kept molding and tempering them at an insane speed leaving the Onlookers mad!

They could not see what had exactly happened!

Only some of the New Gods and a Few Old Nones could perceive something mysterious Happening- Which was probably Related to Karmic Luck!

Eon was speechless and silently observed the situation as Aavesh kept finding out where the cracks were and began to mold the uneven surfaces into smooth outlines- Heck this illusory hammer was quite strong despite being made out of Mental Energy- Even Aavesh was a bit surprised at how easily he summoned it- He just did it out of instinct! Maybe it had to do with some abilities he never awakened? Probably...

After a few minutes, every crack was filled with this Golden Mist which had made his soul looks more like a Red hot - Freshly Made Terminator. Cough Cough Cough

But Aavesh was amiss with the Next step- Quench.

Was there anything that could cool down something as hot as this soul? If not he would probably begin to shatter and probably melt into himself...

Then Suddenly the weak Mental Mantle Orb communicated with Aavesh as it rose and faced Aavesh at Eye Level...

" I will help you Quench - with what I have left... I have immense Aetheric Energy that I can control with what remains of me- Do not worry,- my remnant Mantle substructure is still mixed within the Aetheric Energy- I can control the Energy with it... After that, I guess I will dissipate- Brother"

"No... Mantle you won't disappear- You are a part of me- In computer Science Terms I might even call you my Sub Routine- Hahaha, But I won't make that same mistake again- Let us merge- No cannibalism though- We retain each other's characteristics as we become one- I receive your courage while you gain my will - Deal?"

The Orb was a bit stunned as it heard Aavesh, it asked in a trembling voice," Why Let yourself be altered with my Qualities? I am more fearful and weak than you think... Don't you think you will weaken yourself with me?"

Aavesh chuckled and spoke with a knowing smile," Yeah, but its, because you can be brave despite being so scared is what I admire and know that I don't have it here within me, I guess I pushed my fear into you and also lost an important Equivalent quality that came with experiencing fear- The ability to truly overcome Fear- "

"Now Come Brother- This Time we will be One Being - You will not be relegated to the side ever again or be used as my outlet to hide my fears- You will be with me and I with you..."

Aavesh gently held the Orb with his left hand and pushed it against his forehead as he closed his eyes.

Cold Aetheric Energy filled with the Substructure of the Mantle seeped all over into his soul from the orb as it dissolved into his Body and Red hot regions around his soul cooled down as they were infused with the Quenching Process of the Aetheric Energy.

But this was not equivalent to getting his mantle back- No He already lost the Mantle as it had to be separate from his soul yet at least contain a part of his soul into itself. But what Aavesh did was completely different and he was the only one in the Universe to have been able to do it...

He completely merged the remnant substructure of the Mantle that was used to Absorb and Mold Mythic Power Directly into his Soul- eliminating the need for a separate vessel to contain it and His soul had merged with the tiny fragment of his soul that had been stored in the Mental Mantle with full acceptance- Generally there would usually be conflicts and rejection between divided souls but Aavesh did not and probably would never feel this inner conflict- For he had wholeheartedly accepted it and the tiny fragmented soul accepted him wholely- It was a genuine and a Rare soul Merge...

*SHINE

A sharp Metallic Glow came from Aavesh's Restored soul - Color had come back into his soul! He had recovered! Much to the shock of Everyone Witnessing it!

*KAABOOOM

This Time Blue Lightning thundered Across the Storm Eye, catching Everyone's Attention in a Snap. The Thunder sounded like the Cosmic Will was tired of the whole Drama unfolding before it and wanted to Get on with the Process!

Eon Gasped as he spoke," Minor Tribulation Already? But this does not feel like a Minor Tribulation- It Feels Like an Upgraded Hybrid Grade Minor Tribulation... COSMIC BALLS GIVE HIM A BREAK ALREADY YOU IMPATIENT BUFFOON!"

He cursed Angrily at Cosmic Will for being so impatient and not letting Aavesh catch his breath after such a major Event! Heck, he wanted to strangle it ahh!

Even the Divine Beings watching this felt it to be too hasty! Why not give the child a little break! 30 minutes would be more than enough! The Cosmic will was so busy that it could not wait for a child? What a joke!

*ROOOAAAAR!

As if sensing the Discontent accusations being levied on it, the Cosmic Will Roared with Fury and Bumped Up The Difficulty of the Minor Tribulation By Another Magnitude causing the faint Blue Lightning in the Clouds to become Even stronger!

*FLASH BOOOOM!

Everyone Shut Up immediately- They thought they could jointly persuade the Cosmic Will to spare Aavesh or give him some leeway, obviously not all did it for pure reasons but this was the Greatest Entertainment they had witnessed in a While! It was boring to just fight each other periodically and they felt watching Obscure Mortal Drama like this to be Panacea for their dull lives fighting Eldritch Gods- Various Opposing Lords and Themselves!

They would Rather Not implicate this rising star of a child! It seemed that the Cosmic Will was hell bent on Punishing Aavesh.

Eon then shouted as the Tribulation had become,

"Aavesh It Will be a dual Front Attack Bear all pains! Your True Body in Reality is about to suffer as well! Hang ON! Don't Give UP!"

*BOOM

Thunder Roared across the Dark Mental Tribulation Realm- and as it charged up to launch its Attack on Aavesh, He opened his Eyes with a Strange Steel Grey Glow at the Oncoming Lightning Bolt!

His Gaze... had Changed!