A.G.E

"Now Kids you will listen to me carefully", A heavily scarred soldier with a white Lab Dress spoke in a polite tone to a group of naked male children sitting on a Black floor staring at him with fear and silence.

Except for one boy.

Aavesh stared at the scenario with a neutral expression and observed what the man spoke.

A few minutes ago - they had landed and entered a completely enclosed location. They were then dragged out by the soldiers and led into a cold dimly lit- presumably secure Mega - facility.

They saw soldiers in hazmat suits, lab uniforms and heavily Armored Mecha Suits on their long walk inside.

No one said anything out of turn.

No one laughed at them as they silently walked in.

They all had a Grim Look on their faces.

Their Eyes filled with pity, sadness, nostalgia and apathy.

The group walked in and assembled before a Soldier with a higher ranking stripe on his White Lab Coat.

He was expressionless. He waived his hand and the soldiers guarding the kids moved to the side. He then turned to the kids and spoke," You all have come finally - We have been awaiting your arrival for quite some time, You all will refer to me as Dr. Corvus- I am the Site Head here and you will obey my orders as you stay here- is that understood? Nod if you understand ".

The Kids nodded like pecking chicks before Dr. Corvus. Aavesh played along as well.

"Now Kids you will listen to me carefully- You all will be undergoing the A.G.E ceremony in a few moments and as protocol dictates- I will explain the needfull to you all now", Dr. Corvus spoke in a very dry voice.

"First you have all been chosen specifically - because you are all orphans - you don't have family anymore - lost to Wars and Disasters, you have nothing left to lose anymore, Hence you will be part of Our Final Mission - Exodus and become the Last Generation of Wraith Knights to exist "

Aavesh felt shocked upon hearing this- Last Generation of Wraith Knights? There must be something serious going on.

" Second , all of you are Rare Pre awakened Mythic Path users with atleast one Resonance - Either through Blood, through a gift or By Destiny "

Dr. Corvus then looked at them with a piercing gaze with his Green Eyes.

He had a good stature, gaunt jaw and a dry cold voice that made one shiver.

His striking black hair accentuated his aura.

"That also means you all are Targets- by various people involved - who would like nothing more than to make you their personal slaves- But we are different - We will give you the opportunity to earn the right to make a choice- and get your freedom "

None of the kids felt good on Hearing this. No one wanted to be kidnapped and brought to some random facility. No one wanted to be a slave either. The Lack of choice and freedom made them depressed.

Aavesh just watched on as the Doctor spoke. He understood the tactics they were trying to use there- use an intimidation factor laced with reasoning, then show the bait- then waive the stick and finally hook the fooled prey.

These guys were going to present themselves as honest people who would give you the opportunity.

But that's the jig! isn't it.

'All opportunities are wrought with danger- Danger they will sugarcoat- Danger not meant for children - But such drastic measures - something bad must be going on behind the scenes to include even us'

A Soldier with Technician attire arrived and quickly gave Dr. Corvus a Glass Tablet.

Dr. Corvus's Eyes Narrowed and he spoke to the kids, " Wait here for a few minutes - I'll be back shortly"

He then walked with the Technician outside of the Lab through an automated Metal door leaving everyone to silently stand. No one spoke a word and just stood there, the soldiers kept a close eye on their actions

'Let's see what kind of Fucked up Plan you guys have cooked up', Aavesh silently kept his guard against Dr. Corvus and the other soldiers.

'Why are you putting yourself through this? - You could escape right? Your Soul Constitution is still in its raw form! you can easily -" Eon worriedly warned as he felt creeped out by the situation.

Aavesh shook his head, 'These guys- they are much better than the Noble Clans and they seem to have better resources and Tech for nurturing me-'

Eon then widened his eyes and immediately retorted,' Aavesh- they have kept you naked for who knows how long and they have treated you very very harshly! They treat kids like dispensable tools Damn it!- This whole situation is so fucked up and you call them better? And what's that about resources? You can use your Soul Constitution -'

Aavesh calmly replied to Eon,' Eon - Am I missing my Privates? Do I have Nanomites ? Control fluids- Drugs? Have I been replaced by a weaker clone? Look and Tell me carefully'

'No...'

Aavesh spoke with a colder tone,' That's the thing Eon- I am still intact, I haven't been Brainwashed though I am immune to them due to my soul Constitution - I am not drugged with drugs that cloud my mind, I am not under any mind control device or spell for that matter - I am still me, if we were to go out and with my Talent and Reputation- I would be chased until I am captured or Dead, You don't know the Nobles of Rathiel Republic - It's why only fools or Compelled Individuals would join Noble Clans, As for why don't I join the army or any academy - Eon, you know what I did right? My Identity may have been altered but my actions haven't been erased, To them now I am just an idiot Imperial Adhi Bastard who got lucky and chose to fuck it up- I voluntarily chose the Demonic Mythic Path-'

'But You Repented and gave it up! You still have the Blessing of Lord Irolin and Now you also have the Blessing of Lady Sierra! They can't hold that against you right - Right?', Eon interjected with indignation in his tone. He couldn't believe after all that Aavesh did- Was he going to be discriminated and punished for stopping the Invasion ?

Aavesh only bitterly smiled at this as he spoke,' Eon - I WILL be Treated Differently, I chose the Demonic Path- I still have knowledge about it! And we are in a Lawful Faction - it is a Crime Punishable by Death, On Paper it was written off as Possession - but people aren't fools, they have found out or atleast have an Inkling about the fact that I have this Profane Knowledge about a Powerful Demonic Technique!'

' The fact that I even know about it is enough for an Inquisition Tribunal and Compulsory Cleansing which would render me brain dead at worst and mentally crippled at best!'

'You should know that according to the normal populace- I was Possessed and that means that I am vulnerable to sudden Demonic Possession, To them I am a risk Factor, a volcano that can explode in the worst situation!'

' And what about the fact that I have knowledge about Demonic Techniques? It is now an open secret- and that poses several concerns- whether I would fall again to the seduction of Demonic Techniques? What if I sell them?'

'The Reason that I am still alive in the Lawful Controlled Space is because of Master Irolin's and Mistress Sierra's Blessings warding them off- How badly do you think Inquisition wants to kill me?'

'And the Icing on the cake is that I am a registered Maledict now!'

' My already questionable status has fallen even more down- To regular Lawful Institutions - I am someone they should avoid me like a Plague, and the Demonic Clans would kill me on site for cursing the Demon Goddess! If not for that - they would also kill me for rejecting Demonic Mythic Power ! I probably have a kill on site Order on my Head from all Demonic Factions!'

'And Before you yap about the Neutral Factions- The Neutral Factions in Rathiel will never nurture me- My Aeon Mythic Power is of Lawful nature! And My Legend Mythic Power is Unaligned - Why will they ever shoot themselves in the foot? Besides I kind of expected them to atleast Blacklist me after my actions- As for me stopping the Invasion? They couldn't give a fuck- As far as they are concerned- I am a questionable entity with a Neat Bounty on my Head'

'And No- I won't Go to Master's Martial Temple and Mistress's Sanctuary - I am a Maledict Remember? Anyone that dares to take me in - comes under Khoramzzadeh's gaze and if they take me in- with my status under Lord Irolin and Lady Sierra - they wouldn't hesitate to Elevate my Position and antagonize the Adhi Empire- or Atleast protect me from the Forces of the Empire- Do you realise how many People I would be implicating? That Bastard Khoramzzadeh has just say a word and Mass Pogroms against worshippers of Lord Irolin and Lady Sierra would take place! And I won't allow such a thing to happen because of me- As much as possible- I will not implicate Innocents in my matters- even if it costs me my life', Aavesh replied back firmly.

Eon was stunned at the Rapid Explanation and sighed.

'Yeah... So that's why You- Damn... Your situation is very messed up- Humans can be very strange'

'Yeah Eon, this Black Ops Camp taking me in- is just me being very lucky, I've actually noticed something HERE- They have been using Base Gene Lock Softening Reagents in Aerosol form- it's why we were kept naked for a long while and not fed anything... they have also kept our mind constantly stressed so that our body shows maximum effect in absorbing the Aerosol and softening our Gene Lock- You know how important this part is right?', Aavesh explained further.

'So that what it was- Strange, the Cultivators back then never needed this stuff- they only needed a Coalescing Crystal that was abundantly available! I don't understand why you guys have this A.G.E process', Eon spoke with doubts in his tone.

'Yeah that shit doesn't exist anymore for some Reason - Instead you see that Glowing Crystalline Purple Fluid in the window behind where Dr. Corvus was standing- that's Elixir Z also known as Liquefied High Essence- it's the Quintessence of all 9 Higher Dimensional Energies Extracted through Ritual Circles and 9 Refinements to get an absolute Refined Material that is then combined with Materium - Element Zero, stuff that makes up the strings of Reality in the Material Universe- to finally get High Essence, it's a dangerous Liquid as well - If one Remains Exposed for more Time than required - Your Body will literally melt into a Puddle of Gene Goo', Aavesh spoke as he shuddered a bit while staring at Purple Liquid.

'I thought you didn't know anything about Cultivating Mythic Power in this era ' Eon asked curiously.

Aavesh then rubbed his nose a little bit with embarrassment on hearing that.

'I didn't - I know the bare basics that even a kid should know- I just never really have much thought into it- My old Mythic Power didn't even require me to cultivate Seriously - I just had to sit in a Temple Pool and It would grow stronger, So I never put much effort from my side regarding it and I Very much regret that', Aavesh spoke honestly about his old experiences.

Just then the Door on the side opened and Dr. Corvus entered with the Tablet with the same Neutral Gaze.

'Now shush- He's back! The A.G.E ceremony might begin soon', Aavesh then focused back on to Dr. Corvus 's words.

"You all will become wards of the State and will be Fully nurtured by us - if you survive the trials you will become Extremely specialized Individuals, but should anyone feel they are not suited to this life style- if anyone wants to die or quit - come to me and I will give you a Painless Euthanasia, You won't feel a thing- ", Dr. Corvus expressionlessly spoke while the kids clenched their fists.

No one wanted to die.

But who knows how long their spirit would last.

The Doctor Emphasized Trials before them- This was never going to be easy!

If they wanted to live- They had to survive! Survive at all costs.

Aavesh felt the same feelings as them but for a different reason.

He gazed towards an invisible place in the void for a moment - That Ominous Translucent Egg had been following him ever since he got up in the ship.

He had begun seeing it for quite awhile. It was his curse- Visible only to him.

That Egg drew in Black ink like substances from him and devoured it slowly.

It wasn't going to hatch anytime soon but the progressive development was hard to watch - especially when the being inside that Egg was going to be born to Kill him.

He then calmed down subtly and shifted his Eyes back to Dr. Corvus- who then focused on him. Aavesh was startled a bit but decided to observe what Dr. Corvus had to say to him.

Dr.Corvus spoke," Alright - All of you will Line up to my left and follow the instructions of the Med Droid for the A.G.E Process - Mr.Aavesh Adhi on the other hand will follow me - Now Go Everyone!"

Aavesh cringed inwardly as he walked towards Dr. Corvus. The Other Kids looked at him with curiosity and suspicion. He could feel their piercing gaze on him but he simply shrugged it off helplessly.

Dr. Corvus then led him to an alternate chamber and the Metal Doors closed behind them.

He then turned to Aavesh and spoke," So you are the infamous Maledict of the Adhi Clan- We have orders from the Higher Ups to intensify your Training and the A.G.E Process for you is to be raised to the Maximum Human limit- Do you comply with the request?"

Aavesh raised an eyebrow but quickly spoke, " I comply with the orders- Sir!"

He then gave a Rathiel Military salute to Dr. Corvus as per Protocol.

Dr. Corvus's Eyes glinted a bit. He then handed Aavesh the Tablet and spoke, " There's an Encrypted Message for your Eyes only - It will delete in 30 Seconds"

Aavesh immediately recieved it and the moment his hand touched it- The Tablet lit up with a Black Screen and few Glowing white words.

He immediately scanned the contents -

' The Merchant of Mirrors sends his regards, I will meet you soon.

- Sam Manek'

*Glitch.

The Message has been deleted.

'Oh- So that's it, No wonder'- He had a good idea on why the Chief Commander put him into this Camp.

Aavesh then handed the Tablet back to Dr.Corvus.

Dr. Corvus then spoke again, " Do you have anything to ask before we proceed with the A.G.E process?"

Aavesh nodded and asked in a polite tone," I would like to know more about it- I have a general idea on what it is but I would like to know How and Why of it Sir!"

Dr. Corvus narrowed his eyes a bit one hearing that and then spoke in his usual tone," I will answer this seriously - what you can understand is upto you- Everyone has nascent Spirit roots, Mind Ponds and Heart Cores that remain unawakened Despite using low Dimensional Energy - But to awaken them you would need to fundamentally alter your existence to allow it to absorb the requisite Mythic Power and Awaken them- they will then be able to absorb all sorts of Energies, forming the Basic Path to Cultivation of the Three Major Paths- The Process to fundamentally Alter your Existence is Artificial Genetic Evolution- You will not just break your inherent Genetic Limitations, you will Evolve your Genes with the Required Mythic Power- which then forms the preliminary foundation to transport this first Mythic Power into your Three Dantians - The Lower Dantian, also known as the Dantian or Energy Center or Power Core, The Middle Dantian also known as the Body Core or Blood Pool, located within the Heart and Lastly the Upper Dantian - known as the Soul Palace or the Mind Pool- Be advised that not all 3 Dantians can be unlocked with the first A.G.E Process as the risk is very great - You are being exposed to High Essence after all, the longer you stay in- the faster you will Die - I'm sure you understand that Part- The Other Reason to do this - is quite simple actually - Evolution, Cultivating the Grand Path of Mythic Power- Are you able to follow me so far?"

Aavesh nodded in reply. Although there was some skepticism in Dr. Corvus's Eyes he simply continued further,

"I want you to understand one important principle - You can Pre awaken Your Mythic Power and gain Resonance without Cultivation, But it has only small effects on improving your Strength- You will not break past the Human Limits of strength and your Lifespan will be affected if you continue to use your Mythic Power in a Mortal Body, Remember this carefully- ' A Mythic Power needs a Mythic Soul,Body and Energy' - it will kill you otherwise- Now if you Evolve your Genes Once- Do you think it's enough?"

"Huh?" Aavesh was immediately stumped at the question and decided to search on Possible solutions and theories to answer it.

Dr.Corvus waited for a moment patiently like an Experienced Tutor.

Aavesh then widened his eyes with an observation that he himself had observed in his past life but never thought too much of it as he was focused on Survival.

"Could it be? - Wait- No- Once is not enough at all!", He exclaimed out, finally realizing the simple yet obvious principle.

Dr. Corvus then spoke with a new Glint in his Eyes," Elaborate your answer"

"It's like this- We need higher Cultivation in specific Paths to absorb Purer Mythic Essence and understand Higher Levels of our Designated Mythic Power- I suppose once we reach a certain Cultivation limit - We can only increase it if our Mythic Power increases in level as well and to increase our Mythic Power Levels -our Cultivation has to be of that Requisite level to handle that Mythic Power - Simply Put, I carve my Cultivation Path with Mythic Power and with My Cultivation I enhance my Mythic Power! A Very Difficult but Extremely Synergic Path!", Aavesh then explained what he thought.

"Very Good - Very Close to the Actual answer- Your understanding is quite accurate but lacks the sheer complexity involved, But I won't overload your brain now with all theories, I will tell you some facts- the More Number of Major Paths you Cultivate together the better, it's best if one unlocks all three in one Go, but it is very Dangerous - Let me explain ", Dr. Corvus nodded at Aavesh's answer but immediately spoke with suprising caution in his voice, " To a Normal Person who is not Pre awakened atleast - They have a 40% Chance of just unlocking the Lower Dantian, a 10% Chance of Unlocking the Middle Dantian and 0% Chance of Unlocking the Upper Dantian before the Concentration of High Essence reaches Lethal Levels"

Aavesh then understood why the Various Clans and Institutions always fought for Genetic Resources. So the Truth was this... Damn...

" But for a Pre awakened - they have a 70% Chance of Unlocking the Lower Dantian, a 20 % Chance of Unlocking the Middle Dantian and a 2% Chance of Unlocking the Upper Dantian before reaching the Lethal Levels", Dr. Corvus explained .

"Now- if a Pre Awakened achieves Resonance Once which is extremely Rare - the chances of Unlocking increase by Quite a bit- You have an 80% Chance of Unlocking the Lower Dantian, 28% Chance of Unlocking the Middle Dantian and a 7% Chance of Unlocking the Upper Dantian before reaching the Lethal Levels- But these are only the incremental Chances of Unlocking all 3 Dantians together-"

Aavesh then quickly focused harder on the next few words for Understanding more about the A.G.E Process.

" You Can choose to sacrifice Unlocking a Particular Dantian to Focus on Unlocking the other Dantians- See If you suppose choose to sacrifice the Lower Dantian to Unlock the other Dantians- the Percentage of success say for the Middle Dantian increases by 25% and the success rate of Unlocking the Upper Dantian increases by 10%"

"If You Sacrifice the Middle Dantian - the the success rate of Unlocking the Lower Dantian increases by atleast 30% and 15% for the Upper Dantian"

" If you sacrifice the Upper Dantian - You are guaranteed to Unlock Your Lower Dantian! and your Success Rate for Unlocking the Middle Dantian increases by 45%"

"Now If you Sacrifice Two Dantians as well or decide to just focus on One Dantian - then the success Rate increases Tremendously -

For the Lower Dantian - You are Guaranteed to Unlocking it and surviving the A.G.E process- this way is simply wasteful for those who are Pre awakened -

For the Middle Dantian - Your Success Rate increases by 50%- This way is mostly optimal for those without Resonance

For the Upper Dantian - Your Success Rate increases by 20%, this is quite the Gamble and not many Dare to do this on the first A.G.E"

Aavesh was extremely shocked to hear this! So that's why Mental Cultivation was very hard!

No wonder Professions like Runemasters were rare.

It turned out that the Sacrifice for this Path was not small at all.

"It's not that you are severing the other Paths- But if you leave a Dantian unopened in the first A.G.E process, then the Talent for that Dantian drastically reduces the next time you attempt the A.G.E process "

Dr. Corvus then spoke, " Now any further questions or do you want to attempt A.G.E?"

Aavesh then immediately Replied without wasting time, " No Sir! Thank You for the Explanation- I'll attempt the A.G.E Process right away "

"Follow Me"