Blood of Adhi - Part 1

*Cough

*Cough

An unconscious young boy involuntarily coughed, his body covered with myriad wounds across his body with most serious being a gaping hole.

Be that as it may- several glowing red veins formed across his mangled flesh as he was hung with hot iron chains pierced into his flesh.

Small drops of unstable Lava like Orange blood dripped down from his wounds from time to time and then would explode with a mini 'pop' sound.

"Oi! Can you here me?", a familiar female voice rung out inside the torture dungeon he was imprisoned in, should be another prisoner

" He- can't hear you- after what that Damned Devil did to him it would be incredible if he even was able to open his eyes...", another familiar make voice spoke.

The unconscious boy was Aavesh of course.

" Coral, is he still alive?", the female voice asked out again.

" My connection with him has been severed forcibly, I can only tell that he's barely alive from visual scans but I can't assist him- the neural chain blocks are taking time to dismantle, apologies please do not disturb me", another familiar female voice spoke bitterly, with a bit of guilt in her tone.

" Hey Chu Feng how long is that Khor- Khoramdeh ... Um Khozad! Yes How long is Khozad going to chain us like animals Here! It's not Funny to have a busted eye you know! "

"Kid stop talking -"

" Noooo- Khobarf dragged me here for no Bloody Reason! It's so Boring here! You don't want to talk, that boy can't even talk and Coral's too busy to talk!", she immediately began her chaotic barrage, causing the tied up Chu Feng to cringe painfully inside!

" Kid- are you not afraid?"

"I AM AFRAID! AFRAID OF BEING BORED TO DEATH!"

"...No wonder he locked you here"

"Screw off!"

Both of them argued back and forth like rowdy ducks, causing Coral to look at the duo with a bit of annoyance - these 2 buggers are disturbing her!

At that moment Aavesh's eyes twitched, as the dried blood flakes on his eyes slowly cracked and he groggily opened his eyes with a blank look.

He saw three other heavily injured individuals chained by their arms - hanging from the walls in the fiery dungeon, on the side an active Lava Aqueduct was carrying an unknown amount of suffering souls through it to who knows where?

He recognised Anya- that damned future trickster troll goddess, Chu Feng and a very human like Coral- Anya and Chu Feng were chained like him while Coral lay limp like a broken doll in the corner- with silver colored stab wounds - showing her Android like nature.

Chu Feng looked like he was beaten like a rabbid dog with severe blunt induced injuries on his head and chest.

Anya, had a bleeding right eye and several piercing wounds likely caused by the entrapment chains,along with a weird Infernal Iron collar- which had essentially melded onto her neck.

On her semi tattered clothes- the half Elf looked truly miserable here and from what she said,it seemed that Khorramzadeh suddenly kidnapped her and brought her here not too recently.

He inwardly groaned in pain - No he should be able to endure pain but this pain was on another level entirely from corporeal terms- it was like his own existence was suffering - there was something strange and poisonous within his body- he couldn't believe that his Bio Nano Cells were actually helpless at this...

For now it was there and it was no doubt inflicted by his captor.

Speaking of which, his mind was exceptionally groggy - he felt drained and weak on the inside, like something Powerful Bombarded his soul over and over again.

He didn't know what exactly had happened to him and was about to open his mouth when painful flashes of recollection hit him with the ordeal he was out through...

Days before,

Aavesh was dragged through the Extra - Dimensional Castle in Naraka by Khorramzadeh in a cocoon of piercing chains that had erupted from his temporary Prosthetic left hand.

It didn't knock him unconscious - it instead released Bio Chemicals to increase his ability to feel Pain by manifolds- as much as possible while letting the needles deliver excruciating pain.

Aavesh's body spasmed uncontrollably despite his mind remaining calm, unfortunately his body was just too low leveled and there was only so much he could control with his augmentations.

All that was there was Tangible Darkness, unlike the neutral Nullifying essence of Oblivion.

He couldn't tell how much time had exactly passed, despite trying to count deep down- his enhanced senses were constantly mislead by the Mythic Power of this Higher Dimension.

For what felt like months and years, he could barely perceive the right flow of time - for it worked strangely in the Higher Dimensions, like minutes in the material world would just account for Years in the Higher Dimensions, but the inverse could also happen albeit rarely, it has happened.

Only the Immortals and New Gods were able to align themselves to certain Temporal Flows, able to perceive Time in a completely different form understanding that Mortal Cultivators could barely make heads or tails of it.

He should've died by hunger and thirst but he didn't - it was like his body had slowed down in time while his mind had been fastened- forced to endure the agonizing wait in Darkness.

Not just that, he definitely felt something terribly wrong within - a connection with Naraka that was slowly growing within his cells.

Like a switch had been suddenly flipped.

But why...

Such a switch should not exist - The Order Autarch would have already noticed it but he didn't do anything about it- if the switch existed in the first place, it could have been removed easily by the Order Autarch just as he as he modified his DNA to accomodate the Augmentations, just why...

Aavesh couldn't find any answer here as he pondered in the Torturous Darkness.

He then came to the important question, why the hell was something so insidious there in the first place?

He could clearly tell that the moment he freedom Damien, something had happened as he accepted the burden but this was not the cause, rather it was simply the act of adding a primer to a chemical reaction that had already been put in place.

The Catalyst was Naraka itself- for even when he practiced the Demonic Blood Arts, it was more like consuming a virus but here- it was as natural as puberty.

So someone had place a genetic mod inside of him, maybe it was at the time when he was an infant?

He wouldn't put it past Khorramzadeh to do something like this...

Now only two important aspects of this matter remained, why and how to fix this?

He couldn't guess why yet- though he could tell Khoramdeh knew why... And to fix this, he might have to travel to the Inner Rings to undergo Gene Isolation and Reconstruction Therapy, though he wasn't sure if it would Fully work...

For other Cultivators, they had an 87% chance of dying or getting crippled during this procedure - but him? No he just needed to use the tech and perform the Therapy by himself.

Only the inner Rings had such Powerful Bio Tech, as for the CORE- well it was completely blockaded and secure.

Even then, this plan was extremely difficult due to several requirements and even more unstable factors that could derail everything - still it was the only way he could try to get rid off this hidden danger- so going to the Inner Rings was the only choice... For now.

Aavesh now waited patiently and decided to meditate until Khorramzadeh released him- he wasn't going to die because of the pact but he needed to somehow 'survive' through Khorramzadeh's Surprise, meaning he needed to keep his sanity, lest he die internally upon which Khorramzadeh would win.

Days later...

Suddenly wailing sounds of people getting tortured and butchered suddenly entered his sensitive ears, like a sonic grenade blast!

Voices of men, women and children entered his ears- shocking him...

He didn't know what to do here- he was imprisoned here and couldn't do anything, even his mental power was sealed so he couldn't even prove outside of his Cocoon imprisonment.

He could only hear the despair and torment helplessly - he was unable to do anything.

It went on for days and days, torturing him psychologically for who knew how long, he couldn't tell if it was real or fake, should he shut them off or should he stand witness to the atrocities, it was already a bit too much to be unable to do anything.

What should he do now?

Khorramzadeh trying to break his sanity...

He sighed and then tried to seal his hearing, which to his disbelief was simply not happening - it was then the reality had sunk into Aavesh- he was not in Absolute control of his body, it was this time that voices disappeared and terror slowly grew in his heart.

Because he could not find how Khorramzadeh was doing this - Khorramzadeh had shown him time and time again that he could control him on a whim.

So what now?

Aavesh really felt unsettled.

* Stab

From our of nowhere Aavesh felt a Needle Stab into the Top of his Skull and he fainted.

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What is it like to have an extremely dark nightmare?

What scenarios can you imagine?

Imagine you are a Enhanced Superhero- you have everything going good in your life, you are not a bad person at all, but all of a sudden your girlfriend decides to break up with you because her love for you had faded away-

But instead of moving on you begin to obsess so much it takes a toll on your mental health, your world turned upside down, slowly you decay, lose your reputation, lose your friends, lose the respect and dignity you had for yourself - you become a hateful thing, stuck where you are but unable to move on.

In the end you fade away into obscurity and loneliness, dying an ignoble death, remembered by none.

Now Aavesh was forcibly dragged into these illusions- his memories seemingly suppressed and as he swam in the unending dreams of bitter obscurity and forced to obsess over someone who isn't even real.

All the while Khorramzadeh watched these countless lives while eating popcorn, like watching a Drama Vid, at the same time a Data Tablet which floated by his side, was showing multiple notifications -

----'Compatibility for Semi Divine Integration increased by 1%'----

----' Specimen will reach threshold requirements in 21 Earth Sub -Cycles( Hours), Recommendation - Increase Soul Simulation Intensity, Infernal Transition success rate is at 51.78221% '----

" He should be more susceptible to the effects, give him 3 Vials- his body should be saturated - remember not to kill him, we need to know how effective this Vial is and then any Adhi will be just be transformed with a snap of my fingers", He then gazed at the tormented Aavesh as if he was a priceless object.

----"Acknowledged"----, A grim robotic voice replied from the Tablet as the intensity of Aavesh's nightmare lives only increased.

Aavesh spasmed violently in the cocoon as he kept experiencing realities that seemed to just lead to pain, loneliness and ultimate despair - over, over and over again.

As Khorramzadeh observed his torment with a satisfied smile, he then looked through Aavesh's information on another data pad.

" Well well what do we have here- interesting, he doesn't have a spirit root but a different kind of root that spews strange energies, his soul is a bit weird, several memories are encrypted by someone stronger than a Demigod atleast..."

"His Augmentations are truly unique- embedded into his DNA, hah! Meaning If my process succeeds, I don't ever have to worry about facing another monster like him in battle "

As he scrolled down, his eyes stopped at the Meridian Data and he spoke out with a hint of curiosity," These Meridians - they are inexplicable, Vaderach! Use pre Augmentation genetic data and clone the boy!", he immediately spoke and an Infernal Imp in the void- left to retrieve the Stored DNA and clone Aavesh.

It should be of no surprise that Khorramzadeh had the genetic Data of all Adhi Clansmen, for he was preparing a permanent solution to the menace.

As for why he was able to directly torment Aavesh despite his so called rules, he crafted a clever pact- a simple pact with an obvious yet ambiguous loophole.

It should be Aavesh's hubris or him underestimating the severity of this oversight when he signed the pact with Khorramzadeh - it wasn't that he had no ill inkling, he thought Khorramzadeh would at most throw him into a life or death situation - not Endlessly torture him.

But it is what it is.

-------------------------------------------------------------

A day later, a dull looking infant boy carried by the imp Vaderach reached Khorramzadeh who was just savouring Aavesh's immense despair.

Khorramzadeh then gazed at the infant boy as the imp then crawled back into it's hiding spot.

Khorramzadeh then with a flick of his fingers- stopped the boy's heartbeat - killing him in an instant as he examined the corpse.

"The Meridians- so it was the Meridian structure that this boy grew- there's something incredible about them- compared to the original the clone is 90% weaker- but I still feel it could reach Demigod Level eventually if it found a suitable Cultivation technique "

"Hmmm but it's not enough - I'll need more ", he gazed at the cocoon with a sly smile and walked over.

"You know what- let's continue this scenario for another day- It will be easier to indoctrinate you as well apart from the 2 nd phase of my surprise, you are the chosen Causality that will give me what I want! What all of Hell wants!"

Meanwhile, Aavesh was still trapped in his illusions...

His current illusion was that of a ruthless Tyrant who killed people indiscriminately - yet wished for the love from his family who coldly reject him as he has kept them in the castle under permanent house arrest.

He couldn't get this, no matter how he prostated and begged but they felt disgusted with him, but they weren't at fault either as they too wished to leave and move on- far away from him.

To curb his loneliness - Aavesh then focused on his feelings to the next person he felt closest to - Lisanna, his personal Assistant.

Lisanna had been by his side since they were kids, she was his closed confidant and she never left him, maybe she was the only one who didn't betray him.

So he wished to seek comfort in her company.

At first she seemed happy with his confession, but then Aavesh the Tyrant could soon see fear evident in her eyes- she lied to him while accepting his confession.

The Tyrant felt a dagger stabbing into his heart and he asked her," You are afraid - I know you never betrayed mebut you are afraid after the moment I professed my feelings to you- tell me what are you hiding Lisanna! Or I will find out -", The Tyrant growled, Lisanna immediately spoke up-

" Forgive me your lord, Please forgive me! I - I ", Lisanna knelt as tears poured out of her eyes.

" You- you already love someone else don't you?!", The Tyrant roared out as Lisanna remained silent with a fearful expression.

" You- you love the Lord Commander! Ah I see that flinch in your eyes- you never could lie to me! Very well The Both of you are dismissed and Get out of my Kingdom! Or I will chop you both down! Get Lost!"

Lisanna immediately left upon the given opportunity, leaving behind the bitterfaced Tyrant.

" How many lives it has been - I tried to do everything right this time, I know my inherent temperament is bad but I didn't think she would actually hate me to this extent"

The Tyrant then went out and butchered few bandit villages for a month before returning back.

Soaked in blood with a depressed gaze, the Tyrant stopped by a nearby river to wash off the grime and muck.

As the Tyrant approached the water- he stared with a depressed and hurt gaze into his reflection cast on the River by the Moonlight.

As he stared in the reflection, the surface suddenly rippled with 9 more reflections standing by his side.

A gaze of surprise entered his eyes, before he shook his head and denied what had happened.

But then, he wondered what was this?

He Gazed again into the River, and then saw the reflection of a child with 3 Eyes, A distinct swirling flames staring back at him.

But this time he didn't deny the child's existence strangely - for some reason he sensed something akin to 'truth' here.

Or rather in all of his lives, the more he gazed at the world- a sense of wrongness was always there and this feeling became sharper and sharper with each life.

This sense, what is it?

'you know what it is ', the child spoke.

The Tyrant stopped breathing momentarily.

" Truth"

"I have begun to see the cursed truth of this world"

" But why?", he asked the child.

" You are a Renegade - you should know why", the child replied back again.

But this time Tyrant Aavesh felt an earsplitting headache,

" Renegade - Renegade- Renegade Aeon", he suddenly muttered.

*BAAAAANGGG

A force pulse rippled out of him.

*Ssssssssssssssssss

The illusory world dissolved like a storm of iridescent must and Aavesh opened his eyes in the cocoon again.

No matter how many illusions he may be put through - it would be useless.

' Truth- that was the core aspect of the Renegade Aeon Mythic Power, To see Truth in all things and seek balance as is the way of the Great Syncretic Design - I really should stop getting into trouble and simply comprehend my Mythic Powers', Aavesh thought with a bit irony in his heart, Illusions should be nothing to him but he was unable to decipher it just because this time the one lying to him was not from Chaos.

An Aeon should be wary of lies from any Alignment!

*Sigh Anyways - it was a good thing he managed to attune himself to this experience, not that it hadn't left wounds- he would have to deal with them later.

Right now survival was a priority!

"Hmmm?", Khorramzadeh suddenly gazed at the cocoon of chains on surprise.

He then waived his hands and chains disappeared to reveal a mangled Aavesh staring back at him, with unsettling eyes.

His black Prosthetic left hand had returned to it's original state, unlike the prison it had become before.

But Aavesh's eyes were the ones with the true difference- a change he had not anticipated.

Yes- his eyes seemed to have gained a rather annoying trait- how could he Khorramzadeh not notice this?

Khorramzadeh smiled calmly and spoke, " That was only the beginning - I hope you can continue to 'survive' Aavesh"

A moment of silence followed as Aavesh didn't reply to this, instead he spoke,

"You did something to my blood Khorramzadeh - you did something to me when I took the burden from Damien- what did you do to me?"

On hearing this Khorramzadeh suddenly burst out laughing," Bah! Hahahahaah- you really are something! Think logically? How could I have made such a Powerful modification to your Augmented Body! How could a lowly Devil like me dare to interfere- Think Aavesh - Don't Disappoint me"

"You know I am not asking that", Aavesh spoke back.

"You awakened this poison within me- Poison that was there before I got Augmented! You put this poison within me, yes but my real question is- why now?!", Aavesh spoke coldly as he stared at Khorramzadeh.

Khorramzadeh chuckled as he shook his head," Do you know how to truly deceive someone?"

"You mix Half Truths with Half Lies and no one knows the better, what are you implying?", Aavesh replied back with a bit of an anxious feeling, like something ominous was about to be known.

"Hah sigh* you already suspect it but don't believe it- It's true, this Blood of Adhi in you, I am a part of it- in other words I am your Blood related Direct Ancestor ", His words sounded like a thunderbolt in Aavesh's ears.

Aavesh gazed at him with widened Eyes as streaks of realization churned in his mind as he muttered," You- The Source was poisoned - we are all poisoned - we had no chance from the start, There's no Adhi that has not inherited your tainted genes!"

Aavesh had become slightly hysterical," You - You raped the Ancestor! You raped her you monster! She couldn't have loved such a monstrous bastard like you- you defiled her! "

From his voice he still couldn't believe it, yet it was true.

But Khorramzadeh's cool voice replied back," Again Yes and No - Akshatra Adhi - your direct Ancestor , I did defiled her but she loved me before I defiled her, I defiled her in the most shocking way possible, after I annhilated her entire bloodline just after she proposed to me, hah at that time she was so devoted and sweet in love! The shock, the horror in her eyes as she saw me butcher her family and seeing the murderer of her clan to defiled her, it was beautiful...- you have no idea the incalculable self HATRED she possessed! Though such things are in the past now! But now in the present Aavesh you have missed something crucial - think what is missing here?"

Aavesh stared at him with even more incomprehensibility, he could barely process the bombshell of the information Khorramzadeh had just dropped on him.

He stood there dazed, unable to reply.

"Tch Tch, you are still a child when it comes to these matters, Aavesh I'll spit it out for you - you disappointing thing"

"You had two dormant Higher Dimensional Bloodlines- an Angelic and an Agathic! But you also inherited the Maledict genes"

" the first reagent, administered to you as a child was Specially crafted by me- It is unknown to people outside of this mansion!"

" I destroyed your Higher Dimensional Bloodlines! But not just that the first Reagent planted a dormant Gene Virus that stimulates the specific Genome you inherited from me- to act when I desire"

"And you woke it up when you accepted that Burden from that wretched protege of mine!"

"don't you feel the slow transformation with that enviable Augmented Blood! I had already won before you could even say ' Mama' "

"heheheheh Aavesh like I said you are the most critical part of my Plans- the Answer to the Causality that's just about to Arrive! Don't disappoint me there...", with that he patted Aavesh's shoulder and calmly walked out of the room as Aavesh could only stare in shock at the revelations.

"Oh dear gods, I - I can see that I was just a cog from the start- Khorramzadeh you didn't lie now- You, what kind of Evil are you?", Aavesh muttered as the painful truths sank in.

What was going to happen next?