CHAPTER 9

A searing pain shot through his chest as Daburin pressed the stone bead into the raw cavity, the wound carved deep into Matrix's flesh.

Daburin then laid his hand upon it, bathing the bead with a soft, emerald glow. Flesh knit together, the edges of the wound fusing, the pain receding until Matrix was whole once more.

A few seconds of heavy silence stretched between them before Daburin erupted in a sudden, unsettling chuckle.

"The funniest part of all is that you might have even used it," he said, the words punctuated by cackles. "Fate is such a messy affair."

Matrix, his brow furrowed in confusion, replied, "Used what? You didn't even tell me what you put in my chest."

"Don't fret. You'll know in the future… or is it the past?" Daburin said, dissolving into a fit of giggles.

Then, as suddenly as it had come, his smile withered, leaving his face as gaunt and desolate as a starved flower.

"Alright. I have important things to tell you." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Your father entrusted me with information, to be relayed to you when the time was right. I can't imagine a better time than this, Mubarion. You're a king now, and I was pleased to see you heed my advice, keeping the Oblivion count low. It makes this war that much easier. But it wouldn't do to plunge into battle without knowing how it all began. It all started when…"

Matrix emerged from the underground chamber to find his companions—no, cohort, he corrected himself—in a relaxed state. Se'mudara reclined, a drink in her hand, her eyes closed. It was the first time Matrix had ever seen her drink, well anything.

Gods didn't survive on food in the human sense, but on essence.

The universe pulsed with essence, though not in readily usable concentrations. Beings absorbed and stored it in more potent forms, what mortals called energy. So does plants and basically any living thing.

However, the essence derived from plants, meat, or drink couldn't compare to the raw power harvested by slaying and absorbing from another god. Reason being , a god's natural absorption rate directly from the universe was far greater than any sustenance could provide. Most gods ate and drank only for pleasure, otherwise they could survive for millennia without food or water.

"We have to leave," Matrix's voice boomed through the chamber.

The Oracle, now clad in azure armor that mirrored her hair, stood up from within a golden sarcophagus. She looked refreshed, almost revitalized. "So soon? You're such a fun spoiler," she complained.

"We have no time. And why were you in a coffin, anyway?" Matrix asked, his curiosity piqued.

"This isn't just any sarcophagus. It regenerates essence twice as fast. Awwa made it."

"Makes sense, for a shapeshifter."

"Yes, and can we take Awwa with us? He can make just about anything. This drink is really good," Se'mudara chimed in.

Matrix turned his gaze to his uncle, a flicker of worry crossing Daburin's face. Matrix knew who had requested the sarcophagus, and what it was intended for.

Daburin met Matrix's eyes and offered a wry smile.

"Don't worry, your uncle isn't dying anytime soon. But just in case death comes knocking, I don't want you to come back and meet an ugly statue instead." He flashed another smile, and this one felt strangely reassuring.

"Alright then. Can I take Awwa with me? I have an assignment for him."

"No problem."

Matrix and his newly assembled cohort stood on a desolate, arid expanse, not unlike the place where they had retrieved the Oracle. The crystalline sand shimmered beneath a scorching sun, the air scalding, even for gods.

The sprawling sea of sand was marred only by a massive shape in the distance.

"What's that?" Se'mudara asked. The Oracle, equally perplexed, replied, "I have no idea. A dune, perhaps?"

"Uhm… but why is the dune breathing?" Awwa asked, his already squinted eyes narrowing to slits.

"That is no dune. It's a Giant." Matrix's voice was low.

"Awwa, the last of its kind, just like you."

"Aren't the Giants supposed to be extinct?"

"Indeed," Matrix said, a pause hanging in the air. "But there is only this one left. Tell me, Se'mudara, have you ever wondered why your mother was the only angel before you? Have you ever considered whether there were more of your kind? There are secrets hidden in the crannies of this universe, secrets that even I, the supposed king, know nothing about."

Se'mudara shuddered, though the world considered her a goddess, she was keenly aware of her differences.

He's right.

Se'mudara glanced at Matrix's steadfast figure, his silhouette etched onto the floor by the shafts of sunlight. His shadow seemed deeper than ever. As an angel of light, a sudden epiphany washed over her.

She exchanged a quick glance with the Oracle, who seemed to have grasped something as well. A silent understanding passed between them. Both knew that the World King was hiding something. There was no need to voice it aloud.

After a few seconds of charged silence, Matrix spoke. "Wait here. I'll be back."

And with that, he ascended into the sky.

*

Matrix landed beside the giant, the desert sand clinging to his massive body on all sides, turning him into a facsimile of some oddly misshapen dune.

Matrix retrieved a smooth, silver pin from his pocket dimension and tossed it into the snoring giant's throat. It was a relic his father had kept in the underground chamber, capable of shrinking a giant to human size for a time.

Steadily, the slumbering giant deflated like a punctured balloon under Matrix's weary gaze.

Startled by the change in his body, the giant awoke. His characteristically depressed eyes lit up, and he spotted Matrix, who was walking through the sand that had once been occupied by the giant's massive form.

"I knew you were a giant, World King! I knew I wasn't the only one!" he exclaimed in the language of the giants, a rare smile gracing his face.

Matrix sighed, hesitant about what he was about to do. It seemed the burning desire to find his own kind had warped the giant's mind.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Dejebi, but I miniaturized you. I'm no giant."

The giant's smile withered, and he slumped to the sandy ground, a wave of disappointment washing over him.

"But I do know where you can find one," Matrix continued. As if jolted, the giant straightened up, hope flickering back into his soul.

"But you'll have to help me first," Matrix added.