Transcendence-3

"It seems something is happening to your boyfriend over there," Jayde taunted, trying to distract Maya. She turned, her eyes glinting with opportunity. Jayde flashed forward, his sword aiming for her head. Maya's instincts were good, and she skidded backward just in time.

Seeing her fall for his trap, a sinister smile etched itself onto Jayde's face as he proceeded forward, brandishing his sword upwards. Maya took the only option available to her, letting herself fall into the cold earth. Quickly twisting at an odd angle, Jayde diverted his strike, aiming to slice her in half. But something interfered, and all he saw was black.

….......

Leo caught Maya, swiftly smashing Jayde in the face and rendering him ineffective. Maya lay in Leo's arms, stunned by the changes that had happened to him. His skin was a lustrous light that gleamed with perfection. Beneath the surface, runes pulsed with power.

His sparkling, gleaming irises shone a lustrous purple light, carrying an abyssal air. His hair, long and gleaming royal silver, each strand pulsing as though veins of power coursed through them. He radiated an aura of strength and otherworldly energy that was impossible to ignore.

Every part of his being seemed to exude an intense, almost ethereal presence. His muscles were defined and seemed to hold immense power within them, his entire form glowing with a subdued yet potent energy. The transformation was both awe-inspiring and slightly terrifying, as if Leo had become a being of pure energy and power.

….......….

Leo, however, was stunned by Maya's beauty. He had seen her before, but because he was scared of her perception, he had lowered his inner sight to its minimum, making it quite blurry. But as he looked at her now, he was captivated by her captivating green irises, beneath which lay faint runes that pulsed lightly.

Her hair was cut, revealing her neck, which gleamed with a faint light that pulsed softly. Leo was entranced. Jayde, however, was not as mesmerized. He quickly came back to his senses and struck, his sharp thrust carrying his onyx blade to Leo's neck.

….......….

CLANG! His sharp blade landed upon Leo's skin, but it was quickly rebounded. Flickering runes faded as Jayde was rebounded backward. Leo simply looked at Jayde, who had attacked him. Jayde was thrown into the air slightly because of the rebound. Then Leo followed with a resounding slap.

Jayde felt embarrassed as he was thrown into the air, and then he saw Leo raising his arm. He saw a blur, and that was it—the pure BLACK! That was all that lay before him.

 After rendering the attacker ineffective for good this time, Leo helped Maya up, commenting, "It seems your ascent was successful."

Her eyes flickered with guilt as she looked at him. "It was all thanks to you, after all." Pausing for a brief moment, she said in an apologetic voice, "Listen, Leo, I'm so- " "No need to apologize. I was planning on choosing the gene core. If anything, I should be thanking you. As you can see, my body went under some miraculous changes."

Leo decided to lie so that Maya wouldn't feel bad. After all, it could be said that she had paid him back already by watching over him till now. He wanted to play dumb about the fact that he had entered the tenth plane. This way, he could know if humans knew of the term "progenitor."

Looking at Leo, Maya could faintly feel the oppression from his aura. It was Leo's progenitor aura. The file which Singh carried out the experiments on Leo was named File.0001, and the file he started the other human-made god project with was named File.008.

So, plainly saying, he was the first made god in existence. He was marked with his Adam Rune, which bore itself on his soul. Before, he couldn't manifest the rune on his body because of his dimension, but after metamorphosis, there it lay etched upon his head, a primordial crown that shone crimson light as its outer edge shimmered with a face of black flickering like shadows.

The made gods are the evolved shells of humans, resetting their race. Aether humans they were known as—beings enhanced beyond the norms. So right now, a progenitor lay before her eyes.

Sensing the disturbance, Leo absorbed the rune back in, but clearly, he couldn't control it properly, evident by the soft flickering of the rune on his head. By the time Maya regained herself, she was just moments away from bowing.

Thank goodness he suppressed whatever that aura was, sparing her from the shame of bowing towards him. "I'll leave the guy to you while I go stabilize my state," he suggested.

Subconsciously, she had already started nodding, his aura still taking effect on her. He quickly turned around and vanished into the forest, leaving Maya to process what had just happened.

As she stood there, trying to regain her composure, she couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. She was grateful to Leo for saving her, but at the same time, she was intimidated by his newfound power. The aura he emitted was unlike anything she had ever felt before, and it made her feel small and insignificant.

Shaking off the feeling, Maya turned her attention to Jayde, who was still lying unconscious on the ground. She bound his hands and feet with energy threads, ensuring he wouldn't escape when he woke up.

With Jayde secured, Maya found a spot nearby to meditate and stabilize her state. She knew that her recent ascension required careful attention to fully harness the new power she had gained. As she closed her eyes and began to focus, she felt the energy within her pulse and flow, aligning with her newfound abilities.

In the distance, Leo was deep in concentration, examining the changes in his body. The runes that glowed beneath his skin, the strength that coursed through his muscles, and the connection to the tenth plane all spoke of a transformation beyond his wildest dreams. He needed to understand and control this power if he was to protect those he cared about and face the challenges ahead.

As both Maya and Leo worked on stabilizing their states, an uneasy calm settled over the forest. The battle had left scars on the land, but it also marked the beginning of a new chapter for the two warriors. They were no longer the same individuals who had ventured into this realm; they had emerged stronger, wiser, and more determined than ever.

The question was, what lay ahead for them? Would they be able to work together to overcome the challenges that awaited them, or would their differences drive them apart? Only time would tell, but one thing was certain - their journey was far from over.