Prologue (The Absolute)

The night enveloped the world in a blanket of profound darkness, a vast expanse of jet-black sky stretching endlessly above. The moon, a mere sliver, offered little illumination, casting faint shadows that barely touched the earth. Stars, like distant diamonds, twinkled faintly, their light struggling to pierce the overwhelming blackness.

The air was thick and heavy, carrying a chill that seeped into the bone as the night deepened, the temperature dropped, and a sense of isolation settled over the land. The darkness was not just the absence of light but a presence in itself, oppressive and all-encompassing. It was a darkness that seemed to have weight, pressing down on the world, making every sound muffled.

The stars, once bright, now appeared dimmer, their light barely perceptible against the vastness of the night. The moon, a mere sliver, offered little illumination, casting faint shadows that barely touched the earth. The world was a study in contrasts, the deep blacks of the night sky against the muted grays of the earth below but the night was disturbed by the unrest that filled the air almost in a slow motion.

"The Absolute has gone mad! Run!" A disheveled man shouted, his voice trembling, eyes bloodshot, his throat vibrating and mouth quivering as he sprinted toward a massive red gate, his footsteps drowning in the sea of confusion.

At his front, a group of at least twenty individuals, all seemed to be teenagers, dressed in red robes with matching forehead ribbons, were frantically attempting to open the gate, their eyes different shades of colour but none had brown or dark eyes, their shade ranges from shades of blue to grey but many had blue eyes and only few had grey, some eyes even shone like a clear blue crystal. Sweat streamed down their faces, and their expressions were a mix of fear and desperation. Some were banging on the gate, their cries of horror filling the air, while others sat on the ground, backs against the wall, their eyes empty like they have given up on everything, some were rocking back and forth, mumbling incoherently. The scene was chaotic, a stark contrast to the stillness of the compound.

The teenagers single red forehead ribbons wasn't intact, some ribbons had shifted to their necks, others across their faces, nearly covering their eyes. They appeared frightened, ready to flee, but the red gate seemed determined to keep them confined. Their panic was palpable, their minds clouded by fear.

Only few seemed to be reasoning in trying to open the large iron lock while other were shouting, banging on the gate almost disrupting the only man that seemed to he shouting orders on how to open the gate, desperation could be heard in his voice as he even turned to give a blow to the boy shouting next to him like he was trying to lessen the chaos and noise.

In the midst of the turmoil, one individual broke away from the group, attempting to scale a towering wall that loomed over them, nearly twice the height of the tallest among them. A few noticed and joined him, but instead of assisting one another, they jostled to be the first to climb over, disrupting their already fragile composure. Some yanked at dangling ponytails, hindering others' progress. The wall was smooth, clearly impossible to climb, yet they were desperate to escape. Their disorganization and panic were evident as they scrambled, each focused solely on their own escape.

On a normal situation it would have been something easy for one person to jump over but because they were in a hurry and seemed to be in panic distroying their compostion and they all want to jump at the same time. The man that was shouting orders realised it was useless giving orders so he joined those that were trying to open the lock like it would be better for him to see to the task himself.

Among the crowd stood a man, a few feet behind the others, holding a whip firmly in his hand. With careful inspection, it was evident he was obstructing their escape, striking anyone attempting to scale the wall. His eyes turquoise in colour.

"What are you doing? Sa!" one of them called out, lunging toward him angrily knowing he had to first deal with the obstacle but before he could reach, his head was cleanly severed from his body, the head flew up and hit the ground with a tud, rolling to the ground. The body was slow to repond, still in motion collapsed into a kneeling position, blood spurting from the neck.

The man, Sa, breathed heavily, sweat staining his face. His forehead ribbon remained intact. He turned sharply toward the assailant, eyes widening, holding a sad expression mixed with panic and relieve.

A tall man stood before him, his eyes deep set of ocean blue, he looked much older than them with a long straight white beard that was stained with blood like it was dipped into a cup filled with blood, even with his craze old look anyone could tell he would have been a stunner when he was young. Wielding two swords that had the appearance like an extension of his hands with how well he held it even though anyone could tell he was holding the swords.

The swords glowed black, with hints of red resembling fire, though the black hue dominated almost showing that the person holding the sword was evil. The man wore a long red robe, similar to the others, but his robe shimmered, adorned with golden flower patterns on the lapels, drenched in blood, making it appear formidable. Despite his frail appearance, the determination in his eyes was unmistakable. His white beard, stained red, added to his intimidating presence and he looked like one kick he would fall and die.

"Ugh... ugh..." The man coughed, staggering, his face pale as if on the brink of collapse.

"The Absolute is here!" one of the boy at the gate shrieked. Upon hearing this, the others became more desperate to escape.

"Father, I prevented them from escaping," Sa said, his eyes filled with fascination yet looking empty. "Now it's my turn..." Before he could finish, his head was cut cleanly from his body, rolling to the floor, eyes and mouth wide open in shock as blood started to pool over the severed head.

The Absolute, without a glance at Sa, advanced toward the others. His swords moved swiftly, severing heads with precision. The compound, once filled with screams, fell silent. Only one teenage boy remained, his head intact, gulping and growling in pain since he was cut deep by the throat but his head was still intact. The Absolute approached, placing his sword at the boy's neck, ending his life and restoring silence to the compound.

Taking a deep breath, the Absolute raised his hands in a godly motion, chest rising and falling heavily. The sword he was holding in his left hand fell like he couldn't bother holding it properly, and he began laughing maniacally. After a moment, his laugh seized in an instant, his face serious like he wasn't the one laughing a moment ago and he walked toward one of the two buildings in the compound, stepping over the lifeless bodies without a second glance as he kept breathing hard.

The two buildings were identical, a traditional style of building with curved tiled roof, gracefully upturned eaves, which help in directing rainwater away and creating a beautiful silhouette against the sky. The doors ajar and on one building bodies was littered on the steps and grounds while the other building stood cleanly, sitting on the steps was a boy, no more than five years old. He appeared oddly calm, observing the old man whose robe was stained red. Despite the massacre just yards away, he showed no fear, no tears, no emotion, merely watching in silence.

The Absolute approached the boy, who met his gaze without blinking. Without breaking eye contact, the boy watched as the sword was pointed at his neck, merely five centimeters from his neck.

The Absolute tilted his head, as if contemplating, then lowered his sword. "I should try again," he muttered to himself. "Come." He motioned, and the boy stood up at once, he followed closely as they entered the building.

Inside, at the corner of the room, sat a woman, unmoving like a corpse but very much alive, just like the boy. She wore an extravagant green robe, her hair neatly styled with golden pins, her expression impassive and she was beautiful. The three of them were the only living beings in the compound.

The Absolute stood before the woman, his expression unreadable. The boy stood silently by his side, eyes wide, taking in the scene. The woman remained still, her gaze fixed ahead, as if awaiting something. The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the faint sounds of the wind outside.

The Absolute finally spoke, his voice low and measured. "You should live" he said, his eyes never leaving the woman.

The woman nodded slightly, acknowledging his words but offering no response, they all knew they were leaving the past and stepping into the future.