Factory Reset: Divine Corruption

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One: Interrupted Practice

Mason sighed deeply, his half-closed eyes staring at the box in front of him. He recognized it as a lantern ring, one of the few comic-book items that Axel actually managed to make into reality, though it used Boson Energy instead of emotional energy.

Both used Hard-Light though, so that was something.

Mason held out his hand, excusing his sister to go on and play in the park. Marissa followed along too, not wanting to interfere, and Cotton was following Hannah. The two were left alone in the park.

Ja'Kle handed over the device to Mason, who palmed it gently. He pressed his fingers against the two sides of the box, and it let off a soft hiss. The box folded away into a small cube, leaving the center, and what was inside the box, exposed.

"A white lantern ring, how special Axel." Mason commented gently, using his pointer and middle finger to grasp the ring and take it out of its confines. He held it up to the light, the gleaming silver material burning brightly.

Mason tucked the container into his pocket, before bringing the ring back to eye level. He glanced at Ja'Kle, "Do you know what this is?" He asked, and Ja'Kle shook his head. Hell, he hadn't even seen a box like the one the ring was contained in, much less the ring itself.

"It's a prototype, so I guess it can't be helped. Marissa over there leads Heaven's Gate, a group that instead of utilizing Boson Energy, utilizes this. 'Lantern' rings." Mason explained, slipping the ring onto his pointer finger.

He gripped his hand into a fist, and closed his eyes. He let a little pressure off his fist, and a small dagger was conjured in his hand. It was glowing white, but it was well defined, and it felt like the real deal. It was as heavy as the real one too.

Ja'Kle felt a sense of awe rush over to him, "This can create anything you think of, it can even rewrite certain aspects of our reality. It is Boson Generated, after all." Mason breathed out, slipping the ring off, and destroying the dagger construct.

He held the ring daintily in his hand, holding it out for Ja'Kle to take it, "I can only guess why she gave this to you, and I assume you've talked to her. So, I guess I don't really have a say in the matter. I guess I can."

Mason turned around and continued walking as Ja'Kle slipped the ring on, "Come on, I'm not going to train you on how to fight a fair opponent. If anything, this is just a waste of time. But, we need a waste of time right now, so..." Mason waved his hand, somewhat upsetting Ja'Kle, though the other didn't show it.

Ja'Kle chased after him, the ring feeling immensely heavy against his finger. It felt weird referring to a ring as a weapon for self-defense, but it appeared so. Ja'Kle eventually caught up with him, in the center of the park.

The area was beautiful, but it was silent apart from the wind and Hannah's childlike glee. Marissa sat down by a rock-bench, overlooking a large area of plain grass and some flowers. There were no playgrounds here, as not a single child besides Hannah was on the planet.

Robots can't exactly reproduce. And although Protogens do have baby forms, it wasn't like they could exist outside their birthing pods.

Mason cracked his knuckles, getting a little antsy. His mind was still thinking back to his nightmare, though he did feel substantially better about it now. He gestured for Ja'Kle to follow him into the fields.

Once they reached the middle, Mason called for him to stay on one side, while he went to another. Ja'Kle was feeling a sort of rush of excitement course through his body. Though, a sense of dread also went through his body.