Cyber Chronicles 2: Prime Voyage

Chapter 6: Present

Lincoln and Edgar made their way to the porters, a sense of relief washing over him as he thought of the comfortable bed awaiting him. After a long day of training, he couldn't wait to unwind and soak in the luxurious surroundings of his hotel.

Accompanied by Edgar, who was still grumbling about his battle with Cresent, Lincoln stepped into a porter. He bid the talkative time manipulator goodnight and, after a brief thought of his room's location, was transported to his quarters in the blink of an eye.

The room sprang to life as soon as he entered, responding to his presence. Lincoln removed his shirt and collapsed onto the couch, letting out a deep sigh. Reflecting on the day's events, he realized it had mainly consisted of intense training sessions and the clash between Cresent and Edgar. The diverse array of abilities he had witnessed amazed him, and he felt fortunate to have the opportunity to train with such skilled individuals.

His thoughts then turned to Naomi and their child. He pondered what they might be doing and couldn't shake off a sense of guilt for not being present enough in their lives. He rarely spent time with them, and his son especially suffered from his absence. In a year's time, his son would be starting school, and Lincoln feared that he would be deeply entrenched in issues both on Alvanian and Earth. He fervently hoped that would not be the case.

As he lay there, ominous thoughts about what would happen if he were to die plagued him. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and engaged his second vision. He observed that most of his green life energy had shifted to a light blue hue, indicating that the charge was gradually overtaking it. It was only a matter of time before it consumed him entirely. What would happen then? Would he die? Any entity without life energy was considered dead. Would his remaining energy simply dissipate into the atmosphere? Either way, this was a warning not to overexert himself.

Lincoln was reminded of his last conversation with ModCytron, during which he was informed that a cure for his condition existed, but no further details were provided.

He had chosen to keep Edgar in the dark about the situation.

Monitoring Edgar's life energy, Lincoln noticed that it was not being consumed as rapidly as his own, likely due to the disparity in their power levels. It was understandable that Lincoln's ability required greater exertion, resulting in more severe side effects.

"I came here to relieve stress, not ponder on these problems," Lincoln sighed, standing up and entering his bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he discarded his clothes on the bed and entered the bathroom, surrounded by the warm mist. Lincoln was already accustomed to the shower automatically activating at the mere thought of it.

The warmth on his skin was a comforting reminder of home. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and inhaling the sweet, familiar scent of the steam. Although he knew magic was responsible for all this, he still wanted to relish it. Stepping under the hot shower, he let the water run down his body and back, feeling the tension in his shoulders slowly dissipate and his breathing becoming deeper. He stood there for several minutes, letting the heat from the shower and the warm water erase his worries.

However, this peaceful moment was short-lived as he received a telepathic notification that Aytrex was at his doorstep. Sighing, he left the shower and went into his room. Footsteps could be heard entering the living room as Lincoln got dressed and went out of his room.

"I had a hunch you'd show up," Lincoln said, walking towards the couch.

"I've got a lot to share with you," Aytrex replied, settling comfortably on the plush cushions.

"What's the news?" Lincoln inquired with interest.

"We've uncovered the reason why the Tyrants have descended upon Earth, or at least we believe so," Aytrex began to explain. Lincoln turned his attention to Aytrex, gesturing for him to continue. "They're searching for something called Prime Shards, ancient relics left behind by our ancestral species," Aytrex revealed.

"The Titans?" Lincoln queried. Aytrex looked slightly taken aback, his orange hair glowing in the light of the city as seen through the window.

"You're familiar with them?"

Lincoln nodded. "Aren't they worshipped all over? I've seen quite a few temples around."

"A few? There's only one in each city, though... wait... Did you do any touring?" Aytrex asked, and Lincoln shrugged. "Couldn't help it."

Aytrex chuckled. "With a power like yours, mobility is effortless, isn't it?"

"Mobility is your specialty," Lincoln countered.

"But it's not as thrilling as being able to jump around with energy," Aytrex replied. "And regarding your previous question, no, not everyone worships the Titans. Alvans, just like humans, have differing beliefs. Some believe that a god created the Titans, some believe the Titans were gods themselves, and others hold entirely different views," Aytrex explained, sighing slightly. Despite being on an entirely different planet, there were times when Lincoln still couldn't believe his surroundings. He felt like he was in an unfamiliar country, and he still had much to get accustomed to.

"I won't go over the whole Titan story; you can explore it yourself," Aytrex stated, to which Lincoln nodded. "However, I'll give you the short version. One Titan among all Titans is selected as the king, and their reign would go on for at least five hundred years," the Alvan messenger started.

Lincoln listened intently, intrigued by the history and the power behind the Prime Shards. "So why are the Tyrants looking for them now?" he asked.

Aytrex leaned forward, his tone becoming serious. "The Kings had many special abilities; to this date, only some are known. The king reigning during the last years of the Titans, Orion, sealed away all his spiritual possessions. One of them is the Core Emerald, which he first broke into exactly seventeen pieces before scattering them all over the universe," Aytrex explained.

"The Prime Shards?" asked Lincoln, to which Aytrex nodded and added, "The Core Emerald has the power to transform compatible planets into another Alvanian, but using this power is forbidden. Even the Kings have never done it."

"And now the Tyrants want this power," Lincoln concluded. Aytrex nodded.

"Alvanian is dying. All over the world, we have either floating islands for the ones that can manage it or cities similar to your Imperial City, except the bottom half isn't being used," Aytrex said. Lincoln noticed different colors of light suddenly flashing from outside the window but didn't want to appear distracted.

"Why is that?" he asked quickly.

"The core is overheating. Your whole body can vaporize in an instant if you get within twenty meters of the ground. This increases by at least ten or a hundred centimeters every day," Aytrex explained.

"What the hell..." Lincoln sounded.

"Earth is thought to be a potential location for one or two shards," Aytrex informed Lincoln.

"How many shards do the Guardians have in their possession?" Lincoln asked.

"Currently, we have eight," Aytrex replied with a sigh. "However, our sources indicate that the Tyrants have four, but there's no telling for certain. It's possible that they may have the remaining nine and are looking for the ones we have."

"So it's a blind race," Lincoln remarked, to which Aytrex nodded in agreement.

The silence was brief before Aytrex yelled, "Look out!"

Lincoln quickly dodged to avoid the incoming danger and felt a rush of heat and a jolt of energy pass by his neck. He made a dash for the glass walls of the room, seeking to escape the building. He harnessed his body with crimson energy and leapt out, cross-armed, with force enough to shatter the glass, and dove down to the crowded city streets.