RELICS

Chapter 2 : The Collectors

As Panagea slowly turned to dust, we watched. We waited. We hoped. Prayed to the old world. Soon we realized that the only way we could beat Akuno was to enhance our selves. Be better. Follow the footsteps of Akuno. The only way we could beat him, was to be a being like him.

All that our predecessors could do was to meditate. Mind over body. Absolute control of the mind. Slowly as the years passed, we evolved. Sharper minds, Quicker reflexes. Instantaneous problem-solving abilities.

Hector Roman, the great,great,great-grandson of the Head-councilman was the first of the collectors. He established the society so we could collect the relics and preserve them, In doing so, preserve Panagea before Akuno could get his hands over them.

Yet it soon became evident, that not all pangeans were bestowed with higher abilities. They were only a few of them, born into random families. Some were trained. Made into collectors, and then there were the others. The ones who were born to be collectors.

This led to the existence of the Academy. Trainees were trained only by the finest collectors for almost all their adolescence. Most trainees were taken from their homes and lived most of the year in the Academy.

A few years after the Academy began, around the time Akuno finally acquired the Sword of Zlatan, It had been mutually decided by all superiors that quality was better than quantity. They needed better, smarter, more efficient collectors.

Thus Enigma, the head scientist created the final test. A simulation of Sorts. The simulation was based on the assumed location of the two known relics. The palace of Akuno and Koryo's cave.

The location of the last 7 relics had never been disclosed. The old world had hidden the relics extremely well. There were only a few rumours floating around about their location. This was a game of luck and chance and we collectors were up against None other than Akuno himself.

Akuno was one of the last of the Old ones.  Akuno's family wished to bring about a 'new order'. An order without concern for life. An era where the Akuno family was Supreme.  A few Old ones hid away the relics in obscure locations, away from Akuno's fore-fathers.

Enigma's Story was a sad one. He and Akuno were the best of friends. The pair of them were the first among the evolved being. They got along famously, like a house on fire until one day, they did not.

When they formed their friendship, they did not realize that it was a forbidden one.

Akuno's family was power hungry. They craved the relics' power.

Enigma's on the other hand, were intellectuals. Hence something as simple as difference in opinions destroyed years worth of friendship.

As the years passed, after Akuno wrecked havoc in Pangea and the Academy was formed, Enigma finally stepped forward. He was the only one who had been in Akuno's castle and come out alive. He felt guilty of having a hand in the creation of the maze. In his defense, he had only helped Akuno as it was meant to sharpen their thinking. He had no idea that it would be used for something so malicious. Thus, the simulation was born.

Nevertheless ,no-one had ever beaten the simulation in the last 6 centuries. The simulation assessed us on the basis of our technique, precision, time, efficiency and much more. Only the top 5 scorers would be officiated into collectors. The rest just went back into training only to face a more advanced simulation the coming year.

And so, The final test. That is what I happened to find myself in on this beautiful day. Trapped in Akuno's castle, minus the Sword of Zlatan, with an endless maze to decipher.

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So you guys have been introduced to the history of the collectors. The drama is yet to begin xD.

Once again, Thank you for giving Relics a read. I love ya'll to the moon and back. (Cliche, I know.)

                          - Yours Truly, Lilempress