Chronicles Of The Seeker

A golden light pierced through the old wooden shutters, washing over Aquarius' pale face. He stirred, his lashes fluttering as he slowly rubbed his moonlight-colored eyes.

The ceiling above felt oddly familiar—worn wooden beams stretched overhead, the same as the inn where he had woken up after the Azraelian ship incident. The air carried the scent of aged wood, mixed with faint traces of medicinal herbs.

Beside his bed, two figures sat slumped over, their heads resting on their arms.

'Why the hell did these fools sleep like that?'

Aquarius blinked as his vision adjusted. Their rhythmic breathing was soft, almost peaceful, but their disheveled appearances told the truth—they had been here all night, watching over him.

A warmth spread through his chest.

Even though he had lost everything, he had found something precious: people who refused to leave his side.

But as he sat up, the weight of reality settled upon him.

He still couldn't see any color.

His heart pounded as he reached for his face, as if to confirm his own identity.

Before, the world had felt dull, lifeless—as the symptoms of madness crept into him. But now, instead of the vibrant hues returning, he saw only black and white.

'Why?'

'Was it a side effect of the ritual?'

'Or are the gods punishing me?'

A shaky breath left him as he gripped his head, trying to process the loss.

"Damn it, why am I always so unlucky?"

He forced himself to calm down, shutting his eyes and letting his thoughts drift. No matter how much he pondered, he wouldn't find answers now.

Then, it hit him.

The ritual. The memories. The past.

A broken laugh escaped his lips, tinged with bitterness.

He remembered. Almost everything.

But his conviction—his goals—were also clear.

Letting out a long sigh, he waved his hand, attempting to summon the book he had seen in the astral realm.

His fingers twitched, and with a mere thought, a grimoire of dark leather and silver etchings materialized before him.

Chronicle Journal was boldly inscribed in a strange language across its cover.

The book pulsed with life, its surface shifting as if woven from flowing ink. He had sensed it before, but now, with his mind clearer, he could finally grasp its significance.

It was a paradox—a relic of knowledge and madness, of fear and reverence. And yet, as he traced its cover, it gave him an odd sense of peace.

He smiled.

This book, acquired through his life-and-death struggle against fate itself, was proof of his survival.

Flipping through its pages, his gaze darkened as he paused midway—on the name Noah Abraham.

A chill ran down his spine.

The Church knew.

They had known about Seekers. About the power that came with Ascension.

And, more importantly... they had known about him.

That was the only explanation for their attack.

It hadn't been a random act of cruelty.

It was a preemptive strike.

They had sensed that he was infected and had tried to eliminate him before he could rise.

A bitter taste filled his mouth.

He had survived. But at what cost?

'Just how much is the Church even hiding?'

The thought of an invisible force controlling countless lives made him shiver.

How many more times was he going to be targeted?

How many of his dear ones would be sacrificed?

How was his miserly life supposed to continue—facing not just enemies, but abominations lurking in the shadows, gods pulling the strings, and whatever else lay in wait?

He didn't know.

But one thing was certain: his life was in his hands—no one else's.

The sound of rustling blankets pulled him from his thoughts.

Mikey groaned, shifting in his chair. "Damn, sleeping like that was hell."

Ina stirred as well, her blonde hair a tangled mess as she stretched. When her gaze met Aquarius', her expression softened.

"You're finally up."

Aquarius forced a smile. "Yeah… thanks to you two."

Mikey's voice was still hoarse from sleep. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I said I'm fine." He tried to keep his worries hidden.

Because he knew that for now he was safe, since the pursuers never came looking for him again.

' I can think of their plans and find counter measures when I know more. For now I can only try to face the present '

Mikey stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "If you say so."

" But, why did you guys pick this particular inn".

Ina eyes widened at his strange remark." Isn't it obvious. It is the closest to our district and Katherine's store".

"Oh"

After freshening up, the trio sat together, the conversation shifting to more pressing matters.

"We need to start preparing for our first Chronicle," Ina said. "But before that, we should talk about our experiences with the ritual."

Mikey's face lit up. "Or—karaoke?"

Aquarius raised an eyebrow. "Karaoke?"

Ina chuckled. "It's a good place to talk without being overheard. Besides… it'll be fun."

The suggestion was odd, but at the same time, normalcy was something they needed.

Street 7 – Reinhart District

The heart of entertainment in the city.

Gas lamps lined the streets beside neon signs, casting an anachronistic glow. Gilded shop windows stood alongside theaters and game halls, while mechanical carriages hummed past bustling crowds.

Among the establishments was a karaoke center—housed in a grand building with high ceilings, chandeliers, and velvet curtains.

They entered a room called 45f on the 3rd floor.

Ina turned to Aquarius. "Can you turn it on, please?"

"Turn what on?" he muttered.

"The karaoke machine."

Aquarius stared at the glowing interface.

Mikey smirked. "Aqua, don't tell me you can't even turn this thing on?"

"It's not my fault this world has technology straight out of different eras."

Ina chuckled. "You really are hopeless."

The night was filled with music, laughter, and sometimes teasing.

But soon, the real discussion began.

Seated in the dimly lit room, their voices hushed, they were ready to share their experiences with the ritual.

Mikey exhaled loudly, straightening. "Okay, I'll start first."

"We just need the minimum details," Ina reminded him.

"Yeah, I know."

Aquarius hesitated before speaking. "…I just wanted to say that, I didn't know anything about Kami or Seekers before all this."

There was a brief silence—before Ina and Mikey burst into laughter.

Aquarius frowned. "What's so funny?"

Mikey grinned. "Aqua, that's not a big deal."

Ina's expression softened. "We survived the ship incident together so you do know something about it". Her face darkened. "And plus we all have our personal reasons why we want to break the system. Trust me."

Aquarius felt a weight lift from his chest.

So maybe he had been overthinking things.

***********************

Ina cleared her voice. "Now, about our first Chronicle—"

"Isn't it obvious?" Aquarius interrupted. "The one that started all this."

Mikey nodded. "Yeah. We can't leave debts unsettled."

Ina placed her hands on the table. "I get that, but if we want to survive as Seekers, we need more than just strength. We need people we can trust—a true bond, even through this madness."

She met their gazes.

"Am not trying to recruit you guys or anything, but covens are pretty helpful "

Silence filled the room.

"A Coven?" Aquarius murmured.

Ina nodded. "A group of Seekers who trust each other more than family. Who share knowledge and strength to Ascend together."

" And I thought it through, since luck somehow brought us together, and we even know our individual abilities". She paused." Can't we also form a group that stands as equals, protecting each other's back"

Mikey smirked. "That doesn't sound bad."

Aquarius hesitated. But as he looked at them—the people who had stood by him in his darkest moment. His heart wanted to trust them, even though his mind said otherwise. But he had already made his decision.

A slow smile formed on his lips.

"Alright," he said. "Let's do it."

Ina's face brighten." So as an official coven we can share information related to seekers and Chronicles. We can also clear Chronicles together and in case one of our members has an issue with his sanity the rest will always be there to help".

Aquarius was slightly taken aback by her tone" Why does it sound like there will be more people"

" Of course there will be more people. Covens usually have at least five individuals though it isn't a standard".

Aquarius expression darkened it was already taking all he had to not distrust both Ina and Mikey but adding more to the equation was going to be a little too much. But it was still too soon to tell.

Ina smirked. " To tell the truth I always had a name for when I made a coven.

She paused to let the suspense fill the air.

" What do you guys think of the Legacy Coven".

Mikey let out a laugh.

" Sorry, I wasn't expecting a normal sounding name".

" Wait, I'm not done yet. She paused. " Since Aquarius named himself after a constellation why don't we each pick a name from the 12 constellation signs of zodiac".

" Like how mine is Aquarius, you want to answer something like Leo or Aries".

" Yeah, just like that"

" I think I like the idea, even more than the name of the coven". Mikey paused. " Then anytime we are doing things related to seekers I will be called Sagittarius, since it has a lot to do with my trait".

Mikey then looked at Ina with expectation.

" Umm.. then I will be Leo".

" You were waiting for Mikey to ask weren't you".

Ina just giggled at his remark

" So now what next".

Ina pondered for a moment before answering." I think Katherine will know more than I do".

The both nodded in agreement.

—

A sigh echoed through the empty halls of an ancient castle. Debris of the stone wall scattered around the pristine floors of the acient forgotten city.

A lone figure sat on a throne made of ancient stone. Beside him, stood a young woman with sky blue hair dressed in a bronze armor joined by a black silk material "You seem troubled."

The man exhaled. "I sensed it."

"Sensed what?"

"The birth of a new Error Order."

The woman chuckled. "Isn't that a good thing? Another junior in your order".

The man shook his head. His voice turned grave.

"Error is a path of either submission or death. You know too well that the outers doesn't allow its existence."

He paused and shifted his gaze to the entrance. "You can sense that thing can't you".

The young woman smiled." You mean the mythic fiend lurking outside"

He sighed forming a spear of fractured space in his grasp.

"We need to finish our task and return."

Before them, a monstrous, alien entity loomed, shifting with colors beyond mortal perception and six talon like arms.

"I haven't seen you before big guy"

The woman grinned. "At least we'll get some entertainment first."

" Don't joke like that Melisa". The man in a jet black armor and red cape spoke with a commanding tune. " This mission determines Vale's sanity so be serious, we can't lose another member"

" I know, so stop bugging me"

Melisa stepped forward staring directly at the mythic fiend in front of her, the fiend's power through her eyes was large enough to be equated as two universes combined. Yet the young woman remained unfazed.

A large sword appeared in her hands as she dodged the stingers that flew at her, immediately lunging into the air leaving the floor beneath her shattered by the force of her launch and then proceeded to slice the fiend's arm off with an arc of her two edged sword.

The fiend screamed in rage as it's arms swung towards the direction of the young lady to tear her to shreds but she instantly twisted her body in the opposite direction while throwing the sword in the air.

The fiend's arms smashed a large cathedral by it's side into nothingness.

But still it didn't give her the opportunity to attack again, it shot out spikes from it's body while trying to squeeze her using it's forearm.

But in the next moment she gripped her sword with her left hand, slicing it through the other arm, a sharp surge of fire energy engulfed the arm vibrating the air with heat and the smell of burnt flesh and engulfing the surrounding area with red flames. The split millisecond was all she needed to attack.

She gracefully jumped off her sword that was still tightly inserted in the fiends's burnt arm forming another blade of pure flame energy mid-flight.

She rocketed down towards the body of the abomination, burning all the trees and weeds around and incinerating all the buildings surrounding her. The sword was getting larger each passing moment.

The fiend looked at the tiny woman and her towering sword approaching it and let out poisonous fog. But it was far too late.

The giantific sword pierced it's skull erasing the upper body out of existence, blood splattered round the pristine floor of the throne room leaving behind two enormous feet.

" So how's that, Jacob".

" I'm not in the mood for your jokes, let's just move on".

The young giggled." Ok boss".

Jacob turned back looking at the remaining feet of the mythic fiend and sighed.

" I just hope that kid doesn't suffer too much".

" What did you say boss".

He looked at the young woman covered in blood." Clean yourself before calling me your boss"