CHAPTER 43: AKWAN: PRINCE OF -------

"Can the universe be infinite? Is there more out there that is still yet to be explored?"

Akwan’s voice echoed among silent stars and violet nebulae overhead.

"Eight. The symbol of infinity, the constant flow of energy and power. Material wealth and the thriving moment of success. A holy number beyond the perfect seven. What could this number signify? I’m curious about it myself..."

Akwan’s hair was once a cascade of blonde and white. It faded to gray, then deepened into midnight black. His golden eyes changed to stormy violet. A blue halo shimmered above his head as he drifted among the stars.

"Are you sure this will work?" A distant, shrilled voice from somewhere among the gathering interrupted Akwan’s vigil, pulling his focus from gazing at the stars above.

"I am positive. We halt at nothing. Only to fulfill the Princess’s deepest wishes," he replied.

"For the Prism of Creation! Hear ye, the words of truth. The Prince shall awaken from its cocoon, and all Creators shall pursue him."

A torrent of disturbances surged through Akwan’s mind. Yet, undeterred, he pressed on—his words echoing within the fragile bubble.

"Infinity. Endless and boundless. Who am I? Why do I struggle between two forms? Do we matter in the grand scheme? Was I once Gincad’s past, or is this simply the present?" he said, his dark hair flowing.

Adrift in a labyrinth of questions, he collapsed onto the mirrored floor. Confusion swirled within him, and bizarre creatures watched with eyes full of luminous awe.

"Behold, The Prince of Creation."

"In all his mighty glory!"

"Is there a limit past perfection? Did I have a life I don’t remember? Why did I follow them? Was I their enemy? I may never know."

He floated as if untethered, his robes melting into midnight and deep blue. The gold in his eyes ignited into living violet, pulsing with energy. As he watched strange, contorted beings wander the cosmic wilds, a memory flickered to life within him.

He glimpsed a tall man with dark hair and violet eyes embracing a woman crowned in white. The vision shimmered with secrets, so alluring it could startle even the bravest wanderers. Yet its meaning would remain locked away for now.

Suddenly, luminescent vein-shaped strings coiled around him like a snake. They stretched as he closed his eyes. His palms formed stars, and he questioned if this was a dream.

"I feel connected to someone," he said. "My blood is not red or dust—so who am I? Why was I made with no purpose? What is my purpose?"

He shut his eyes and opened his palms, creating stars, wondering if this was a dream or reality.

"Was I the son of someone? Am I part of a family?"

Black mist curled around Akwan. It felt as if the universe rested in his hands. Luminous orbs scattered and painted the night. Akwan muttered in contemplation.

"Let’s sing the symphony of creation!"

"Hear ye, the Prince has awakened!"

Akwan’s thoughts spiraled into the cosmic void, searching for meaning amid the hush.

"Size is blinded when it isn’t known." He held himself tightly, two strands of dark hair growing from his bangs.

Just before Akwan was swallowed by radiant light,

"He shall SHATTER out of his cocoon and bloom like a beautiful butterfly!"

"Without balance, existence is utterly meaningless."

. . .

(SHAKE)

At that moment, a new urgency cut through the chaos. Telos turned to the wanderers, his voice urgent. "We don’t have much time. We need to get out of here... now!"

"But why? I thought..."

"Because the Ending’s gallants are coming. I sense it. Not just that..." His voice shook. "But a transformed Akwan."

The chamber convulsed with tremors, as if the ground threatened to rip apart beneath them.

"AH, yes! Savor the sweet, delicious success of our creation. Akwan Puer Creatonis, arise out of your shell and slay these wicked pests."

As the group scrambled to escape, Telos and the others sensed a strange sense of familiarity settling in. Two gallants thundered down ancient halls, metal boots scraping stone. Spotting the transformed Akwan, Telos hesitated, then found his voice.

"It’s no use. Disregard what I have said," he muttered, closing his eyes with fear and guilt weighing down his body.

"She harnesses. Drastic amounts of power. This being... The Princess, not even the entirety of this world, could match her power. I took an oath not to flee from situations such as this millennia ago. But see... I can’t simply counter or even do any damage to The Princess."

Aletha’s eyes widened. "She’s that strong?" she replied.

"Yes. Akwan, too," Telos affirmed. "And she is coming our way. Quick, up this hole. Stay as far you can away from The Princess as you can."

Telos exhaled as heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor. The Princess emerged, magenta eyes burning through the shadow.

"Please, protect yourselves. You will soon understand what I said, the more you wander your world," Telos intoned, his voice heavy with resignation. "Someday.... I will find you two, and I will explain everything."

He opened his eyes and raised his voice.

"Now leave! Both of you."

The Gallant swung at Telos, who propelled the wanderers to safety and struck with his blade. Though unable to attack the Princess, he could counter the gallants, wounding one with violet blood.

He staggered back in fear, shoving the gallant away from his blade.

"No."

Telos jolted and pushed the wanderers away, causing a wall to collapse and separating them from the imminent threat as chaos churned through the chamber.

After the last rock sealed on them, Telos stood firmly in front of The Princess. He painfully used most of his magic to form a solid, transparent black shield. It deflected the attack.

"Argh."

Suddenly, a magenta light struck him like lightning, slowly disintegrating part of his armor. An excruciating pain blistered his arm as he saw Asahi and Aletha successfully escape the ruins, watching from above.

The wanderers tried to help, but they knew they were powerless against The Princess. Helpless, they cowered in fear as The Princess tried to shatter the barrier.

Even with all the magic and mana he used, it still wasn’t enough to fully stop The Princess. She quickly blasted a lethal pulse of corrupted energy and lightning bolts toward the barrier. They shattered it then and there.

However, just as the barrier was about to shatter, a bright blue luminance shone behind Telos, and he felt his mana increase in drastic amounts.

At the center of the commotion, a tall young man with dark hair and violet eyes appeared from below. Angel wings fluttered in the air—Akwan, transformed. The wanderers fell into confusion upon seeing this new form.

"Akwan?"

He gave a faint smile, consistently blocking The Princess’s lightning strikes.

"It feels like ages since we met," he greeted. "Please, stay back. You too, Telos."

A distant voice echoed from the halls in a distorted and warped tone.

"Behold, the Prince has arisen from his cocoon too... wait." The voice paused as if thinking. "The butterfly... The Prince. Should be on OUR side."

Telos, after holding onto the barrier, spoke...

"I can’t believe it. I never thought Akwan would settle his true form," Telos said, wiping dust off his face. "The Blessed Angel from the heavens. The butterfly. The Prince is on our side. I thought we lost you."

"Huh, what are you saying, Telos?"

As the battle raged in the hallways, with the butterfly blocking the flower in a dazzling clash, Telos began to speak.

"Akwan is in his truest form. He is the only counter to the Princess. Everyone else is nothing but ants compared to the power of her and Akwan."

Asahi and Aletha pushed through the shield, seeing a luminescent blue halo adorned on his head like a crown. Then, a voice sounded out from the hallways with the gallants safely escorting her.

"Ignorant rulers, why can’t you understand?"

The Princess appeared behind the wanderers and Telos, summoning corrupted humanoids called Marchers to protect her. She then unleashed a burst of deflective light beams that shriveled one of Telos’s strands, destroying one of her kind.

But suddenly, memories flickered in his mind.

. . .

"Now now, my little one." He had beautiful dark hair and glowing purple eyes, fondling the dark-haired infant like a ball. "Don’t stray away from me now. You are most beautiful indeed. In my eyes."

. . .

Just as Akwan could grasp reality, the Princess’s giant lavender beam pierced the entire room, forming a massive line carved into the earth.

The chamber erupted; rocks crashed as the city shook. Stalactites tore free, plunging like hail.

As walls crumbled and wanderers, Sadiki and Telos slipped, the ruins unraveled. Vegetation surged, revealing waterfalls and streams amid the chaos.

. . .

"What shall we name this one, dear?" She had beautiful white hair and glowing gray eyes, fondling over the dark-haired infant like a ball as the dark-haired man rubbed his fingers against tiny hands.

"Let’s name him, Akwan."

The woman chuckled, brushing her long locks of glimmering white hair on his face.

"What a beautiful name."

. . .

The memory glimmered in his mind, untethered to any moment, its origin lost in the mists of time.

Telos clutched the hilt of his sword and pointed at The Princess as Akwan fought with the glow. The attacks were ruthless and swift. The attackers seemed frustrated at not being able to hit Akwan. The wanderers saw corrupted, luminescent purple and cyan marks fly like rain. Her magic came from her hand. The Prince cast purple magic orbs through the Princess’s cloak and disintegrated a smidge of her skin.

Pure wrath raged through The Princess’s hidden, violent eyes. His wings twirled high into the air, shining their essence as he clasped them together, discharging a blue blast of pure power.

As the shockwave blasted everything in its path, approaching The Princess, she gave a wicked smile and faintly whispered.

"Even the perfect... can make mistakes."

With just one whistle of command on her lips.

His violet eyes widened, and he felt an overwhelming sense of dread coursing through his inhuman mind. An immense feeling of worry, fear, and desperation filled him. He was supposed to defeat him, but then...

Before Akwan could finish his sentence, one eerily quiet whisper was drawn from The Princess’ pale lips.

"Erase."

. . .

Before anything else was made, Akwan’s very existence vanished into thin air.