Another week had passed, all the while Xenon had still been left wondering, trying to find all the answers for himself. However, yet another issue had been added to the seemingly endless line of questions. About two days ago, during another test, Vexis almost seemed like herself again, she almost refused to cooperate, instead of the obedient, mindless drone they turned her into. Although, Vexis obviously hadn't remained like that, because earlier today -when Xenon saw her last, she was back to the robot personality. What made Vexis revert back so quickly? Little did Xenon realize just how...corrupt this place was.
Layla had explained to them what the plan was for reviving the Nova stream; it would be a gradual process. There were certain areas on Aristaisia where the stream seemed to cluster most, "Gates" as Layla called them. Each of these Gates were buildup points for Nova energy, they acted like portals into the stream.
Vexenesis and Xenon were supposed to visit these Gates, and help pull more of the stream into Aristaisia by using the portals.
Simple, right? Maybe not...
Anyway, today was the day that they would set out towards the first Gate, up near where ancient Ethiamn used to stand.
~
Xenon begrudgingly followed Layla and Vexis down the long walkway, needless to say; he wasn't looking forward to this day. The large metallic door slid open, but not nearly as much sunshine as he would've expected poured in. The sky was gray and cloudy. Again. Big surprise. Layla led them around the side of the gigantic lab building, only the annoying clacking of her ridiculously high-heeled boots could be heard amongst the silence. Xenon was just glad to be outside for once, and a non-simulated 'outside' at that.
Finally they stopped on the other side of the concrete parking lot...thing. Just ahead were a bunch of strange looking androids, all clustered near a single vehicle (which looked like a miniature star ship that you'd find in space, only on a much smaller scale). The robots were all shaped like human beings, but were missing several details such as a face, skin, hair, and gender. They were all made from a bright silver metal, a single glassy looking band of red light replaced where their eyes should be.
"These androids will be accompanying you on your journey, they will fend off any disobedient people in town. After all, being projects of Axion, you're both prime targets for their hatred..." Layla headed over to the group of robots, directing one to step forward from the group. "These are specially designed androids built specifically for combat, they're called the 'O.M.A' series -Offensive Model Android. They are equipped with twice as many weapons as the regular town-patrol series, and are S.S.A.S capable. Any questions?"
Xenon hesitated to say anything at first, but curiosity got the better of him eventually. "Uh...what exactly is this 'S.S.A.S' you speak of? You know, just so I don't accidentally piss one off and have it kill me..."
Layla gave him a look of extreme disapproval, as if she expected him to know all this. Maybe she did? "Strategic Self-Adaptive System. It's a program that allows the android to adapt the use of a weapon to fit the task at hand. Say, for example, the android saw that you use mainly Nova-based attacks, it could adapt one of it's weapons using S.S.A.S to have a much more effective use on you. Like, say, it could make you unable to use Nova energy if it adapted well enough."
Xenon shuddered at the very thought, anything that could adapt itself so easily was just plain frightening. What if -as crazy as it sounds- Xenon had to actually fight against these things someday?
Layla made all of the robots clear out of the way now, she opened up the door to the black mini-ship. Funny, it was made out of the exact same material as the laboratory walls. The inside was exactly like the interior of a car, a very luxurious, roomy car, that is. Vexis immediately took her seat in the very back, Xenon hesitantly followed (only, he chose to be closer to the front -it was too dark and depressing in the back). And then, a few androids shoved their way in. For some reason, Xenon was very uncomfortable with sitting next to a homicidal robot, but why could that possibly be?
Once the door slammed shut, and the ship started to move (with no driver, this thing had an Auto-Pilot function, apparently), everything just seemed to whoosh by unbelievably fast. Just staring out the window made you dizzy. Gray landscapes, gray magnetic tracks beside the gray roads, black industrial buildings (with gray smoke puffing out of the smokestacks), they all sped past and disappeared into oblivion. Wow, this planet was certainly colorful. Not.
A very depressing span of 30 minutes went by, Xenon had already seen enough of Aristaisia. He was sick and tired of this monotone world. Xenon couldn't imagine having to live in grayness for his whole life, but hopefully, he would be able to help fix this. Otherwise, if their attempts completely failed, and all hope was lost, Xenon most likely wouldn't be able to continue existing. Vexenesis, however, could live this way for centuries. But, well, that was because shes basically just a freaking drone in personality.
The ship came to sudden stop, outside of the black-tinted windows could be seen the tall buildings of a city. The magnetic track shifted slightly, and the ship began to move again, only much slower. A sign that they had passed by told them that this was Neo-Ethiamn, the city that only dreamed of being like Ethiamn. Seriously, this Ethiamn was merely a pathetic replica of the original. But to a person like Xenon whom had never seen a real city before, it was just as amazing. Xenon let his mind wander off for the time being.
However, the serenity did not last very long. A sudden blast occurred directly in front of the ship, Xenon, Vexis, and the four androids all jumped to attention at once. Someone was trying to attack them? "What the hell was that!? A bomb?!" Xenon exclaimed in surprise, well that was certainly a way to be greeted.
"Did Layla not warn you of uncooperative civilians? Or are you just that stupid?" Vexis said rather coldly.
One of the androids immediately took action and blasted the roof away and leapt out, god knows where it got that gun from. The other three androids followed. Why didn't they just use the door? Oh well, at least neither Vexis nor Xenon had to pay for it!
Turns out that the ship had completely stopped on that part of the track, great, now they were stuck in the middle of the road. Oh, right, wings, they're there for a reason...just like doors! Imagine the concept! Vexis jumped up through the hole-y roof, and in one powerful surge, was airborne. 'How can she just react like that without wondering about things?' Xenon, well, wondered, then went and did the same.
They both landed gracefully on the sidewalk, just ahead stood a group of people...armed with weapons.
One man in the group had his gun pointed directly at Vexis, ready to shoot at any moment. Vexis just stared at him coldly, unafraid. The man's face showed bitter determination, "You people are to blame for what happened to this planet! And now you try to tell us that these mutant freaks are just going to magically fix the Nova stream!? How do we know these things won't just end up making things worse, like the government's other 'solutions'?!" He shouted out, enraged.
Xenon just waited and listened to the man's ranting, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "Huh?"
Vexis suddenly pounced forward into the crowd, accurate and deadly. Blood lust was visible in her eyes.
16.1.09
8.1.09
The lovely life at Axion, NOT.
((Whee! This is the first post EEVEEEERRR (ever, ha!) in 2009! I never thought I would actually continue this story for more than just a few posts...proves my own brain wrong, I guess! XD ))
~
These past few days had been fairly slow moving for Xenon, all the attention, testing and excitement was for Vexenesis now. Why was he treated any differently? Xenon was as much a part of this project as she was! But to Layla and the other researchers, Vexenesis was the only worthy project. Sure, they did do a few tests with Xenon, and they did explain some things to him, but only about the equivalent of one third of what they were doing for Vexenesis. At least Xenon wasn't completely trash to them. Wow, what an honor.
Things were so vastly different here in the real world compared to the simulation, it almost seemed like they were on a completely separate planet. This Aristaisia was so dark and depressing, from what little Xenon could see outside the window. The skies were always gray and rainy, the ground was pale and relatively grass-less. Thick clouds of black smoke occasionally puffed out of the tall smokestacks of the nearby industrial plants, god knows what they made in there to produce that much pollution. 'What a waste...' Xenon often thought, he hadn't been allowed to see the rest of the planet yet, but he could already tell just how poor of a condition this planet was in. Xenon sat alone in his tiny excuse of a bedroom, it was just barely big enough to contain one chair and one small bed. The walls were all made of the same black metal as the rest of this dreaded place, the only thing that was mildly exciting was the puny circular window up towards the ceiling. Ooh, at least he was given the privilege to see a tiny fraction of the world hes supposed to help save! Vexenesis had it better, Xenon was certain about that.
The automated door slid open, Layla stood in the doorway with Vexis at her side. "Project Xenon, come with us for a moment." Layla instructed, her tone as harsh as ever. Xenon obeyed, moving along with them almost automatically. "It's time you both learn about the situation a bit more." Layla started to speak as they reached the end of the first hallway, and into the next. The walls here in this section almost seemed...alive, in a sense. Little streams of blue light occasionally pulsed through the cracks in between panels of metal, Nova energy. No wonder this place felt like a living being!
"As you've both probably noticed, Aristaisia is in very poor condition as of late. What is the cause of this? Well, to put it in very simple terms, the Nova stream is running almost completely dry on this planet. And it's all because of over-use of the stream." Layla led them into one particular lab room, then stopped by a large monitor on the wall. "Now, the Nova stream normally replenishes itself, at least, on other planets it does. But here in Aristaisia, there have been no signs at all of a regeneration cycle. And without the Nova stream to provide growth and life, Aristaisia will dry up energy and die out. Just like Earth did almost 5,000 years ago." The black screen blinked to life now, it displayed what Earth looked like before it died. Aristaisia was identical to how this photo showed Earth, gray stormy sky, lifeless dirt fields, and many depressed people, all waiting for their deaths. Xenon just stared at the screen solemnly, trying his hardest to understand what those people were feeling at the time. Sorrow? Anguish? No, resignation. These people had given up their hope long ago. Xenon closed his eyes in thought, he couldn't even try to imagine the pain they must have felt.
"And that's where you two come in. Normal humans are naturally born with the ability to manipulate Nova energy, but only to a certain degree. What little we can control is no where near enough to regenerate the Nova stream, not even with all of Aristaisia's population. It's just not possible." Layla turned to face the two angels now, the dim lighting cast an eerie shadow across her angular face, only her icy blue eyes could be seen in the darkness of Layla. "However, through years of research and experimentation, we were able to create you two out of artificial methods. Each of you, individually, have the capability to manipulate one half of the necessary amount of energy to revive Aristaisia. And together, your powers are amplified two fold."
Xenon glanced over at Vexis briefly, full of curiosity as what she was thinking right now. But Vexis displayed no hint of emotion, she just stood and listened, much like a stupid robot.
"Do you know why this amplification occurs? One of you must at least have an idea of why..." Layla mused, then waited for the long time it would take for them to answer.
"That is because our existences are intertwined in a rather intricate way. Our minds share the same wavelength, our bodies each have the same strengths and weaknesses, although in opposite ways." Vexis replied immediately, her voice was very flat and monotonous, robbed of any emotion at all.
"Correct." Layla said with a little grin on her face. "Believe it or not, you're both actually just one creature. The two halves of one entity, separated." She turned back towards the computer screen again, this time the monitor displayed the translations to several different words that were written in some strange language. "As your names 'Vexenesis' and 'Xenon' suggest, each of you possess one side of your whole personality. In ancient Ethian, 'Vex' means darkness, or to be of a more sinister quality. Whereas, 'Xe' is the exact opposite, it translates to 'light' or 'pure'. And 'Non' or 'Nohn' is the name of Nova, it means 'life energy'. Vexenesis' name would have originally been Vexenohn, which would mean 'Darkness of life', but we decided that was too much alike to 'Light of life', which is Xenon."
Xenon felt numb and unable to think, too much was running through his mind right now. How couldn't he have at least realized the similarities between Vexis and himself? What are they planning to make him do to help save the world? Why was he seen as so inferior compared to Vexis? Or better yet, why was he inferior? It was all too much, all these thoughts pulsed through his mind at once. And even though Vexenesis and Xenon were both mutated super humans with the purpose of saving the world (and possibly part of the universe), their minds were still human, and human minds are flawed and easily get overloaded. Xenon headed towards the door, trying to escape his own confusion.
"Fine, leave if you wish. At least I have one loyal experiment! Reject." Layla said with a sneer, but eventually returned to her explanation to Vexis. "The only problem with you two being so closely connected, is that if one of you die, the other will die as well."
~
Xenon tried to ignore Layla as the door shut behind him, and found it quite easy. '...If we're the same being, then why can't I figure out why Vexis changed?'
Xenon stopped in the main lab, the giant room with all the pods. Where he and Vexis first 'met' so to speak. He was just barely aware of one of the scientists staring at him, she sat in the corner of the lab behind a desk. Xenon watched her for a moment, she seemed oddly familiar. The girl looked slightly younger than Layla, her red hair was cut short and at an angle, her eyes were an odd...violet color. Her facial features were similar to Vexis', but a bit softer and more rounded. The first thought that sprung to Xenon's mind was Lea, the strange girl that was trying to fight Vexis constantly. But no, that couldn't be her, could it? Lea was just a simulation, after all, and besides, her hair and eye colors incorrect! So why did Xenon feel like he knew her?
Great, another question to add to his overloaded brain! Xenon stormed off back towards his room, right now, even the tiny prison cell seemed like heaven if it meant easing his mind.
~
These past few days had been fairly slow moving for Xenon, all the attention, testing and excitement was for Vexenesis now. Why was he treated any differently? Xenon was as much a part of this project as she was! But to Layla and the other researchers, Vexenesis was the only worthy project. Sure, they did do a few tests with Xenon, and they did explain some things to him, but only about the equivalent of one third of what they were doing for Vexenesis. At least Xenon wasn't completely trash to them. Wow, what an honor.
Things were so vastly different here in the real world compared to the simulation, it almost seemed like they were on a completely separate planet. This Aristaisia was so dark and depressing, from what little Xenon could see outside the window. The skies were always gray and rainy, the ground was pale and relatively grass-less. Thick clouds of black smoke occasionally puffed out of the tall smokestacks of the nearby industrial plants, god knows what they made in there to produce that much pollution. 'What a waste...' Xenon often thought, he hadn't been allowed to see the rest of the planet yet, but he could already tell just how poor of a condition this planet was in. Xenon sat alone in his tiny excuse of a bedroom, it was just barely big enough to contain one chair and one small bed. The walls were all made of the same black metal as the rest of this dreaded place, the only thing that was mildly exciting was the puny circular window up towards the ceiling. Ooh, at least he was given the privilege to see a tiny fraction of the world hes supposed to help save! Vexenesis had it better, Xenon was certain about that.
The automated door slid open, Layla stood in the doorway with Vexis at her side. "Project Xenon, come with us for a moment." Layla instructed, her tone as harsh as ever. Xenon obeyed, moving along with them almost automatically. "It's time you both learn about the situation a bit more." Layla started to speak as they reached the end of the first hallway, and into the next. The walls here in this section almost seemed...alive, in a sense. Little streams of blue light occasionally pulsed through the cracks in between panels of metal, Nova energy. No wonder this place felt like a living being!
"As you've both probably noticed, Aristaisia is in very poor condition as of late. What is the cause of this? Well, to put it in very simple terms, the Nova stream is running almost completely dry on this planet. And it's all because of over-use of the stream." Layla led them into one particular lab room, then stopped by a large monitor on the wall. "Now, the Nova stream normally replenishes itself, at least, on other planets it does. But here in Aristaisia, there have been no signs at all of a regeneration cycle. And without the Nova stream to provide growth and life, Aristaisia will dry up energy and die out. Just like Earth did almost 5,000 years ago." The black screen blinked to life now, it displayed what Earth looked like before it died. Aristaisia was identical to how this photo showed Earth, gray stormy sky, lifeless dirt fields, and many depressed people, all waiting for their deaths. Xenon just stared at the screen solemnly, trying his hardest to understand what those people were feeling at the time. Sorrow? Anguish? No, resignation. These people had given up their hope long ago. Xenon closed his eyes in thought, he couldn't even try to imagine the pain they must have felt.
"And that's where you two come in. Normal humans are naturally born with the ability to manipulate Nova energy, but only to a certain degree. What little we can control is no where near enough to regenerate the Nova stream, not even with all of Aristaisia's population. It's just not possible." Layla turned to face the two angels now, the dim lighting cast an eerie shadow across her angular face, only her icy blue eyes could be seen in the darkness of Layla. "However, through years of research and experimentation, we were able to create you two out of artificial methods. Each of you, individually, have the capability to manipulate one half of the necessary amount of energy to revive Aristaisia. And together, your powers are amplified two fold."
Xenon glanced over at Vexis briefly, full of curiosity as what she was thinking right now. But Vexis displayed no hint of emotion, she just stood and listened, much like a stupid robot.
"Do you know why this amplification occurs? One of you must at least have an idea of why..." Layla mused, then waited for the long time it would take for them to answer.
"That is because our existences are intertwined in a rather intricate way. Our minds share the same wavelength, our bodies each have the same strengths and weaknesses, although in opposite ways." Vexis replied immediately, her voice was very flat and monotonous, robbed of any emotion at all.
"Correct." Layla said with a little grin on her face. "Believe it or not, you're both actually just one creature. The two halves of one entity, separated." She turned back towards the computer screen again, this time the monitor displayed the translations to several different words that were written in some strange language. "As your names 'Vexenesis' and 'Xenon' suggest, each of you possess one side of your whole personality. In ancient Ethian, 'Vex' means darkness, or to be of a more sinister quality. Whereas, 'Xe' is the exact opposite, it translates to 'light' or 'pure'. And 'Non' or 'Nohn' is the name of Nova, it means 'life energy'. Vexenesis' name would have originally been Vexenohn, which would mean 'Darkness of life', but we decided that was too much alike to 'Light of life', which is Xenon."
Xenon felt numb and unable to think, too much was running through his mind right now. How couldn't he have at least realized the similarities between Vexis and himself? What are they planning to make him do to help save the world? Why was he seen as so inferior compared to Vexis? Or better yet, why was he inferior? It was all too much, all these thoughts pulsed through his mind at once. And even though Vexenesis and Xenon were both mutated super humans with the purpose of saving the world (and possibly part of the universe), their minds were still human, and human minds are flawed and easily get overloaded. Xenon headed towards the door, trying to escape his own confusion.
"Fine, leave if you wish. At least I have one loyal experiment! Reject." Layla said with a sneer, but eventually returned to her explanation to Vexis. "The only problem with you two being so closely connected, is that if one of you die, the other will die as well."
~
Xenon tried to ignore Layla as the door shut behind him, and found it quite easy. '...If we're the same being, then why can't I figure out why Vexis changed?'
Xenon stopped in the main lab, the giant room with all the pods. Where he and Vexis first 'met' so to speak. He was just barely aware of one of the scientists staring at him, she sat in the corner of the lab behind a desk. Xenon watched her for a moment, she seemed oddly familiar. The girl looked slightly younger than Layla, her red hair was cut short and at an angle, her eyes were an odd...violet color. Her facial features were similar to Vexis', but a bit softer and more rounded. The first thought that sprung to Xenon's mind was Lea, the strange girl that was trying to fight Vexis constantly. But no, that couldn't be her, could it? Lea was just a simulation, after all, and besides, her hair and eye colors incorrect! So why did Xenon feel like he knew her?
Great, another question to add to his overloaded brain! Xenon stormed off back towards his room, right now, even the tiny prison cell seemed like heaven if it meant easing his mind.
22.12.08
Awakening
"Put up the barrier at maximum output now, I want see how they do when completely separate, especially Vexenesis." Layla demanded of the other scientists, they silently went to work as she commanded. Layla was one of the most extreme researchers, she always pushed things over the edge until they were deemed "perfect" by all. Shes cold and distant, she has never cared about anyone else. Layla is all about perfection, and she will never be satisfied until she herself is flawless. Several years ago, Layla was a test subject, herself. They were trying to physically enhance her structure by adding mechanical parts to her body, a cyborg -in terms of most science fiction novels.
Layla sat down in one of the many metallic chairs that aligned the wall, then reached for a bottle labeled 'Symustein' and some other device on the shelf. "Prepare the system for my entry, I wish to view this battle in person."
"Yes, ma'am...it should be ready any time..."
"Good." Layla placed the metallic visor over her eyes, then took one of the pills inside the bottle. She fell back in her chair unconscious soon after, Layla was now inside the simulation.
~~~
The invisible wall between Vexis and Xenon solidified, it became a sturdy metal wall. Once Vexis lost sight of Xenon, she felt...unusually alone. It was like a chain that connected the two of them had just been severed, and left a big gaping hole in it's absence. Vexis felt more vulnerable, as if some shield around her that she had no clue about previously had finally dissipated. 'I'm alone...'
A bright flash of light erupted from on top of one of the crates above, the figure of Layla started to materialize. Layla gracefully leaped down onto the floor, then stopped next to the shadowy version of Vexis. "Hello, Vexenesis." She said with a wry grin on her face, her voice was very chilling to listen to. "And since I'm certain you have no clue who I am, allow me to explain some things. I am Layla Wakemen, one of the main researchers who created you. And this..." Layla gestured to the room around them, "...is all a simulation. This life you've been living these past few months, all these places you've been, all those people you've met, it's all fake." She said, visibly enjoying Vexis's horrified reaction. "All of this has just been a mere test for you, and now, it's time for your final test: you must battle yourself!" Layla let out a wicked little chuckle, "Have fun!" then she disappeared temporarily.
The shadow all of a sudden disappeared from view in a burst of speed, then punched down hard into the floor in front of Vexis. Vexis was thrown back several feet by the impact, a giant hole now covered where she was previously standing. Vexis immediately got up, ready for her enemy's next move. But the shadow did not attack, nor move in the slightest, it just stood there. Vexis watched it closely, then reacted in disbelief as it changed in appearance. The shadow had taken on the appearance of her, an exact replica of Vexis. Though, something was odd about this creature. It's dark green eyes looked hollow and seemed to pull you in, soulless and empty. This wasn't Vexis, nor was it a copy of her. This shadow was Vexenesis, the being that Layla and the other researchers created.
Vexenesis finally made it's move, it darted towards her at an incredible speed, and in a flash kicked Vexis into the wall, hard. Vexis found herself unable to move for some reason, as if invisible bonds were being used to hold her in place. Vexenesis came closer, it reached it's bony hand out to her and placed it on her forehead, a dim greenish glowing emanated from Vexis. Both of them were now covered in this light, it was gradually pulling the two beings together into one. Vexis and Vexenesis were competing for dominance, a test of wills. Vexis was the one that was fading, she melted into Nova energy and was absorbed by Vexenesis.
The girl fought, but the beast won.
~
"Vexis..." Xenon could sense something wasn't right, he felt her aura fade away, like Vexis had just died. His shadow charged towards him again, but Xenon fought it off with ease. Whatever his opponent did, Xenon could mimic and enhance the attack. The shadow stepped back, presumably in fear or submission. Xenon advanced towards the creature, then stopped just a few feet away from it. His limpid blue eyes became foggy with green energy, strands of Nova started to surround Xenon. He held his hand out in front of him, the Nova streams followed his direction and all flooded towards the shadow. Nova energy was pure and powerful, and absorbs lesser beings such as this shadow. The creature gave in, it just stood and allowed itself to be absorbed into Xenon.
The guardian conquered, and the demon fell to oblivion.
~~
Everything started to fade and disappear, Vexenesis, Xenon, and everything around them. Layla was no where to be seen during the battle, but she had watched it all.
The simulation had ended here, Layla woke up immediately after. She removed the visor from her face, then got up and headed towards the two pods. The other two researchers examined the containers closely, any moment now would Vexenesis and Xenon awaken. "All has gone as expected." Layla said, her devious grin never fading. She watched Vexenesis mainly, waiting to see the result.
Vexenesis's eyes suddenly snapped open, dark and hollow as ever. She reached out to the glass panel in front of her, and broke through it with barely any effort. The dark angel left it's container, and stood obediently, awaiting Layla's orders.
Xenon also awoke just after Vexenesis, but instead of violently breaking out of his pod, he gently pushed on the glass until it fell out of it's frame. Unlike Vexenesis, Xenon took his own sweet time on getting out and presenting himself. Once he stepped out into the room, his gaze was fixated on not Layla, but Vexenesis. What had happened to her? Vexis didn't seem herself anymore, she was just and empty drone now.
Layla looked from one angel to the other, satisfied with both of them. "Welcome to the world of the living, Vexenesis and Xenon."
Layla sat down in one of the many metallic chairs that aligned the wall, then reached for a bottle labeled 'Symustein' and some other device on the shelf. "Prepare the system for my entry, I wish to view this battle in person."
"Yes, ma'am...it should be ready any time..."
"Good." Layla placed the metallic visor over her eyes, then took one of the pills inside the bottle. She fell back in her chair unconscious soon after, Layla was now inside the simulation.
~~~
The invisible wall between Vexis and Xenon solidified, it became a sturdy metal wall. Once Vexis lost sight of Xenon, she felt...unusually alone. It was like a chain that connected the two of them had just been severed, and left a big gaping hole in it's absence. Vexis felt more vulnerable, as if some shield around her that she had no clue about previously had finally dissipated. 'I'm alone...'
A bright flash of light erupted from on top of one of the crates above, the figure of Layla started to materialize. Layla gracefully leaped down onto the floor, then stopped next to the shadowy version of Vexis. "Hello, Vexenesis." She said with a wry grin on her face, her voice was very chilling to listen to. "And since I'm certain you have no clue who I am, allow me to explain some things. I am Layla Wakemen, one of the main researchers who created you. And this..." Layla gestured to the room around them, "...is all a simulation. This life you've been living these past few months, all these places you've been, all those people you've met, it's all fake." She said, visibly enjoying Vexis's horrified reaction. "All of this has just been a mere test for you, and now, it's time for your final test: you must battle yourself!" Layla let out a wicked little chuckle, "Have fun!" then she disappeared temporarily.
The shadow all of a sudden disappeared from view in a burst of speed, then punched down hard into the floor in front of Vexis. Vexis was thrown back several feet by the impact, a giant hole now covered where she was previously standing. Vexis immediately got up, ready for her enemy's next move. But the shadow did not attack, nor move in the slightest, it just stood there. Vexis watched it closely, then reacted in disbelief as it changed in appearance. The shadow had taken on the appearance of her, an exact replica of Vexis. Though, something was odd about this creature. It's dark green eyes looked hollow and seemed to pull you in, soulless and empty. This wasn't Vexis, nor was it a copy of her. This shadow was Vexenesis, the being that Layla and the other researchers created.
Vexenesis finally made it's move, it darted towards her at an incredible speed, and in a flash kicked Vexis into the wall, hard. Vexis found herself unable to move for some reason, as if invisible bonds were being used to hold her in place. Vexenesis came closer, it reached it's bony hand out to her and placed it on her forehead, a dim greenish glowing emanated from Vexis. Both of them were now covered in this light, it was gradually pulling the two beings together into one. Vexis and Vexenesis were competing for dominance, a test of wills. Vexis was the one that was fading, she melted into Nova energy and was absorbed by Vexenesis.
The girl fought, but the beast won.
~
"Vexis..." Xenon could sense something wasn't right, he felt her aura fade away, like Vexis had just died. His shadow charged towards him again, but Xenon fought it off with ease. Whatever his opponent did, Xenon could mimic and enhance the attack. The shadow stepped back, presumably in fear or submission. Xenon advanced towards the creature, then stopped just a few feet away from it. His limpid blue eyes became foggy with green energy, strands of Nova started to surround Xenon. He held his hand out in front of him, the Nova streams followed his direction and all flooded towards the shadow. Nova energy was pure and powerful, and absorbs lesser beings such as this shadow. The creature gave in, it just stood and allowed itself to be absorbed into Xenon.
The guardian conquered, and the demon fell to oblivion.
~~
Everything started to fade and disappear, Vexenesis, Xenon, and everything around them. Layla was no where to be seen during the battle, but she had watched it all.
The simulation had ended here, Layla woke up immediately after. She removed the visor from her face, then got up and headed towards the two pods. The other two researchers examined the containers closely, any moment now would Vexenesis and Xenon awaken. "All has gone as expected." Layla said, her devious grin never fading. She watched Vexenesis mainly, waiting to see the result.
Vexenesis's eyes suddenly snapped open, dark and hollow as ever. She reached out to the glass panel in front of her, and broke through it with barely any effort. The dark angel left it's container, and stood obediently, awaiting Layla's orders.
Xenon also awoke just after Vexenesis, but instead of violently breaking out of his pod, he gently pushed on the glass until it fell out of it's frame. Unlike Vexenesis, Xenon took his own sweet time on getting out and presenting himself. Once he stepped out into the room, his gaze was fixated on not Layla, but Vexenesis. What had happened to her? Vexis didn't seem herself anymore, she was just and empty drone now.
Layla looked from one angel to the other, satisfied with both of them. "Welcome to the world of the living, Vexenesis and Xenon."
16.12.08
The True "Beginning"
The echo of footsteps on the hard metallic floor could be heard, the dim lighting against the pitch black walls left the person silhouetted. The dark figure stopped at the end of the hall briefly, waiting for the automated door to allow them to enter. Once the door slid open, a giant laboratory of sorts was revealed. Large glass containers each filled with a silvery substance aligned the walls in an orderly fashion, more pods containing a similar fluid stood freely in the center of the room. Out of the hallway entered a young woman who looked in her mid twenties, her face had a very definite point to the chin, her golden hair was tied up into a ponytail currently, her eyes an icy shade of blue. She glanced over at one pod in particular, the one labeled "V". "Layla Wakemen reporting for duty. How's everything working out so far?" She asked the other researchers standing near the container, her icy stare fixated on the being inside.
"Everything is turning out fine, Project Vexenesis seems to respond well with the Symustein." The first man replied, "Although, the tests have shown some odd reactions when we expose her to the Nova radiation."
Layla watched the unconscious Vexenesis carefully, this being would truly be the one to help preserve the Nova stream? There's something rather unsettling and eerie about Vexenesis, and Layla couldn't figure out what. "Well, if it's responding fine, then why not release it now? And how's that one doing?" Layla questioned, then pointed over to the container labeled "X".
Inside this pod floated Xenon, the other side of Vexenesis. Xenon was more normal to Layla, he didn't have that same unsettling quality that Vexenesis did. Xenon seemed more like a guardian, a protector. Whereas Vexenesis was a weapon, an empty vessel for the Nova stream's revival.
"Project Xenon is showing no signs of change, his power seems to double whenever he's in contact with Vexenesis, however."
Layla got a satisfactory grin on her face now, "Good. Increase the simulation combat difficulty now! I want to see the true abilities of these things."
~~~~
Vexis had been cluelessly wandering these woods for hours now, no sign of Xenon or the beast anywhere. 'Where the hell could they have gone? Did Xenon already defeat it on his own?' Just when she started thinking of the possibilities, something strange started happening. Everything around her, the trees, the sky, even the ground below her, started fading to complete and total darkness. Vexis looked around frantically, trying to locate the source of this unusual experience. "What...hows this happening?! Xenon!? Lea!?" Vexis shouted out, but found herself no response other than her own echo. The ground started to collapse in on itself in sections, Vexis fell with it. The darkness was gradually beginning to lighten up the further Vexis fell, until she finally landed in some odd room. This new area was one gigantic warehouse type building, on the wall opposite of Vexis was written "Axion Testing Center IV." Vexis stood up, trying to remember if she had been here before...it seems...familiar. 'Where am I? This isn't that laboratory I busted out of...is it? I wonder....'
Something started to take form on the other side of the room, it looked human...but with wings, one black and one white. Xenon. He didn't seem to notice Vexis, maybe she was just a bit too far away to see? Vexis immediately spread her wings and burst off towards him. "Xenon! Where are we? And where's Kunekaku -" Vexis slammed into something just then, something...invisible? An invisible wall? Vexis jumped back to her feet, then tried once more to reach Xenon. She held out her hands in front of her, every time she tried going forward, some kind of force field just repelled her. "What the? Xenon, what is this?" But yet again, he did not seem to see nor hear her. Vexis stepped back a bit, why couldn't Xenon see her? She could see him...
A loud clashing sound echoed out from behind Vexis, something darted out from the piles of crates near the wall. The creature was completely pitch black -like a shadow, it looked exactly like Vexis in shape. The being had no face, and no other identifying details to it. This strange new...person slowly stepped closer to Vexis, a shadowy blade gripped tightly in it's hand.
On the other side, Xenon found himself encountering a similar being, this shadowy figure looked exactly like him, as well. 'This is certainly unexpected...'
17.8.08
"Uh oh..."
"Tazuma...you mean that those fools ACTUALLY believe that Kunekaku is just some beast for hunting? I thought that at the very least Xenon would know better, oh well, this just makes it even easier." Lea said, she held a devious looking grin on her face as she leaned up against the wall, staring out the window. Tazuma remained silent for a short while, then finally spoke up "Indeed, they honestly seem to believe its just a simple hunt." he started for the front door, Lea followed him. "And do they seem to suspect that you're...well, you know..." Lea asked him as she stood in the uncut grass that was behind the guild. Tazuma faced away from her now, looking out at the large field that was ahead of them "Not a clue." he grinned, then revealed two large black wings upon his back "I don't think Vexenesis even knows that my kind exists!" Lea got a satisfied look on her face now "Excellent."
"Xenon...I don't think Kunekaku is in this forest..." Vexis said rather doubtful -they'd been searching for several hours now with no success. The sun was starting to set, it was getting hard to see in this dark forest now -not that it was any easier while the sun was out. "Xenon? Are you even listening to me!?" Vexis got a bit annoyed with his lack of a response "I ASKED YOU A QUES-" but she suddenly realized that he wasn't there. Vexis looked around, but no sign of Xenon anywhere 'Did he find it? Ahh well...if hes in any trouble I'll probably hear a yell of pain or whatever...' she thought, but then realized that she couldn't exactly just stand here and wait all night "Crap...either I have to find him...or just return to town without 'im..." Vexis noticed smoke rising in the distance "Great...whats he gotten into this time?" she headed in the direction of it. Soon after, an odd looking house came into view, the smoke that Vexis had seen was coming out of the chimney -obviously Xenon wasn't the cause of this 'Who on Aristaisia would want to live in this dark, depressing place?' out of curiosity Vexis decided to check out the little hut. This house was pretty ordinary on the outside, it was incredibly small, had a blue shingled roof, and was pretty well hidden by all the large trees that surrounded it, Vexis tried looking in one of the small circular windows, but saw nothing because a brown cloth covered the inside of it. Vexis decided it was probably nothing and started to walk away "Hello? You need something?" a young girl asked from the door of the hut. Vexis looked back at the blonde girl who was peeking out the door "Well...I was just wondering if maybe my friend came around here...he went missing..." Vexis explained, wondering if maybe she might know something. The girl opened the door slightly more now, revealing the inside of the hut "Please, come in, lady Haruka might know something..." Vexis did just as she instructed, the inside of the house looked even smaller than on the outside, everything was pretty much the color of beige or brown ((like thats much of a change from most people's houses *sarcasm*)) , and it was generally just a normal looking room. "Please follow me, she should be in the basement..." The girl led Vexis down a tall staircase "I'm Calypso by the way, might I ask your name?" she asked curiously while grabbing a lantern to light up the dark room below. Vexis looked around at the large, dark room "I'm Vexis, I'm from Aristaisia...the city, not the planet -we're all from here!" she replied, still examining the surrounding area. Calypso was feeling around the wall for something "Ah! Here we go..." she pushed a blue button and instantly the once simple looking room turned into a huge, brightly lit laboratory/half library. Vexis looked up in awe at the huge and odd looking machines "Yeah...lady Haruka is a Mystic researcher, shes trying to find a way to bring back the Mystics...so far she hasn't found anything...but you should never give up hope on something" Calypso explained, placing her hands on one of the large metallic structures. "My my! We have a visitor do we? Goody goody!" a very odd -and rather hyper- woman entered the room, shes quite short, her face was very angular, her hair a deep red color, and her gray eyes were hidden behind the lenses of her round red framed glasses. Vexis was surprised to see that the person who created this vast laboratory was so...weird "Um...I was just wondering if my friend had come this way recently...his name is Xenon, he looks kinda like me only with white hair...he can be a bit annoying at times, uhh..." Vexis obviously wasn't describing him very well judging by the confused look on Haruka and Calypso's faces. "ANNNYWAY! Welcome! Its very rare that we get visitors here! Welcome welcome welcome!! I'm Haruka, but YOU can call me Hara!" The crazy woman said in her normally hyper state of being "Caly! Go brew up some tea for our guest! Do you know about the Mystics, deary?!" Hara burst out rather randomly as Calypso ran off somewhere to do as she was told. Vexis stepped back towards the stairs a bit "I-I only wanted to know if you might have seen Xenon around..." but Vexis didn't get too close to the stairs before Hara practically shoved her into a chair that happened to be nearby. "I've never heard of a Xenon...is that a new kind of animal breed or something? Oh, how the Mystics were such interesting people! Did you know that they first created Ethiamn with some powerful spells that they formed out of Nova energy!?" Hara was now messing around with one of her machines while shouting out random info to Vexis. Vexis tried to leave once more, but Hara just shouted out "Please stay a little longer!!" so she sat back down, a bit annoyed with this woman already "I just want to find my friend and hunt down Kunekaku..." Hara turned around to face Vexis again now "Did you say...Kunekaku?" she asked, staring at Vexis from behind her huge glasses. Vexis got up very annoyed "Yes! I said Kunekaku! So what!? And now, I'm leaving, goodbye!!" she started to go back upstairs now, letting her temper get the better of her. Hara just watched as Vexis left, then heard the door upstairs slam closed "...this isn't good..."
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