Emisarry Of Time And Space Chapter 1: *[SEED ACTIVATED]*

’Haa haa haa...’’ ’’Hahahahaha, foolish child, I’ll admit you did push me to my limits and entertained me quite well, I guess I underestimated you, to think you’d make it to this point.’’

A young man with silver hair, as pale as moonlight, cascading down his shoulders, and golden eyes as bright as the sun. If one were to look closer, they’d notice tiny details resembling a clock reflecting in those ethereal eyes.

He was kneeling before what one can only refer to as an abomination, with torn clothes and a bloodied body, a telltale of the battles he’s fought, his sword on his right, shattered with only the hilt left.

The abomination had red eyes far deeper than any shade of blood, black muscular arms ending in claws that one could only dream of in their worst nightmares, and miniature scales covering its entire body. It had horns three times larger than those of any bull, glowing ominously courtesy of its untold power.

You’d wonder how it was capable of speech with such large fangs displayed for all to see. One would expect the young man to cower or at least show fear before such an abomination, yet on his face was a faint smirk; he looked to his right at his now-shattered sword with a sad look of pain and regret.

’’Thank you, you have brought me this far, I will remember you forever.’’

’’Bastard!!, You dare ignore me for a shattered weapon ’’ The monster snarled.

’’Her name was AEGIS, and it would be the last name you’d ever hear!!’’ the young man scowled and said.

’’It would seem you have gone senile, perhaps you’d like me to bury you and your weapon in the same grave.’’ The abomination grinned with a look straight out of a nightmare.

The young man staggered to his feet and stared at the abomination with those ethereal eyes, gathering whatever ounce of strength was left in him, he had so much determination in those eyes as if threatening to erase the existence of the abomination, he lifted his arms and pointed his index finger at the abomination, gritting his teeth and shouting ... ’’ETHERNUM COLLAPSE !!!’’

The whole world stilled as if paralyzed, a testament to the immense power and destruction about to be released, a single black dot, no larger than the size of a tennis ball, formed at the tip of the young man’s index finger. The abomination, sensing the immense threat coming from the black ball, narrowed his eyes, wondering what could cause him to feel such immense fear.

’I must not let him succeed in casting that thing.’ The muscles on the legs of the monster tensed, and then it happened: the ground beneath his feet imploded, a testament to its immense physical strength. One second it was there, and the next, it was gone.

The abomination arrived in front of the black ball in less than a second with its right arm dragged back, its claws glowing with a deep red, preparing to collide with the black ball in hopes of destroying it.

The young man looked at the abomination with eyes full of pity. ’’Futile,’’ he said.

The claws of the abomination reached the black dot, the anticipation building and then... Beep beep beep bee..... Pak!!! ’’Stupid alarm clock...’’ A young man groans as he struggles to wake up from perhaps one of the weirdest dreams to ever occur in one’s life.

’’Ah fuck, I knew I shouldn’t have listened to that jerk, what sort of concoction did he give to me, another stupid dream, maybe I should visit a psychiatrist, it’s getting too disturbing’’

’’Tch, my head feels like it’s going to explode.’’ The young man stood up, albeit with great effort, he had raven black hair with two bangs on both sides of his face, blue eyes like the ocean, a moderately handsome face, all qualities of a lady killer.

The young man’s name was Matthew, a student at a prestigious medical school in the USA. He was currently in his final year and was one of the best, if not the best, students in his year.

His life was what one would call perfection. His parents were rich, though not excessively, but still enough to live a lavish life. He was intelligent, handsome, and rich, a source of envy for those around him.

Tomorrow was his 25th birthday. Unfortunately, he could not spend it with his friends as they all went to their respective homes for vacation yesterday. Due to this, they decided to celebrate it before he left; it was a literal festival with most of his friends around.

They joked, ate, and played; it was a fun time for them all. The grand finale of the party was Matthew’s first official taste of alcohol. One of his friends was tasked with providing said alcohol. Matthew, after taking it, was completely wasted.

’’MATTHEW!!!’’ A teenage girl with raven black hair and the same blue eyes as Matthew barged into his room holding a ceramic bowl containing a brown liquid. ’’I was told by Mom to hand it to you, she said you are to take it immediately.’’

Matthew regarded the bowl of brown liquid with disinterest. 'I'm not really in the mood for soup,' he mumbled, picking up the bowl. A wince escaped him as the lingering pain from his headache flared. 'What kind of soup is this?'

'Don't know and don't care, I'm leaving,' the girl stated, making a move to exit.

'Come on, don't be like that,' Matthew pleaded, his face etched with a pained expression.

Her eyes flashed with visible irritation. 'Don't be like what? Who do you think hauled your drunken self to this bed after your friends left you for dead on the porch?'

'I'm sorry,' he apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

'Tch, it's hangover soup. Mom said it'll help clear your head. Now drink it before I resort to more… forceful methods of clearing your head,' she warned, glaring at him with barely contained anger before turning and shutting the door.

'Whew… her temper is as fiery as ever. At least I didn't get punched.' Matthew mused, identifying the girl as his younger sister, Lara. She was the pampered 'furious angel' of the household, practically a sacred cow.

Matthew quickly downed the entire bowl of soup, feeling a slight improvement. He then proceeded to the bathroom to freshen up before heading downstairs. Throughout his ablutions, his mind was preoccupied with the dreams he had been experiencing.

'This isn't the first strange dream I've had. Over the years, if there were a record for the world's craziest dreams, I'd undoubtedly win it. But these dreams have become far too realistic, too vivid. The latest one felt like I was truly in another world. And then there's the persistent appearance of that silver-haired boy; he's in every single one of my dreams. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's an alternate-dimension version of me. Well, he's handsome enough to be that alternate me,' he grinned.

'Still, a bizarre dream every year, precisely one day before my birthday, and they grow more vivid annually.' 'Should I mention this to Mom? Nah, she'd only worry unnecessarily. Perhaps I should consult a certified doctor, or maybe a voodoo practitioner; that sounds more like their specialty.

A doctor would likely dismiss me as delusional. I know I would be if someone presented with such symptoms. 'Haaa… what a headache.'

'I’ve taken too long in the bathroom. I should probably get downstairs before that little devil decides to hunt me down again.'

Emerging from the bathroom, he donned some respectable attire and descended the stairs. Upon reaching the ground floor, he found his mother tending to their cat. Her auburn hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her blue eyes mirrored his and his sister's. She possessed a mature beauty, with curves in all the right places, and a serene smile graced her features. Matthew believed he inherited his good looks from her.

'Good morning, dear Mother. How is your day? You look as radiant as ever,' he greeted, a smile fixed on his face. She responded with a frown. 'Don't try to sweet talk me, young man. I thought we had an agreement,' she stated. 'I know, Mom, and I apologize, but I genuinely wanted to celebrate among my friends,' he replied, his expression contrite.

'And where exactly did that get you?' she inquired, her eyes narrowing.

'On the front porch, which is where Lara found me, only worsening the situation.'

She exhaled in frustration. 'Haaa… Both of you, take your seats. Let's eat breakfast.' Matthew's face instantly lit up. 'Great, I'm starving! What are we having?'

'French toast,' his mother answered. They took their places at the dining table and began their meal.

'I have something to say to both of you, especially you, Matthew,' his mother announced.

'Let me guess, Dad isn't coming, right?' Matthew ventured, taking another bite of his French toast, seemingly unfazed. His mother's eyes held a flicker of sadness. 'Yes, he won't be able to make it in time for your birthday. He asked me to convey his apologies. I'm sure something truly significant detained him.'

Matthew paused mid-chew and met his mother's gaze. 'I'm not a child, Mom. He doesn't need to be present for every single one of my birthdays. A business trip is far more important. Besides, we can still celebrate when he returns, how does that sound?'

Aware that his mother would fret and that his feelings might be hurt over a seemingly minor issue, he made an effort to placate her.

'Well, he better not miss my birthday, or there's going to be war,' Lara declared with a scoff.

Their mother smiled at her daughter's spirited declaration.

The day unfolded with Matthew lounging around the house while his mother and sister went out shopping to make preparations for the upcoming party.

By eleven at night, they had still not returned, prompting him to call and check on their well-being. They explained they were caught in severe traffic and would need to stay overnight at a hotel, promising to be back early the next morning.

He accepted this without issue and decided to retire for the night, unaware it would be the final conversation he'd ever have with them. Sleep eluded him; he tossed and turned for nearly an hour. Then, precisely at midnight, as drowsiness finally began to set in, he witnessed something unbelievable.

*[SEED ACTIVATED]*