SUBTLE WINDS - VOIDED

[MORTAL PLAINS]

[TWIN SUNS SOLAR SYSTEM]

UNKNOWN POV

This task was silent and boring. No offense to the Mother. But what was she thinking about having a whole species of messengers guard an empty solar system? The solar system was beautiful and amazing to see. A sight that never got old to look at. Yet there was no danger here. Just the occasional hurtling rocks or debris from behind the solar system. Surely a few of us could watch out for them, not an entire species.

I frowned while tapping my foot on the rock I had made my setup. These days excitement came from mock battles between us. A ranking system had even been set up as a way to garner much interest in it. Atleast it helped us train for battle as the Furians did.

I played with the ball of energy in my palm, twirling and rolling it between my fingers. I would flip it up catch it compress and stretch it out. Xerox ditto, the gravity energy. It was what made me so stable on the rock I was standing on currently. By actively affecting the gravity around me and the rock I was able to attach myself to it. It was something that all my kin could perform.

It made us special even amongst the messengers who had received base abilities as we would say. Heal was just a faster way of mending severe damage that we messengers could already heal on our own. While it meant we could not heal others it was not something we Solivert had to bother about since we had no communication with mortals and we healed fast ourselves. Then there was sacrosanct, yes having a holy or pious energy that tripled your base stats and physique was awesome but nothing too mind-blowing. Fiery Flame was arguably the best due to its use but still, I would pick Xerox ditto anytime. What use was flame against a gravity wielder when one simply cancels or adds to your gravity?

I shook my head in amusement. I saw it then. A shape, indescribable moving through space. Normally there were a lot of things moving in the solar system so I couldn't help but ponder why this one piqued my interest. I without thought found myself rising off the rock and simultaneously cancelling the gravity around it. Floating easily I made my way for the shape.

Various forces acted from the rings drawn in my palms and beneath my feet. Each burst of gravitron as we solvent called it helped us move through space. By applying or removing gravity from a certain area I could float faster or slower. Shoot up or shoot down.

With each rock I neared I affected the gravity of the rock to me and let myself be pulled in fast. Canceling it with a thought when I was close enough, the propulsion always sent me on in the direction I was angled.

By the time I reached the blob, I barely realized I was moving instinctively. Floating right before the blob was when I realized two things. One was that the blob was something living. Something gruesome looking with several tentacles and limbs. At the same time, it also looked worse off like it had been losing parts of itself without being able to mend back. While I didn't understand how I knew that I just felt it.

The second thing that struck me was that I was way beyond the solar system of the twin sums. The space outside was different, dark, and strange. The pressure here was abysmal. I could feel pricks of raw energy trying to get past my skin but being pushed off for some reason. At the same time, I realized how weak I suddenly was. Disoriented and slow. My thoughts came in as snippets of its former speed.

The last thing I noticed before I was suddenly consumed by darkness was a piece of this horrible-looking entity detaching and rushing at me.

*

A cluster of rocks and asteroids jumbled together in a weird mess to form a replica of the Rings of Dylaeria. It was crude and messy but one who knew what to look for could see a bit of similarities. Yet no matter how well the artisans had tried to recreate the site it was nothing but a ruin of the original.

But the Soliverts cared not for the aesthetic intricacies of it. No, it was made solely to serve as a base for them to operate outside their realm. Within one of the rings, a congregation of the Soliverts buzzed like bees in a nest. Older Soliverts led newer ones into rooms to be taught as much as they could about the already scoured Twin Suns solar system before they would be paired with older Solicerts and sent out on patrol.

The older ones after essentially tutoring the newbies in the routes of outer space would once again take on new Soliverts to train. The now-learned Solivert would begin its patrol alone to drill the information. in its head and learn on its own. Once done then and only then would they be able to take on their students. It was a basic learning mode engineered by the first set of Soliverts.

The buzz of the place was suddenly halted as all Soliverts froze in their place. One by one each turned their head to the far distance from which coincidentally no wall stood. It let them see past the mockery of the ringed city and on to the vast darkness with the several twinkling lights. While most of the younger Soliverts had no idea what made them react this way, the older ones did. And it was by no chance because of experience, but simply because the younger ones unlike them had not yet fine through their species traits and perks. Each messenger species could see its trait by focusing their will past tbe normal template or status page.

It was for this reason that the older ones knew instantly what was wrong. Not what had caused it or how but what was wrong.

"One is gone". A taller broad and magnificent-looking Solivert spoke his large singular eye blinking in shock. The voice was not leaving from any mouth since the Soliverts lacked such orifice, rather his voice was like a sound echoing from his head and out into the room as his bald head turned from side to side in his surprise. " Not happened since the Making," he murmured. His robes, long and dark in contrast to the pale skin of he and his kin swished with his movements.

"You" he pointed to a random Solivert. Not one too young nor one too old. "Find me Qurdus. Now" the command had the Solicert rushing off to follow. "The rest of you young Solivs stay in the Stone Ring. If things become dire return to Dylaeria.Warn the others and if necessary the Divinas and Furies."

Gasps were audible through the crowd at his words. While xenophobia or racism was not a thing in Dylaeria the concept of the rings and segregation had actively made the five species isolated from public sharing of issues. While it was allowed to meet in the skies of Dylaeria places like the species' home rings and the claimed clouds of Dylaeria were not accessible to other messenger species. When a species had an issue then they solved it amongst themselves.

Now though it seemed an issue had cropped up. I'd one thing was sure. A messenger had never died since the Making. It was something the speaking Solivert, Amot knew the other species had to know.

Another elder Solivert rushed into the room halting his steps and locking his gaze upon Amot.

"You know then". Qurdus nodded. " We must investigate. The others are gathering the young to send back home. The rest are headed for the site the disconnect came from. " Amot exhaled mentally glad the rest had it in control too.

"Then we waste no time". His body shot forward instantly passing the crowd as he floated over their heads. Qurdus was quick to follow jumping in the air amd sprinting after Amot.

*

UNKNOWN POV

The sensation I felt from waking up was bizarre. The pain on my back was faint like a wound now healing. Not like I had ever gotten seriously hurt to get such pain. My palms and heels felt numb but it was my brain that was beating harshly.

My skin prickled with a desire for something I didn't understand. Yet instinctively I knew what I wanted. To feed and to grow. To become...

" MANY". My voice was cracked and hoarse but understandable. I heard myself and knew what I said. But I didn't understand until a male appeared in my view. Two, three, many of them. They were like me but I was different now. But I was once like them.

"Confused" I groaned.

"What is it?" the male spoke.

"No knowledge."

"The Solivert" another voice female this time. My eyes found her, bug eyes like the others, and long white gown, bald head. Beautiful with such cheeks. A scream pierced my hearing or was it my mind? I blinked. The female was half gone, her torso in my arms spurting white blood.

'I ate her?' my question was answered.

"He..he ate her!"

I screamed as I felt pain. staring my eyes since my head could not move for some reason I watched the beings stretch out their hands to me. Their palms with the golden rings on them glowed brightly. I felt pulled in all directions.

'End'

'Destruction'

'Don't want'.

I mentally screamed as I struggled with the force aiming to split me. The eyes of the beings locked on me with gruesome rage. I screamed once more but this time my scream swept out of me. Ripples spread from my lips and in all directions. A black-light spread from within me and covered my body.

'This energy. Familiar. Useful'.

The first thing that came to mind was a huge being and the black light formed one around me. It was something unrecognizable but domineering. A squelch sounded out and I looked with a strain to see another one dead. Mashed to a pulp.

Another screamed in anger and the force exerted on me increased. The form of tbe energy around me stretcher don't a hand with my desire and the screamer was grabbed.

Hunger.

Many.

Hunger.

Many.

No, many.

Many.

The screamer's screams increased for some reason before the hand of the colossal form let the being drop. I watched it float, its arms and feet flailing for some reason. Losing interest in him for some reason I turned to the others. But found no others. In the far distance, I spotted figures vanishing into the void. Before me floated a single one of the One-eyed beings.

I felt confused and also understood. Both feelings confused me so I ignored both. Hunger and Many were still in my mind.

Now though. I felt just hunger...I felt a propulsion shoot me forward from behind and smash into the single left being. Before I could strike into him I felt myself hit a force around him getting repelled. Another force pulled me back instantly but before I could move the same force pulled me forward.

Disoriented I missed the fist that hit my face square and landed on my eye. One eye. I had an eye like them. Another fist struck my abdomen and then a knee to my eye blinded me. The force struck my back and I felt myself fall.

'No. Lose. no'

'Win. Feed. Many'.

My sight returned, just in time to see a fist headed for my face. The black energy condensed into a hand grabbing the fist. The single eyes widened just as I opened my mouth, a mouth I felt I should not have. Even worse it spread wide, so much wider.

'Hunger' the word barely made itself known as it was lost in the void of space right before my maw closed over the being.

Unlike the first female I half ate this one felt funny. Energy, unlike nothing I had gotten from the female, filled me. I felt myself bloat and expand, grow, and enlarge.

'Many'

I felt myself explode and burst into several parts.