Chapter 54 World Council
The Holy City is located in the state of Avalon. Serving as the capital to the world government, the holy city lived up to its reputation in terms of grandeur. The city wasn"t crowded nor did it has any skysc.r.a.pers but yet its magnificence wasn"t something other cities could compare. One might even mistake the city as a capital of a royal kingdom with all the palaces and mansions in the city.
At the center of the city was a palace which looked more like a citadel from outside. It was heavily fortified by human guards and droids who were on constant vigilance, not like anyone would dare attack this place for it belonged to the president of world government.
President! The strongest man in the free world!
The people of the world took pride in having a say in the election of the president! After all, it was people who elect senators who in turn select the president.
The current president of world government is Mason Maxwell. He was a middle-aged man with brown hairs and a small beard.
Currently, Mason was sitting alone in a s.p.a.cious room. The room consisted of a round table surrounded by sixteen chairs.
Mason"s attention was on a virtual screen in front of him. During his youth, he was reckless and unafraid of the world because he was born into a powerful family and blessed with a powerful mutant ability.
As he grew older and more powerful, he realized that he was nothing but an insignificant dust in the world. The freedom and power he was proud of was all an illusion created by the world government. So bit by bit he climbed to the top leaders.h.i.+p of the government but then reality struck him again.
The president shared his powers with the world council! The general populace believed world council, consisting of representatives from nine aristocratic families and the royal family of Atlantis, only played an advisory role; but being a part of the system, Mason knew the world council has their claws in every decision-making. There were more members of the council then what the people believed and their role was different from what the people perceived.
Everything was about perception.
Learning from the struggles of royal dynasties of the previous era, the world government"s founders knew they have to create a near-perfect system if they have to rule without worrying about getting dethroned.
So they created a "democratic" government where people decided their president every five years indirectly. It made people feel they have a say in choosing their ruler unlike the royal empires of before.
Relying on the subtle brainwas.h.i.+ng in the form of patriotism, sacrifice, and racial supremacy; the forefathers established council consisting of those who have "sacrificed" so much for the world. They let the world believe the council served no role other than being an advisory board.
Mason rather admired the schemes of the forefathers. What he truly admired was how the council made the political officers a scapegoat for failed policies. If people are dissatisfied with the governing then they can simply change the senators and president without realizing that this was a part of the scheme to make the world government last forever.
"In the end, the schemes of forefathers were just petty schemes no matter how wonderful. if one has the absolute strength then they don"t need to fear anything including the world government or nation of terror. Originally there were only 9 members of council but now 15. It just shows how strength can change what others perceive as impossible," Mason muttered.
"But in the end, strength alone also proves useless. As one grows older, strength dwindles. A man works for decades to achieve his position and power but death takes it all away. Death is the greatest enemy."
"But the current era has given us an opportunity...a hope for eternal life."
Mason"s eyes burned with desire as his thought process reached here. He looked at the report on the screen and muttered, "delta city...the hope of eternal life lies there. "
*beep* *beep*
[[The council will be online in few seconds. ]]] A mechanical voice brought Mason back from his thoughts.
Suddenly, ten of the fifteen chairs were engulfed in green light. A moment later, ten people"s projection entered the room.
"My greetings to the council," Mason stood up and gave the council members a bow. He was surprised to see some council members not showing up, but he didn"t mention it.
"Mason, you can sit," an elderly man with a large white beard said.
"Thank you, Lord Elliot," Mason sat down.
Lord Elliot gave a glance to his fellow council members before saying, "Mason, I am sure you know why we summoned you."
"For details regarding the recent golden lightning phenomenon in Delta city," Mason knew it very well.
"Good. You can start with the report on your findings," lord Elliot signaled him to start.
Mason clicked a panel on the table screen and a holographic projector was activated. The holographic projection showed the images of the wasteland before the golden lightning phenomenon and after the phenomenon.
Before, the wasteland was full of barren mountains and plateaus. Now it was just a giant crater.
"The golden lightning phenomenon occurred during midnight for some ten minutes," Mason clicked another panel and the projection showed the visuals of the phenomenon as seen from Delta city.
Entire wasteland seemed to be covered by dark clouds full of golden lightning. The lightning seemed to be shackled as if to prevent the world from destruction. The visuals also showed how large debris was floating in the air and then dissipating into nothingness.
"As the satellites were not able to collect any information, the chief officer of Delta city -Sylvan- sent a team of forty mutants in the vicinity to collect data. Most of the team died, within minutes, Just due to the pressure from the golden lightning."
The screen showed the stats of forty members who entered the wasteland along with their vehicles.
"Most of them died? You mean there are survivors?" an elderly man with emaciated appearance asked.
Mason got chills when he heard the voice of the mummy-like man. He didn"t let his emotions show and respectfully answered, "Lord Harley, some of them escaped quickly, but they died as well since the pressure from before has ravaged their bodies. Their abilities were erased and no medical treatment worked."
The council members were shocked by mason"s words.
Abilities erased? How is that possible?
"Are you sure in your claims?" Lord Elliot asked.
"Yes," Mason nodded his head. He didn"t mention that some survivors were killed by Sylvan in anger but that wasn"t important since they would have died anyway.
"Abilities erased? Very interesting. I will love to perform an autopsy on their bodies," lord Harley could barely control his emotions.
Mason controlled his disgust and said," Lord Harley, apologies but the survivors turned into nothingness after their death. The same happened with those who died inside the wasteland."
The holographic projection showed the recordings of a survivor turning into nothingness.
The council members were shocked by the information. It took them minutes before they completed contemplating the discoveries.
"Mason, I have a question if you don"t mind," a Buddhist monk asked.
"Lord Kakusandha, it will be my honor to answer you," Mason said in a voice full of reverence. He knew just how powerful this Buddhist monk was.
"What is the probability of this incident being related to the event from four years ago?" Lord Kakusandha politely asked.
The other council members looked at Mason for his answer. They have their own guesses, but they wanted to know Mason"s opinion.
Four years ago, Castor Damon – level IX scientist-went to Delta city for a secret project. A week after his arrival, he suddenly disappeared and all his life signals were lost. It took place moments after a similar golden lightning phenomenon started in the mining area.
The mining area was one of the meteorites which have fallen on Earth"s surface when the age of evolution begun. Most meteorites were still in their original positions either due to their weight or dangers involved.
The government and other factions have extracted the minerals and other important elements from most meteorites. But there still remain meteorites which are yet to be explored for not even the best scientists can find a way to get close to them much less extract.
Originally, the resources from the meteorite in Delta City were already extracted years ago. The minefield was just a remnant of past and nothing more.
Yet Castor Damon gathered a team to explore this meteorite. It was obvious whatever Castor Damon was seeking for is responsible for his sudden disappearance and the golden lightning phenomenon from your years ago.
Perhaps Castor Damon was in hiding, or he was really dead like the loss of his life signals denoted.
Mason knew the council members were testing him instead of really wanting to know the answer. The information they knew was enough for them to know whether it was related to that event or not.
"I believe both the events are connected," Mason said in a deep voice, "Back then the lightning phenomenon took place for approx. five minutes and the latest one took place for a little over ten minutes. Back then there were no survivors and the same is true for now. The location has changed from the mining area to wasteland but it is still within the vicinity of the same city."
"There is one thing different though," Lord Elliot injected in between," The radius of the phenomenon back then was far too low but this time...the area has tripled."
The council members nodded their head in agreement. Whatever or whoever responsible for this incident has gotten stronger.
"Castor Damon was a disgrace to our n.o.ble cause," Lord Kakusandha said with a deep sigh," He kept his project secret from everyone including the council who trusted him so deeply. "
"Indeed," a disfigured woman agreed, "It took us three years to know what he was seeking for. He thought he could hide it from us forever."
"He even took help from revolutionaries while he used our resources for his own benefit," another council member added.
Mason didn"t say anything but secretly scoffed at the hypocrisy of council members. Would they have shared the treasure if they got the treasure Castor Damon sought for? Mason knew the answer for he was aware of how great the treasure was.
Before disappearance, Castor Damon has studied records of the strange writings and engravings as well as the alien technology from the meteorites to seek something special.
After three years of investigation and research, the government was able to pick clues on what he was truly seeking for.
A shard of Cosmic Spark!
The government also has a shard of Cosmic Spark which was being researched to find a practical way to extract its unimaginable powers.
After decades of study, the scientists came to the conclusion that the cosmic spark was the power source of the supreme world from where the meteorites originated.
The power source of a supreme world!
Just the meteorites have created so many wonders on earth so what about the cosmic spark?
Just the thought of this excited the council to the bones! Perhaps the dream of eternal life would no longer be a mere dream!
Even if eternal life is not possible then there is Cosmic Manipulation which one can gain from cosmic spark! The ability by which one can manage the cosmic power to do anything as one pleases!
Alas, the world government only has a single hair-like shard of cosmic spark so the research didn"t gain much practical usage.
But if they had another shard?
"The shard we have has never created a phenomenon like the ones in Delta city. So it is most likely Castor Damon has either found a way to use the shard properly or the shard he found is more powerful," Lord Elliot said.
"We can"t be sure Castor Damon is alive," Lord Harley interjected," He got help from those revolutionaries so maybe he was killed by them later on."
"We can"t be sure of anything," the deformed lady from before said in a cold voice, "We don"t even know if the shard is with someone or is it creating this phenomenon on its own."
"Agreed," Lord Kakusandha joined in and said something which shocked everyone," We can"t even be sure if it is just a shard."
The council members sucked in a breath of cold air!
Right! What if it wasn"t a shard but the entire Cosmic Spark!
The scientists have hypothesized that the true cosmic spark has the thickness and size of a baby"s fist! The government had a single shard which resembled a fine hair but wasn"t it possible for the rest of cosmic spark to remain intact?
"Don"t count your chickens before they hatch," a feminine ice-cold voice shattered the dreams of council members.
The speaker was a woman who appeared to be in her twenties. Her skin was as white as the snow while her hairs were as dark as the deep night.
"Ice Queen is right," Lord Kakusandha bowed down towards the woman and, "This monk"s heart was blinded by the greed."
Ice Queen ignored his words of thank but lord Kakusandha didn"t take any offense. He knew her disposition was of a queen and it wasn"t just because of her t.i.tle.
Her t.i.tle of Ice Queen was due to her ability, but she was a real queen as well!
Queen of Eden!
Eden!
The commoners of this world usually call it by its another name — Beauty Island! An island only for women!
"We sure don"t know much for ruling more than half the world," said a man with a dragon tattoo on his right cheek,"We might as well name the council as a council of ignorant."
The council members became silent for the insult truly stricken them in the heart. They were the rulers of this world but yet as ignorant as the ma.s.ses.
"Lord Lewis, it is me who should be blamed for the lack of information regarding Delta City," Mason apologized for the failure.
"Mason, I understand you might be tired since it is your second term in office," Lord Lewis waved off his hand and said, "It is hard to not get tired after getting the attention of young women. So maybe you need to rest."
Mason felt a chill down his spines. He was a married man with children but if the news of his infidelity was leaked then his political power...
d.a.m.n!
Will the general populace agree to have a leader who doesn"t respect the sanct.i.ty of marriage? Will the public trust a man who can"t be faithful to his own wife?
If I lost my position then what about my pursuit of strength and eternal life? The council didn"t need to care about the perception of the general populace unlike me!
f.u.c.k!
Mason knew the councilman was warning him by stating his affairs so that he would do his best.
"Please give me a chance to prove myself," Mason begged.
The council members nodded their head which brought a relief to Mason.
Lord Elliot turned his face towards a muscular man with black hairs and green pupils.
"Great Poseidon of Atlantis, is there something you would like to add? " Lord Elliot respectfully asked. It was the first time he was so respectful throughout the meeting.
In the end, the powerful is revered and this applied in every society. As the king of Atlantis, Poseidon carried a great deal of power himself beside the power of sea race.
So how can lord Elliot not be polite towards him?
"I don"t have any problems with your arrangments as long as you remember our original treaty," Poseidon nonchalantly said.
"You can rest a.s.sured on that," Lord Elliot and others nodded their head.
One by one the projection of the council members disappeared from the room.
---------------------------
Atlantis.
The lost city was covered by an invisible force field only allowing the free flow of water and nothing else. Various types of marine lifelines were visible throughout.
The sea serpent, Leviathan, sea monk and other mutated sea animals were constantly guarding the borders of the sacred land.
Temples, palaces, castles, and other types of infrastructures were visible throughout the submerged land inhabited by sea nymphs, mermaids, siren, selkie, and others.
Poseidon was sitting on his throne with his eyes closed and his right hand on a white orb. Below the dais, his wife, Anthea, was standing. She was a graceful woman bearing a beauty so astonis.h.i.+ng that she could topple empires with her one gaze.
Suddenly, Poseidon opened his eyes.
"How was the meeting?" Anthea"s voice was sweet like an angel.
"Just a waste of time," Poseidon walked down the dais.
"Is that so?" Anthea asked again. She was feeling something amiss from her husband"s face even though he did his best to conceal.
"You know me far too well," Poseidon kissed her on her forehead and said, "I have to pay a visit to the temple."
Anthea was shocked by his words.
"Surely Atlantis is not in danger?" Anthea hurriedly asked.
"Nothing like that. There is some guidance I need before I make a decision," Poseidon explained to her.
"Guidance?" Anthea wanted to ask more, but then she heard the throne room opening. She turned around and saw a young woman in her late teens das.h.i.+ng towards them.
"Father! Mother!" the young woman shouted as she dashed in the arms of her parents. Her skin was glistening with the l.u.s.ter of beautiful jade just like her mother.
"Melina, you are rather early today," Anthea lovingly adjusted the tiara over her daughter"s head. Poseidon looked at the actions of his daughter and wife with a smile.
"Melina, I have an urgent task so can you look over your mother for me?" Poseidon asked his daughter.
"Of course! I will protect mother!" Melina readily agreed. Anthea smiled at her daughter"s words but deep down she was worried about her husband.
---------------------
Poseidon entered a large temple made of exquisite crystals. The crystals in the wall scanned through his body multiple times before allowing him to enter the core section of the temple.
Unlike the other places in Atlantis, the core region of the temple didn"t have a single drop of water. The core region was made of red crystals throughout but at the center, there was a throne made of blue crystals. Poseidon"s gaze fell on the throne upon which a woman was sitting with her eyes tightly shut.
The woman"s skin was snow-white but her face was blue. If one looked carefully, it was possible to see the blue crystals of the throne has fused with her body.
"Holy Seer, I beg of your guidance," Poseidon bowed down deeply in respect.
Slowly, the woman opened her eyes...