The soul battle between Adonis and the alien being might have seemed to be going on for a long time, but to an outsider, it would have seemed like only a moment had passed.
"Beep! Protanyd organism detected. Threat level… Appo… Beep! Threat signal lost. Scanning... Scanning…" It was so swift that even the ultra sensitive scans failed to lock onto it.
There was an ephemeral burst of extremely high burst of psionic energy as the tentacle being unleashed everything it half to withstand that bomb and then it instantly died down as if it had been vanquished, effectively disappearing deep into Adonis's soul,
"…. "
Following this, the spaceship's sensors continued to flash with their blue lights for some time, until they too died down, leaving the infant, bare boy all alone on the cold, hard, metallic floor.
The on board systems paid no heed to him… because in their current setting, they did not have those protocols set in place.
When the ship's captain had initiated the emergency procedure, the ship's AI's first and most important instruction was to find and obliterate any Protanyds at all cost, while the well being of the crew was registered as a distant second.
As regards to the procedure for how to deal with any involvement of any third party, well that was left to the ship's own discretion, and the ship's intelligence typically adopted a posture of destroying any hostile intruding forces, while leaving the harmless ones to themselves.
It was this mostly passive stance that helped this gigantic structure hide itself from so many prying eyes with few being any the wiser.
Hence in accordance with its protocol, the ship appeared content to simply let Adonis be in the room, where he seemed destined to starve to death.
Or so it seemed…
"*Sigh*"
When suddenly, just as the sensors retracted to conserve power, a mysterious voice, majestic and regal beyond any description, echoed out of all the walls of the command room simultaneously, "Is this 'Your' way of getting in 'Our' way? Simply punishing 'Us' was not enough! 'You' yet covet what 'We' possess? Hmmhp! 'Your' greed truly knows no bounds."
Anger and disdain filled in that heavy, powerful voice, as the air suddenly turned firm and defiant. "Fine! 'We' will take 'Your' challenge. See how 'I' use this boy to pull 'You' down!"
With this legendary declaration, an ethereal blue light emerged out of thin air, before harmlessly slipping into Adonis and making the boy gently hover.
"Beep! Live human detected. Scanning…. vitals holding steady. Congratulation host! As per Code 14, Section 39, Subsection 2a of the USC Naval command, per the procedure detailed in the event of complete loss of chain of command'- you have been selected as the most person to inherit the position of the captain."
"Beep… Preparing nutrition vats. Setting: 2b- Accelerated muscle growth for marine training. Warning- Host body detected too underdeveloped for current setting. Chance of fatality- 99%. System recommendation- Regular soldier. Beep… Warning overruled. Proceeding."
"Programming suitable VR simulation training. Setting: Special Forces! Warning: Host too immature. Recommended setting- Normal human. Beep… Warning overruled! Proceeding."
"Estimated time of completion- 3 years. Beep… overruled. Training extended to 12 years. Warning- The ship's resources will reach critical levels at such an extended length. Warning- Threat of excessive muscular growth..Maximum recommended time- 6 years. Beep… Overruled. Proceeding. Turning off all non auxiliary functions. System entering hibernation mode."
"Finalizing all setting…Beep…all objections overruled! Calculating… Loading… Applying settings! Settings locked in! Pleasant dreams host! And best of luck!"
The ship's Al made these series of semi ominous declarations, all of which was 'mysteriously' overruled by a higher power before Adonis got gently shoved into a transparent cryo pod.
The hollow glass cylinder closed with a soft swish, then began to swiftly fill up to the brim with greenish, aqueous, fluid as various wires and other medical equipment emerged out of nowhere, automatically attaching to the boy.
There were a few IV tubes for nutrition, tubes for removing wastes, many probes and sensors and of course a breathing mask that automatically shrunk to fit Adonis's tiny size, feeding the boy extremely rich oxygenated air that was mixed with various potent medicines and hormones.
This was to be the boy's home till he reached puberty.
While deep inside his soul, that mysterious blue light gently sunk into his mana sea, covertly attaching itself to the tattered soul of that slumbering alien being, then started to leech off that in turn.
The irony!
Buzz!
Afterward, as soon as it regained a bit of its power, a mysterious rune in the shape of a magnificent, pulsating egg, bright red and full of magical energy suddenly burst out of the mana sea, its mere presence turning the once blue 'water' crimson like deep dark blood… then as quickly as it appeared, it mysteriously disappeared deep into the core.
Only a few extremely ancient letters lingered in the air for a brief few moments and if anyone erudite enough to read them would have been present, it would have said- 'Tome of Evolution!'
...
13 years later….
It was a cool spring morning, when the lush and verdant grass of the woods bordering a distinct, illidic village woods were disturbed by the steady footsteps of a rather handsome looking boy.
He was dressed in a bright red and black overcoat and stood at only about 5 feet, perhaps even a bit less. He had a baby smooth round baby face and adorable fluffy rosy checks, still filled with that innocent baby fat.
His hair was as silvery as a polished mirror, reflecting the flittering sunlight, and his bright red, crimson eyes shone with undisguised curiosity.
"Is this what is called a village? Like the ones I was shown in my visions? Humans live here?" He spoke in a sharp pitched childish voice that showed he had barely crossed puberty.
"That is right, brat! These are the humans you were so pining to meet." A gruff, didactic growl instantly echoed the reply from inside his mind, "Now go! Ask these mortals where the nearest mage's school is. We do not have much time to waste."
That Protanyd organism sounded both impatient and a bit displeased.
"....." Adonis however did not immediately move- rather he used his eyes to first scan the unfamiliar sight with great cautiousness and uncertainty.
Peering out of the woods, the scenery quickly opened out into a small garden on one side, with various greenery sprouting out from the ground. There were cabbage, carrots, radishes and a few other vegetables whose pictures did not match Adonis's memories.
On the other side of this small home garden, there seemed to be a penned fence for ducks and chickens, where the poultry was seen in their morning run, pecking grains off the ground.
And just a bit further to them, Adonis spotted a few rows of relatively modest sized thatched roof huts, made of wood and bricks, with long conical roofs that were letting off smoke.
The young boy recognised the snout as something he had been taught in his 'dreams'- he believed they were called chimneys and lifting his smooth chin up, he found this seemingly innocuous sight weirdly mesmerizing.
This attention was only torn away when he heard a large chorus of of hubbub coming from the center of the village and instinctively craning his head, he spotted many men, women and children hastily going towards what appeared to be the centre of the village, their colorful tunics and full sleeved chemise wildly fluttering in the wind.
This sudden movement scared the boy, and he became nervous about interacting with these people he had never met before.
As a matter of fact, Adonis had never talked to someone face to face in his life. The closest he got was talking to others in VR. But that was only a simulation.
This meant this would be his first time really conversing with another human being.
And to do this all alone without any introduction, the young boy found himself hesitating.
"What are you waiting for, fool? Want to go back to that pretty little sleeping pod of yours?!" Displeased with this hold up and keenly sensing this reluctance, the Protanyd being thus suddenly barked out this sneer, viciously mocking the immature boy,
"Is scared little Adonis missing his mommy? Would you like to go back and suck your thumb? If you want to, then go! Tuck your tail and sneak back into your hole! Brat!"
"Of course not Grandpa Theseus!" Feeling his pride being pricked at, Adonis instinctively blurted out with enraged indignation, solemnly clenching his child like fist.
But even then, as he was just about to take a step forward, he stammered, "Its just….these people they…I "
"I, nothing! Just shut up and go! Ask these mortal fools what I tell you and if they refuse to answer…. are you afraid they are going to harm you? Bah! The 13 years I spent on training you must have been for nothing!"
This demeaning posture seemed to be finally enough to push the boy over the edge, and giving one last glance at the 3D printed sword by his waist, the little boy bravely stepped towards his future.