Genesis of Apotheosis

[Strazio Rockwell]

Memories bombarded the Defender of Darkshire at a blinding pace. Within moments he had witnessed several lifetimes and filled his brain with the thoughts of his peers. Not that his fledgling mind could grasp the true breadth of information presented to it. Sure you could pour a lake’s worth of water into cup, but any excess would spill over and be lost. His body had come out the other side unscathed, but a metaphorical grenade had gone off inside his skull.

“Damnit,” Strazio muttered, he couldn’t help but feel he was forgetting something terribly important.

He was born on a planet called Alternia? No, that wasn’t right. Foreign words and concepts sparked off the inside of his head, words such as lusus and juggalo. It took a few moments for him to realize that his brain was channelling Gamzee’s wavelength.

Swatting away those memories his mind latched onto a kingdom known as Hyrule. That was what he was forgetting, that motherfucker Ganondorf. Strazio’s first foray into Dante’s Abyss seemed so distant to him, but he could still remember that sorcerous prick with a burning intensity. Ganon had destroyed Hyrule and subsequently destroyed Strazio’s home. He rubbed his temples. No, wait, that wasn’t right. He had met Ganon in the Omniverse. These weren’t his memories, at least not entirely. He wasn’t sure, but maybe these were Maru’s? God, that name didn’t sit right in his gut.

Again he tried to focus and sort through the wreckage of his psyche. This time he was only able to kick up vague memories. Something about a demon king and his twin brother studying magic. Or maybe it wasn’t his brother and just a family friend? These thoughts were covered in a thick layer of fog and served to only befuddle Strazio’s attempts at clarity.

What the fuck was a penguin?

Strazio rolled over onto his stomach. He pushed himself up onto all fours. Nausea gripped him and he retched violently. He managed to keep his breakfast down, but a bit of stomach acid stung his throat. Again he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to put the pieces back together. His body quivered and he whispered a string of vicious curses.

Damien Alabaster.

The name hung in his mind, burning itself like a brand on his grey matter. Who was Damien Alabaster? Another false memory? Strazio remembered a coastal village. He remembered a family. He remembered a stranger. Death, fire,.and blood. The ionized scent of air that followed destructive magick. Darkness, he remembered darkness. He remembered hiding underneath rubble while his family’s blood trickled in through the cracks overhead. How long was he trapped in the wreckage? Too long. Long enough to develop a profound and rancorous hatred for Damien. That desire for vengeance sustained him. He latched onto anger and rage and hatred because that was all he could latch onto. It was here, down in the darkness and beneath the corpses of his family that the Avatar of Rage was born.

He had only met the man twice, but he knew who Damien Alabaster was, and there were no words strong enough to describe his hatred of the man.

Strazio exhaled. He had been holding onto the same breath for too long and it felt like his eardrums were going to rupture. He stood and looked around the room. His eyes narrowed on Maru and his memories of Ganondorf came to the forefront. He shook his head and looked away, trying to wipe away the image. The white-haired mage pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. Another wave of nausea hit him. He did his best to ignore the pounding inside his skull and stumbled towards the door. Stepping outside he gulped down breaths of fresh air.

It took a few more moments, but he finally managed to stabilise his runaway mind. He glanced back inside, hoping to find Tearen, but the enigma was nowhere to be found. Their teacher had abandoned them. Strazio frowned and turned back outside. He walked a few paces out and scooped up a rock.

“Alright,” he muttered, “this better not be bullshit, Tearen, I’m going to be pissed if you’ve just been fucking with us.”

He turned the stone over in his hand and slowed his breathing. Without much fanfare he tossed the stone upwards and reached out with his mind. His eyes locked onto the tumbling projectile and he exerted his will over it. Where his mind had been cluttered with a constant buzzing it was now anchored by the fragments of his peers. His eyes glinted and flashed a striking emerald color.

The stone stopped. It stopped its natural descent as if Omni himself had pinned it in place. Strazio nearly gasped, but he swallowed his astonishment. He could feel every imperfection littered across the stone’s surface. It's rough and mud-covered countenance was as clear to him as if it was sitting in the palm of his hand. He willed it to move and it began a slow orbit around his head. After a handful of orbits he willed the stone to stop a few inches from his face. His headache had returned. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. His eyes focused on a tree several yards away. In his mind’s eye he imagined a cannon and tried to fire the rock against his target. As soon as he tried to introduced rapid forward momentum his grip on the stone faltered and it tumbled to earth.

“Damn,” he said, more disappointed than frustrated.

The green in his eyes faded and his head thrummed with a dull pain. Strazio smiled and turned back to the building that had housed his recent apotheosis. He stepped through the threshold and glanced around. Most of the Enigmas had more or less recovered from their own awakenings. The Defender of Darkshire said nothing, but turned his attention towards Maru. His eyes flashed green and he stretched his new mental bounds out towards her. At first he said nothing, not because he had nothing to say, but rather because he was not sure how to speak. After a few befuddling seconds of mental fumbling he finally spoke inwards.

Uh… hello?

The girl did not respond, but seemed to perk up slightly.

It’s Strazio, not sure if you can hear me, this whole thing is kinda fucky, but I figured this would be the best way to talk to you in private. I picked up a few of your memories… I think.

She glanced over at him and they locked eyes.

Ganondorf is here in the Omniverse.

Her eyes went wide. He stopped speaking and instead dredged up the memories of his time spent in The Town with no Name. He hoped at least some of this was getting to her. He shared the round table talk where Thaal had assembled Ganon, Enel, and Strazio himself to form the now-defunct LAW. He shared his time in Dante’s Abyss, particularly their first bout when the Gerudo and a green-clad boy ambushed him. By now Strazio’s head had begun to scream and ache. He ended the stream of images and said his final piece.

Don’t worry, I hate the bastard too. If you want to speak more about this in private we can.

Despite the piercing headache and the dull taste of copper on his gums Strazio felt strangely excited about his newfound abilities. They did not come easy, but he felt like a kid given a new toy and for that he was grateful. He felt something warm trickle down the front of his face and he raised his hand to greet it. His nose had begun to bleed.

“Well, fuck,” he muttered.