-----------No Point Of View---------
Vladimirs gaze fell into darkness for a few moments, his body and mind in complete serenity, and in absolute cohesion with itself, his physical and spiritual states one and the same. He breathed in, a gust of air beyond being physical and non physical entered his lungs, though the line between reality and metaphysicals was dimming.
Though soon his eyes reopened into a blinding light. His head slowly turned from side to side, his squinted gaze barely able to take into perspective what is around him. His teeth gritted in concern as he thought about Elena, he worried what she had done or if this was even her doing.
Vlad barely could mutter "Elena? W-Where are we?" His entire body quivering.
Silence swirled all around him, his senses feeling like he was inside a black hole, his body tensed all over as he took another breath, this time he felt a distinct clean air enter his throat. His head began to hurt as he felt everything around him move extremely quickly, until it suddenly stopped with a force that felt like a truck.
His head echoed a single word from an unrecognisable voice "Breathe, Breathe, Breathe" The voice continued repeating it like a broken record.
Vladimir winced in his mind before the command, his throat expanding as he took a swift and heavy breath inwards, his neck sputtered for a moment before suddenly a bright light engulfed his vision. He felt the back of his neck ache for a moment as sounds began to radiate in his ears, voices, buzzing of lights, and other basic noises.
Vladimir barely could mutter "T-...The hell?" He rubbed his forehead with his pale hand, his eyes barely able to look forward.
The light slowly died down, his vision slowly becoming less clouded and more visible. He glanced from side to side while his backhand stayed pressed against his forehead, he glanced at his hand for a moment, his eyes darting back down until he noticed a dark splatch on his backhand.
He slowly lowered his wrist to see a small puddle of black liquid on the back of his hand, its density and appearance like a puddle of ink. His fingers twitched as he concernedly looked at the splatch, his other hand swiftly raised before attempting to swipe it off.
However every time he swiped it off it simply regrew from his palm and slithered its way like a worm to the back of his hand. He hissed to himself in a slight sense of disgust and concern, his other hand beginning to shake in worry while his pupils shrank deep into his eyes.
A familiar voice echoed out from behind him "Attempting to wipe that off is just pure idiocy, I'd hoped you were an exception from that" The voice had a slight smug tone to it, especially at the end.
Vladimir swiftly turned while both hands fell to his sides, his determined gaze staring forward while ignoring the bright white walls enclosed around him. Standing there was Elena with her eyebrows raised, she was stifling a smile while staring at Vladimir, her hand slowly raised as she gave a slight wave.
Though another moment later her hand swung into her face, concerning Vladimir greatly as she defeatedly stated "I forgot to shield you from the effects of interdimensional travel...Shit" Her fingers tensed as she angrily exclaimed the curse.
Vladimir glanced to the side as he calmly but concernedly asked "What is this?" His hand slowly raised to chest level as he showed the back of his hand to Elena.
Elena slowly removed her hands from her embarrassed face as she calmly and blankly responded "That is the predate of a mark, it symbolises your faction in the multiverse" Her eyes seriously looked into Vladimirs.
Vladimir stopped in place as he seriously and fearfully asked "Factions? What do you mean factions?!?" His widened eyes alone demanded an answer.
Elena crossed her arms as she calmly responded "Well we the Champions are in the Ennzoll Faction, there's the Atlas Faction who have been long time trade partners with the Strazh Faction, and really anybody can make a faction with just a couple members" She scratched the back of her head as she looked away.
Vladimir felt a forced inhale enter his throat as he heard the Atlas Faction, he pinched his chin as he pondered why he was so worried about them. His eyes slowly closed as he elected to avoid concern as he wanted to focus on the moment, leaving future problems to future Vladimir.
He inhaled deeply as he calmly asked "Is the Ennzoll faction...Liked?" His eyes attempted to glance away, though he forced them to look at her.
Elena tilted her slightly to the side as her expression was thoughtful, she responded with a high pitch "Yea, I'd say we kinda are" Her shoulders raised slightly as she stared off into the distance.
Vladimir gripped his chin as he thought about something else, his eyes slowly returned back to meet Elenas as he nervously asked with tensed eyes "How many others are in the Ennzoll faction?" His eyes pushed against themselves as he looked at her.
Elena carelessly waved her hands to the side as she bluntly stated "About sixteen of us-counting you" She gave a swift finger point right at Vladimirs head.
He sputtered in his throat as he thought about that, only sixteen members of what seemed to be a top faction, his eyes squinted as he looked at her in confusion. She returned a shrug as she glanced away, her mind absent and uncaring of his thoughts.
Elenas hands lowered to her back, her posture straight but having a sense of relaxation, as told by her movements too. She glanced off to the side, her eyes half open, her mind seemingly on the other side of the room next to a white heavy door.
Vladimirs eyes widened for a moment, his fingers twitching as he noticed the heavy iron door to their side, its white shine still like the void of space next to the blinding sun that was the walls. Elena glanced at Vladimir with relaxed and slightly open eyes, though it soon returned to be half open.
She lowered her head and softly smiled before slowly beginning to approach the door, each step taken with a relaxed posture, her eyes staring forward with no sense of danger. Vladimir tilted his head slightly to the side, his body in complete disarray of whether to feel concern or be acceptant of the situation.
Elena reached to a switch on the wall, having a small panel of switches littered across the dark panel. It stood out from the blinding room, the buttons scattered non cohesively were all of colours like green, blue and white. Elena casually jabbed a green button on the top right, near the grey border of the panel.
Immediately following, the door began to shake before swiftly rising up in less than a second, Vladimirs eyes squinted as he witnessed the incredible technology before him. Elena calmly lowered her head and eyes before swiftly walking through the door, her boot squeaked as she gave a firm stop to her progression.
Her head turned to look over her shoulder at the confused Vladimir standing in the centre of the room, she flashed a quick smile before shrugging a singular shoulder at him. He felt a wave of air escape his lungs as he swiftly followed her through the doorway.
The hallway they entered was clean, far less bright but still white all across, Elena seemed absentminded as she walked, Vlad meanwhile had a sense of concern of what was coming. The black ink like liquid in his palm continued to drop off the back of his hand before remanifesting in the same volume and mass as before.
He felt many tingles and itches across his body as he thought more about the liquid, he knew it was important as Elena had said so, but even still it was terrifying that this infinitely regenerating liquid was on his hand. He gulped to himself which Elena took notice of but didn't care to bring up, for the fact speaking about it didn't have any purpose.
Eventually they stopped firmly at the end of a corridor, before them was a huge door adorned with red emblems across the edges and doorframe. Vlad looked in awe of the incredible architectural masterpiece before them, while Elena had a straight posture with a bored expression plastered on her face.
She sighed deeply as her hands raised to her sides for a moment, wiping her palms on her hips before reaching to the doors handle. Vladimir looked in confusion at how relaxed and calm she was, she carelessly gripped the golden handle before giving it a firm tug towards her chest.
Out of the now open door came a wave of blinding light, its gaze like the sun, though soon it lowered to the point it was visible. Vladimir looked in amazement at the royal interior of the room, its walls a blend of red and white with the occasional golden or black stripes. Elena was less impressed and seemed frankly, very bored.
She carelessly walked into the room with Vladimir cautiously following behind, her eyes half open as she stared forward. Her arms swung lifelessly by her sides as Vlad kept his tensed at all times, both in still shock at the way the place was made, and also the fact he still was concerned what would happen to him.
Eventually they reached one last door at the very back of the room, it was tall like the others, however it wasn't as tall as the other doors previously. Vladimir tilted his head in confusion as he saw it looked like a normal door this time, a normal oak wood door instead of a fancy golden or red door triple his height.
Elena carelessly grabbed the handle, it was a basic handle you would find in a house belonging to a family. Vlad tensed nearly every muscle in his body as he concernedly watched Elena barge into the room, he felt hesitant to follow her, his fight or flight suddenly flaring up.
He stared in the ground as his eyes quivered in fear, though another moment later his eyes shut like a hydraulic press. He lowered his head as he followed Elena into the room, his body yelling at him to run, not from anything Elena was doing, but from what was inside the room.
Elena came to a swift stop, which Vladimir follow swiftly, though his eyes suddenly reopened as he felt a powerful presence before him, like a cherub was in the same room. Elena swung her arms side by side for a few moments as her mouth contorted while waiting for someone to speak, Vlad feeling a sense of concern at how nonchalant she was about what was in front of them.
Vladimir raised his shoulders as he forced against all forces of nature demanding him not to, managing to pull his head up to look forward. His eyes widened as he saw what stood before him, his mind overwhelmed with not fear, nor terror, just confusion.
There stood a very tall man with fairly bushy crimson red hair, several shades lighter than Vladimirs own eyes. He was in a black outfit lined with several dark golden sigils across it, a short cape with the same patterns flowed behind him as he stood in the centre of a collection of what looked to be planets.
Vladimir looked in confusion, though Elena didn't share it as she took a step forward and bluntly said "Yo, can you...See us?" She slightly tilted her head as she asked the sassy question, the very beginning alone surprising and concerning Vlad.
The man stopped what he was doing as he slowly turned around, his sharp red eyes slowly turned to see Vladimir and Elena, the latter holding a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow. Vladimir felt a sense of concern, but also slight danger emanating from the man, though somehow it was bundled with a sense of safety.
He calmly exclaimed in a deep, powerful voice "Ah, Elena, I'm glad to see you in good he-" His happy statement was rudely interrupted by Elena.
Elena interjected with a swift and brash "Yea so, you're not really selling the whole divine entity thing, can you just stop?" She cocked her head to the side as she finished.
The man stayed silent for a moment with his mouth half open, Vladimir looked in worry as he seemed irritated by Elenas words in his eyes. The man swiftly turned to the side and whispered to himself "Fuck!" Although it was loud enough for Vladimir to hear.
The man straightened up his posture as he returned to have a calm smile, Vlad looked to the side for a moment before calmly stating "I-...Actually thought that sounded natural to you, like the voice was fitting of someone like you" He scratched the back of his head nervously.
The man once again was temporarily speechless, though he soon responded in gratitude "Thanks" He turned to Elena with a blank expression "You could learn a thing or two about being positive from this guy" He pointed to his side at Vladimir.
Elena chuckled to herself as she swiftly responded "Oh believe me, if you could heaaaaaaaaaar the bullshit he was spouting earlier, you wouldn't be saying that" She rolled her eyes as she said "Hear".
The man held his face in his palm as he groggily asked himself "Where did I go wrong with raising these children?" He shook his head firmly as he finished.
Elena tilted her head to the side as he confusedly stated "We're not your children, we're your employees" Her arms tightened their grips around each other.
The man coughed to himself as he turned to Vladimir, giving a soft smile as he asked "Now, why have you come here?" His head slightly tilted to the side.
Vladimir glanced at Elena who had already taken a step forward and has stated firmly "He is the champion to take Sila's spot" Her hand opened in a presenting way to gesture towards him.
The man looked down for a moment in seemingly sadness as he stated "...Zhiznennaya sila... It's an ironic name...Elena...Do not say something that could be taken as replacement...We do not replace champions...That makes the fallen seem insignificant" His eyes stared Elena in her own with a serious expression.
Elena inhaled deeply as she glanced to the side in both remorse and guilt, her eyes returned as she responded "You're right...Sorry Ennzoll" Her head slowly raised.
Vladimir looked to his side in shock, his eyes quivering as his fingers trembled in confusion at Elenas words. Elena and Ennzoll took notice as they saw his visible confusion and shock racking his brain in all ways, Elena concernedly glanced to the side at Ennzoll who squinted at her.
Vladimir confusedly asked "Wait wait, you're Ennzoll? Like the leader of the Faction? I-I thought you were some god they worshiped" He ruffled his hair through his hat in confusion.
Elena hummed to herself as her eyes rolled across the room before saying in a high pitch "I mean, kind of, he is a god" Her eyes locked back onto Ennzoll.
Ennzoll took a few steps towards Vladimir and Elena, Vlad taking notice of his approach, he had a soft smile as he calmly stated "Although I may be powerful, I am not a god, now, you seek to join the Champions correct?" His head slightly tilted as he looked down at Vladimir.
Vladimir looked in surprise as he saw the sheer height of Ennzoll, Elena was already really tall, but he was towering. Vladimir straightened up his posture as he stared upwards at the titan before him, his eyes stayed determined as he focused deeply onto him. his fists clenched tightly.
He calmly responded to Ennzolls question "That is correct, I would like to join the Champions" His eyes made perfect contact with Ennzolls sharp but calm pupils.
Ennzoll smiled as he asked "What do you believe you can bring to the team?" He squinted firmly as he looked at him.
Vladimir felt a swift breath enter his lungs as he stuttered "I mean, I have experience being on the streets, I can plan quickly a-and I kn-" He looked to the ground as he attempted to reason, though Ennzoll softly interrupted him.
He chuckled to himself as he stated "Don't worry, if Elena thinks you can be a good addition, I will believe the same, she is the strongest and my most trusted Champion" His eyes glanced to the side at Elena who looked away with a bit of a smug smile plastered on her face.
Ennzoll returned his gaze to Vladimir who looked shocked that he was so quickly acceptant, giving him a calm message "Being a Champion is a big responsibility, we protect those who cannot protect themselves, we stop those in power abusing it, however even though we are high ranked and powerful, we are not absent from the law" He shook his head calmly as he finished.
Vladimir looked to the ground calmly, his breaths heavy but also having a sense of gratitude to them, his eyes had slightly squinted as he stared downwards. Elena took notice as she calmly approached him, her eyes barely glancing at Ennzoll who had returned his gaze to Vladimir.
Elena stated firmly to Vladimir "Your crimes are quite significant, so you must work hard to redeem yourself" Her tone was pure serious and determined.
Vladimir let out a silent gasp as he leaned back slightly, his eyes looked down as he pondered her words. Did she not even listen to him? He stated that he believes redemption for a murderer is not right, and no matter what they won't deserve the forgiveness as they had taken a life.
Ennzoll stared down at him for a few moments in silence, he could understand the feelings Vladimir was going through, he could tell it wasn't regarding the work though. He inhaled deeply as he glanced at Vlads hand, his eyes catching a look of the black liquid on the back of his hand.
Ennzoll stared down for a few moments calmly before his eyes pulled open in shock, he reached down and grasped Vladimirs wrist as he firmly stated "How long has this been on your hand for?" His eyes stared into Vlads scared ones.
Vladimir nervously responded "Since I got here, Elena said it was a part of the procedure to become a Champion" He glanced at Elena while his wrist screamed in pain.
Ennzoll pinched the bridge of his nose firmly as he sighed deeply, his eyes focused on the liquid slathered on Vladimirs hand. He released his grip which was a wave of relief for Vladimir, though soon he reached down and gently grasped just his hand between two fingers.
A single of Ennzolls fingers were twice the size and width of Vladimirs thumb, though despite that there was an unmistakable gentleness to it. Ennzoll stared down at the finger with a calm look, his finger stroked the liquid which shoved it off Vlads backhand, though much to Vladimirs surprise it didn't reappear.
A small blob still remained to which Ennzoll placed his palm onto it, his eyes slowly closed as he calmly muttered "Align this heart, with the divinity of the transcended, go beyond the metaphysical world, and rise to a world of peace" The moment he finished the blob began to twist and move in place.
Vladimirs fingers tensed and bent in fear though a gentle press from Ennzoll stopped him in place, Elena looked in surprise, her eyes glanced from Ennzoll to Vladimir while her body had no movement. A few moments later the blob began to sink into the skin of Vlads backhand, his palm having no feeling for a few moments, like the muscles were no longer there.
Suddenly he was met with a wave of sharp pain, Vladimir tugged his palm to his torso as he gritted his teeth, wincing to himself as his eyes shut firmly. He grasped his wrist tight enough to the point blood was begging to get through, though he wouldn't allow even a drop to enter his hands veins.
Through his pain he began to make out a symbol begin to appear on the back of his hand, it was black with red dots along it, though it was seemingly taking shape slowly. His eyes squinted as he felt the burning sensation tone down, his palms beginning to relax and calm down, a relief like having a plaster put on a cut.
Soon the pain was gone and replaced with a sense of strange bliss, like everything seemed below him, his eyes traced his hand as he saw the emblem take shape. It slowly began to forge itself before finishing into a shape like Ennzolls head, shining crimson dots in his eyes and mouth while the rest was pure darkness.
Ennzoll looked down at him calmly, he stated in relief to Vladimir "Thank Urikei, now, welcome to the champions Vladimirrr-...What's your last name?" He started happily, but had a nervous tone to the end.
Vladimir looked up at him in surprise but lowered his head as he softly but defeatedly said "I...Don't know...Though...I was given one by someone..." His eyes stared at the floor between them.
Ennzoll tilted his head slightly as his eyes slightly widened, he calmly asked "What may that be?" His eyes remained wider than normal.
Vladimir looked up at him, his eyes filled with more hope and a sense of true than ever before "Nikito, I would like to be referred to as Vladimir Nikito" His eyes stared into Ennzolls firmly.
Ennzoll was a bit surprised at how demanding he was, and was also surprised at that word being his last name, though he smiled softly as he responded "I hope you can prove yourself a grand champion, Vladimir Nikito" He smiled softly to Vladimir who returned the gaze calmly.
Vladimir nodded firmly to Ennzoll who looked at him with a relieved expression, one with a blank mouth and the other with a smile. Elena uncrossed her arms as she slowly approached Vladimirs side, giving Vlad a slight smile as her head rotated slightly. Much to the surprise of the other two.
Elena calmly stated "I'll accompany you on your missions for the start, how does that sound?" She had a reassuring tone to her.
Vladimir looked at her in surprise as she actively offered to assist him, he stayed silent, he didn't know how to respond. Vladimir stared at her with an unwavering expression, his eyes and mouth kept the same pose the whole time. Elena felt a sweat orb roll down her temple in nervousness.
Ennzoll chimed in as he hesitantly stated "Unfortunately that cannot be done Elena, you have your duties as the diplomat at Lazurnyy Pik, don't worry though, there are eight other champions" He calmly returned his gaze back to Vladimir.
Vladimir couldn't help but feel a sense of despair knowing someone was being forced to help him, instead of Elena who willingly stepped up. Still he wondered, would this place even be a good fit for him, or should he have just let himself die.
He slammed his palms on either temple as he forced himself to think one thing, I survived because of this choice, I will take advantage of the life I have condemned myself to. His eyes stared down for a few moments until they raised again, his mouth quivering but still had an unmistakable sense of unease.
Elena looked at him curiously, rubbing a finger on her neck slightly, though she closed her eyes softly as she didn't care much. Ennzoll turned the side as he looked towards a floating transparent box, he walked towards it as he raised a finger, the tip in a point position.
He gave a firm jab at the box, a wave of two-dimensional water like liquid waved from within, though a sound of a beep echoed from all sides of it. Ennzoll looked at it as he sighed, he despised the design of these boxes, while he appreciated the person who crafted them, he felt they were unnecessary.
He coughed into his fists for a moment before speaking firmly "Overcome darkness, echo my voice, speak for Phoenix...-Bridge Crosser!" He stopped for a moment mid sentence before exclaiming the last part, though it was still low volume.
The cube made another beep before it turned to white, and the liquid within began to converge on the outer layer. It amassed heavily before forming into a shape of a red phoenix, Vladimir seemed confused, while Elena stared at the floor as she dreaded the meeting.
On the other end of the contact there was the sound of shuffling footsteps, there were clothes in boxes and a light coming from an open door. Standing in the doorway was a woman with sunglasses with red tinted lenses, a swimsuit covering most of her body, some towels tucked under her arm, sun cream and a suitcase with more clothes and some flip flops.
She stated happily to herself in a more higher pitch voice "Finally, fucking hell, getting a break in this job is impossible" She looked upward for a moment, her smile genuine, like she had a neutron star lifted off her shoulders that was there for several years.
Her eyes widened in a tear as she heard her phone in her suitcase buzz, she scrambled to grab it, though the moment she pulled it out of her suitcase it fell out of her grasp. She leapt onto the floor to grab it, sighing in relief as she held it firmly in her grasp, she calmly looked at the phone only for her eyes to widen as she mutters "FFFFFFFFFuck" due to seeing who was calling.
She scrambled onto her feet as she tentatively clicked answer, she held the phone to her ear as she tensed up while speaking with a sense of disdain "Hey Ennzoll-is this calling in advance for a mission on a future day?" She swiftly spoke as if she was looking through the future.
Ennzoll smiled as he exclaimed happily "Xeiemia!" He smiled happily while Elenas head perked up and looked at him, he then continued with the same tone "I'll need you to help me out with something, we have a new champion and I need you to assist him on missions, you're not busy right?" He tilted his head to the side as he finished.
Xeiemia felt like a dagger went through her chest, though she slowly looked towards the suitcase and clothes ready for the beach, she frowned as she looked back at the phone. She sighed as she placed the suitcase down while resting the phone on her cheek, using both hands to put stuff away while holding the phone on her shoulder and leaning her neck on it.
She sighed as she responded "Yea, I'm not busy, when do you need me?" She tugged at her sleeve as she placed the suitcase in a wardrobe.
Ennzoll responded quickly "Let's sayyyyy, threeeeee hours" He rolled each word as he spoke, which made Xeiemia feel a sense of annoyance.
Xeiemia sighed as she responded defeatedly "Yea sure, I can do three hours..." She sighed deeply as she stared down at the stuff she prepared.
Ennzoll happily stated "Thank youuuu, I can always count on you Xeiemia!" With that he hung up the contact.
Xeiemia muttered to herself "Why me? Seraphim and Ivan are both free, just because I don't work while on my time off doesn't mean I should be brought on for every fucking job!" She leaned back as her shoulders stayed a step ahead, she sighed through her teeth as she finished.
Her eyes stared at her dark ceiling, even with the sun the black colour made sleeping easier, she sighed as she muttered "I hope the new champion isn't much of a handful..." She leaned forward and stared at the floor as she tentatively stated with a hint of sadness "I hope...They will be able to fill Silas shoes..." Her eyes quivered as she felt liquid attempt to be released, though she restrained herself.
Vladimir looked in surprise as Ennzoll stepped away from the cube, he returned his gaze back to Vlad with a soft smile. Vladimir couldn't help but shake a feeling of joy within his heart, though he drowned it out by demanding the fact he was just trying to survive.
Ennzoll slowly approached Vladimir, Elena standing a bit off to the side with a dumbfounded expression plastered on her face as she stared at Ennzoll. Ennzoll calmly placed a hand on Vlads shoulder as he calmly nodded to him, which Vladimir didn't fully understand.
Elena coughed into her fist as she spoke up "Excuse me Ennzoll, why!...Did you choose Xeiemia of all people for this?" She cocked her head to the side as she finished.
Ennzoll looked at her in surprise as he asked "Is...There a problem with Xeiemia?" His head slightly tilted.
Elena tensed her whole body as she attempted to keep her cool, though was failing as she firmly exclaimed "Yes, it's Xeiemia, she's...Xeiemia...Absolute chaos incarnate! And like mentally twelve!" Her shoulders raised to match her neck.
Ennzoll responded swiftly "Okay that last part is a personal thing, but I do get your other concerns, but I feel she would be fine with Vladimir, she would understand his limits and would try to help him overcome them" He smiled softly to Elena.
Elena grasped her forehead as she groaned audibly before groggily asking "Is he at least going to get a uniform or outfit? Or even a weapon?" Her eyes lazily stared at Ennzoll.
Ennzoll nodded firmly as he turned to Vladimir "You should actually go to get that now, Elena you can accompany him there" He turned back to Elena calmly.
Elena inhaled swiftly though soon responded calmly "Alright, let's go Vladimir" She calmly turned to Vladimir.
Vladimir looked at her in surprise but soon nodded firmly, the two walked calmly towards the door out, though Vladimir had a sense of unease to him still. Ennzoll watched the two leave calmly, with a soft smile on his face, he even waved goodbye to them.
Vladimir walked out first before Elena followed, giving Ennzoll a glance before closing the door. Ennzoll smiled for a few moments, his hand still giving a slow and small wave held just a bit above his head. His fingers were firm and kept high up, though they clenched slowly.
His smile disappeared as he lowered his hand, he stared at the floor with a look of pure horror in his eyes. He muttered softly to himself in a bit above a whisper "He's been cursed...I'm so sorry...But...Maybe he can end this..." He felt a tinge of hope in his soul as he finished.
Ennzoll calmly looked upwards before stating
"Good luck, Vladimir Nikito..."