The Immortal World - Ikaris

A cloud of shimmering gold dust pulsed with the faint embers of a dying star, adrift in a digital void indistinguishable from the cavern walls. Beside it, a web-like structure clung to an organic wall, seemingly carved from a million intricate crystals.
This wasn't just any wall; it held the accumulated memories of every Eternal. Each of the tens of thousands of tiny crystal chambers housed a flicker of a life once lived. Now, only one glowed.
Ethereal, almost alien in its brilliance, it pulsed with warm, golden light that illuminated the delicate threads branching out like neural pathways. These pathways flickered, desperate to ignite anew, but sputtered and dimmed with each attempt.
Then, a shard of golden light erupted from the wall, engulfing the cloud. In a surge of brilliance, something stirred awake. Not just something, but someone - a fragment of a vast, slumbering whole.
...…
Ikaris awoke…
He cracked open his eyes, scanning the room with a critical gaze, as if everything was newly unfamiliar despite being recognizable.
The transformation from Xavier to Ikaris was subtle yet profound; his eyes, which once held the playful curiosity of a young man, now reflected a depth of ancient wisdom and quiet strength.
It was an instant change in perspective…
"How childish…" Ikaris murmured, examining himself introspectively.
There was an intensity in his demeanor, a disciplined stillness that spoke of centuries of experience layered atop Xavier's youthful bravado.
An odd, but strangely uniform, mix…
The Eternal's eyes landed on Bella, his face contorted in something resembling guilt and understanding, almost as if forgiving himself for a perceived slight.
"You don't know better yet…" Ikaris whispered.
There was Xavier…
It was Xavier in Ikaris's body, but undeniably Xavier, more fully Xavier than he had felt in a long time.
It was as if a forgotten password had unlocked a dormant part of him, allowing him to reconcile the title of Ikaris from the person of Xavier; since Ikaris was exactly that – a title.
The integration made him feel more well-rounded, mentally sharper, and emotionally grounded; The Eternal hardly realized he had been walking a tightrope between sinking into himself and being suppressed by himself.
"Ugh…" Ikaris groaned.
A pulse of cosmic energy rippled through his muscles…
The Eternal, with a thought, disciplined the chaotic cosmic currents flowing through his body; the energy obeyed his command due to a confidence and foresight Xavier could never manage.
An inexhaustible wealth of experiences separated Ikaris from Xavier…
Ikaris closed his eyes for a moment, sending his cosmic potential, noting how it was much more mature than it had any business being in this current stage of physical development.
"This body should reach thirty years of adulthood before Cosmic Energy from the outside begins to supplement that which the heart produces," he murmured.
Ikaris opened his eyes, stoking the cosmic energy that burned brightly, a steady, reassuring flame within him.
Yet, something else snagged at the edges of his power – it was not particularly draining to a mature Eternal but for Xavier, and the inexperience that came with him, Ikaris could imagine it was as if drinking one drop of water at a time when exhausted.
He focused, his eyes flaring a celestial blue – different from the golden glow of Xavier's cosmic energy – and traced the connection across miles of forest, through trees, houses, and across a river, back to his mansion on the outskirts.
Ikaris's vision, honed through skillful cosmic manipulations involving the light spectra, pierced through these obstacles effortlessly; he saw Angela pacing about the living room, a worried crease etched on her brow.
"Intriguing," he murmured, realizing she was on the precipice of the first stage of becoming an Eternal – potential exhaustion.
Ikaris floated out of the bed where he lay next to Bella without making a sound, displaying a level of mastery unmatched by Xavier.
The transition from horizontal to vertical seemed effortless, a testament to his control over his cosmic powers; his movements were fluid and precise, like a dancer in perfect harmony with the music of the cosmos.
Ikaris took one final look around before he started to walk toward the window, he did not pause or hesitate.

Two feet from the window, just as it seemed as if he was about to walk through the wall, gravitons stirred, responding to his will; he mobilized cosmic energy, weaving its nature as light with the gravitons.
Multicolored rays shimmered in the air around The Eternal, casting ethereal patterns on the walls; in the next moment, he was no longer in Bella's bedroom but standing in the living room of his mansions, startling a pacing Angela.
Their eyes met, and Ikaris extended his hand in her direction, a look of regret mingling with determination on his face. "I'm sorry, Angela," he said softly, a hint of indifferent unfamiliarity resonating with the weight of his decision. "But I need my cosmic energy back for what comes next."
Angela's eyes widened in surprise before a profound sense of weakness overcame her; she swayed, then fell unconscious, her body floating gently toward Ikaris.
A connection, a thin thread that existed between them had been severed, and he had done it for both himself and the young woman.
"You can't handle such a connection," The Eternal said, knowing just what would become of a mortal who swayed too strongly into cosmic territory. "This way, you won't die during the change."
Ikaris, though feeling none of the affection Xavier harbored, guided Angela to the couch with care, laying her down as if she were the most delicate porcelain doll in the world.
For a moment, he lingered, his gaze filled with a mixture of sorrow and resolve.
Ikaris was wholesome, Xavier was fresh and youthful, but what emerged from the underground would be someone standing at the midpoint of such lines.
The eternal paused as he turned the corner, his eyes flashing as he stared at the stairs leading to the upper floor; he concentrated his senses to pick up the steps that scurried back into the room.
Obviously, Jessie and Brittney had witnessed something they should not have…
"Xavier will solve it," Ikaris groaned.
His interpersonal skills were not nearly as developed as Xavier's was; or perhaps, his skills had developed to the point that they became obsolete in the ways humans could recognize it.
An array of emotions flickered across Ikaris's face – determination, apprehension, purpose – as he made his way down the stairs into the basement; his steps echoing softly in the silence of the mansion.
The basement was a labyrinth of secrets, possessing rooms so strange that Xavier should have long started wondering just what his mansion was.
Ikaris passed the aquarium with its shimmering aquatic life, each aquatic creature rarer than the last, the arcade room filled with vintage machines, and the panic room, more meant to protect the world from a mad wy'ry Eternal than to protect The Eternal from the world.
The Eternal ventured further…
The Imprinting room, where Xavier had granted Angela authority over the mansion's computer systems, stood as a monument to their bond.
"I have to rescind that authority soon," Ikaris whispered. "What was I thinking, giving a teenage girl access to something so technologically advanced?"
He ventured further, moving through spaces Xavier had never known existed – the historical reliquary held relics from centuries past, each item a fragment of a forgotten story held close to The Eternal's heart.
Further along, in the genetic laboratories, DNA samples were stored with meticulous precision, a testament to the relentless pursuit of knowledge.
With each step, Ikaris felt the weight of his purpose pressing down on him and he knew it was far from an ordinary feeling – it meant he was getting closer to the source.
A normal person would have already crumbled under the pressure…
He marched on, possibly for miles, until he reached a cavern – a sanctuary hidden deep within the earth, his very own bat cave; a once-upon-of-time home for Eternals on Earth.
War, as humans were familiar, spared not even the gods, and Eternals were no gods…
Eventually, the entrance to the cavern made itself known, a narrow, rough-hewn tunnel that gradually widened into a grand subterranean chamber.
The walls were a blend of natural rock and ancient architecture, with intricately carved stone pillars supporting the high, vaulted ceiling – the carving reminded Ikaris of gruesome battles in long-dried swamps that were once home to Krakens and Drowners.
The cavern had the solemnity of a temple, an atmosphere that spoke of both reverence and raw, untamed power; it felt like a forgotten space, buried deep within the earth, untouched by time.
"How long has it been?" The Eternal thought.
Even as Ikaris, memories of the past couple of decades were vague at best, but memories of the distant past, thousands of years prior could be recalled with perfect clarity.
If Xavier was the present…
Ikaris was the past…
It took both the core and the cloud storing its existence to ensure the stability of an Eternal…
A brush of gravity rippled off Ikaris's skin, the air thick with the hum of magnetism, a low, resonant vibration that seemed almost synthetic, as if the very stones were alive with energy.
The Eternal advanced…
The walls glowed faintly with soft, pulsating light, casting eerie shadows that danced across the jagged surfaces of semi-carved rocks; floating slab stones, their shells composed mostly of magnetite, hovered gently in the air, their surfaces smooth and dark, reflecting the dim light in odd patterns.
Ikaris took a deep breath as he hopped from one floating rock to the next, each leap a calculated risk, showcasing his extraordinary balance and control.
The rocks swayed beneath his feet, but he moved with an agility that bordered on the supernatural; each step was precise, each jump a testament to his unmatched skill.
"Why did I make this place Eternal-proof?" He internally complained.
The countermeasures in place, designed to thwart even him, served as a constant reminder that immense power wielded without restraint was no different from suicide.
If an environment could kill, then humans could as well…
Eventually, hopping from one stone slab to the next, Ikaris stood in the heart of the cavern, standing atop a pedestal that had been smoothed out by the currents of time.
The palpable energy of the earth reverberated beneath his feet…
Ikaris took a deep breath, feeling the cosmic currents within him align with the magnetic forces around him; this place, a sanctuary, and a prison, was where he could truly harness the full extent of his abilities.
With a concentrated furrow, The Eternal allowed the energy to flow through him.
The cavern responded, the magnetite humming in resonance with his power.
He felt the gravitational pull of the earth, the cosmic energy of the universe, and the magnetic force of the rocks converge within him, a symphony of forces harmonizing in perfect balance.
In this moment, he was more than just Ikaris or Xavier – he had become a nexus of Cosmic Energy, a living conduit of power and purpose, reigniting the long dormant core of the forgotten temple.
And, of course, it was no mere temple ruins…
The air around Ikaris crackled with energy, the multicolored rays of light intensifying as the cavern shifted, morphed, and rearranged itself.
The illusion of a dilapidated temple fell away, revealing a space that was both ancient and futuristic, a place where time seemed to blur and merge.
This was the hallmark of Eternal technology, striking the balance been solemnity and ancientness with cosmic patterns and the futuristic technology it powered.
When everything finished the shift, Ikaris now stood on a bridge of blue crystal pulsing with cybernetic lines, his body being pushed ahead at incredible speeds as if he had entered an underground world instead of a mega-cavern.
Ikaris stared into the depths, his vision pierced through the darkness with unerring clarity; ahead, far ahead, was a massive wall made of transparent crystals.
The crystals were dim enough to blend into the nearby darkness, their surfaces rough and unpolished; they emitted a faint, ethereal glow, casting a subtle light that seemed to pulse in time with the magnetic hum of the cavern.
The wall of memories inspired a complex mix of feelings in Ikaris's chest…
There was awe at its sheer size and beauty, a sense of reverence for the ancient power it represented while remaining fully vigilant of the terrors it could unleash in the right hands.
Not the wrong hands, the right hands since The Wall of Memories was not an Eternal creation to begin with…
The wall seemed to call to him, beckoning him to unlock its secrets, to tap into the vast reservoir of energy it contained.
"Just not conducive energy," Ikaris reminded himself.
Cosmic Energy was higher-order energy as far as universal rankings were concerned but whatever powered The Wall of Memories was an order greater than Cosmic Potential.
The Eternal felt the crystal bridge beneath his feet halt, stopping just a couple of feet from the wall; he started to approach, each step echoing softly in the cavernous space.
The closer he got, the more he felt the power emanating from the crystals, a deep, resonant energy that suppressed his own cosmic essence.
It was as if the wall was a mirror, reflecting his inner weaknesses and insecurities.
Reaching out to the only dimly glowing crystal cove, Ikaris hesitated for an instant, his inner-Xavier rebelling against his current actions, but in the end, the will with more memories won out.
The Eternal's placed a hand on the crystal surface…
The moment his fingers made contact, a surge of energy flowed through him, connecting him to the heart of the cavern, The DOMO, and the endless memories that resided within it.
The Wall of Memories pulsed with life, a testament to the ancient forces that had shaped it and the future it was actively manifesting.
Thin tendrils of neural connection, dense enough to slice an asteroid in two, snaked around Ikaris, creating a cocoon meant to restrain him as much as it was to protect him.
As the last of the tendrils slid into place, The Eternal slipped into a deep coma, synapses firing at incredible speed as long-dormant memories awakened in full.
Ikaris, the title and extension of Xavier, sunk into dormancy as its job had been completed; now, the true awakening of Xavier Ikaris Aionios had begun.