Steampunk Apocalypse! - 188 Soul Seal

“UGHHH.” Ed groaned as he repeatedly blinked his eyes. His vision was blurry, and there was a buzzing in his ears. Looking down at his body, he seemed to be rather young, hardly beyond the age of walking.

Suddenly, his vision flashed white. When he reawoke, he was already nearing ten years in age. As he was about to bathe, he looked at his reflection in the water. He had curly brown hair and piercing blue eyes. ‘Who am I?’ Ed wondered. Usually his memories would quickly fill in, but he was only getting bits and pieces at the moment. ‘A prince?’ He suddenly thought. ‘But of where?’

Ed lived the next year relatively peacefully. His father was strict, treating him with military discipline. Before even reaching double digits in age, he was already training with full grown men in the military. Not just that, but reading, leadership lessons, and strategy games were the norms for how he spent every day. However, he loved his busy days, and he excelled at everything he tried. His father praised him so heavily that his ego grew large, and he truly believed himself to be far superior to ordinary men. Of course, as the prince of a rather insignificant kingdom, many would disagree with the high opinion he had granted himself. The Kingdom of Macedonia had recently expanded to encompass some nearby city states, but it was still insignificant on the larger world stage.

One day, a merchant brought an unruly horse that refused to be mounted. Ed’s father, the king, was about to turn the horse and merchant away. Ed realized that the horse simply feared its own shadow, and he felt a sudden impulse to train the horse. It wasn’t long before the horse was tamed and his to keep, much to his delight.

…

Another flash of light and more memories were missed. Like reading an incomplete book or working on a broken puzzle, Ed was missing many key moments of his upbringing. The seal must have done a heavy number on his soul over the years for so much information to have vanished.

Now, he appeared to already be entering his teens. His father, King Phillip II, had decided that his son needed a tutor. After much debate, a man known as Aristotle was chosen. The well-known philosopher would teach the young boy in exchange for his home town being rebuilt after it had been razed to the ground.

…

Another flash of light and Ed now stood in front of an old man. The man wore decorative robes and had a rounded white beard.

“Teacher.” Ed respectfully greeted him.

“Alexander.” Aristotle smiled. “Your father believes you’re destined for greatness beyond this small kingdom, but I’ll be the true judge of that.”

“???” Ed stared at the man in confusion. ‘Who does this man think he is for him to decide?’ He conceitedly wondered.

Suddenly, Aristotle rose a hand in front of his chest, and a blue gas-like substance danced on his palm. “Do you see it?” He asked. “Do you feel it?”

“What is that?” Ed tilted his head in confusion. He had never seen such a gaseous substance before, but he could feel it stinging his skin even from nearly a meter away.

“It is known as aether.” Aristotle explained. “Those that can use it are destined for great things, but they are also destined to face harsh trials.” His face grew slightly dark. “Learning it means obtaining great power, but if you’re ever caught using it, then you will be hunted for the rest of your life. Do you wish to learn?”

Ed hesitated as he rubbed his chin. As he continued to examine the aether in his teacher’s hands, his desire to learn about it grew greater and greater. He didn’t know why, but he felt as if he and it were connected by fate. “I’ll learn it.” He grinned. “I’d like to see who is so bold as to think they could hunt me down.”

“Very well.” Aristotle nodded seriously. “As promised to your father, I shall teach you philosophy, history, economics, literature, and logic during our originally planned lessons. Afterwards, will be lessons on the natural world, including the elements and the soul. I will see if you have what it takes to become my proper heir for aether.

…

Ed’s vision suddenly went blurry, and the world turned fuzzy as it seemed to fast forward in time. He saw visions of his teacher passing teachings onto him of fire, water, earth, and air. These were the four elements he had talent for in this life, and he planned to learn them all.

His life remained relatively unchanged for many years. He studied art, history, and logic during the day, in addition to training with the military regularly. At night, he secretly practiced the elements. He seemed to be a natural at it, and his tutelage underneath Aristotle soon came to an end.

There were some fights and conflicts with his father, whom had fallen in love and chosen to remarry, much to Ed’s distaste. A new child would threaten his position as heir, and he was greatly displeased with the idea. Fortunately, things were resolved between the father and son over time.

…

The vision suddenly jumped. Ed was coronated as King of Macedonia at age 20, as his father had just been assassinated. ‘The time has come.’ His eyes narrowed as excitement burned in his soul. Whether it be war, strategy, or aether, he had thoroughly studied them all, and he was ready to put them to use. He lifted his hand, a subtle golden glow covering his fingertips. The golden light moved and weaved as he wished, forming a vague map of the surrounding lands. ‘Teacher said the benefits of golden faith will only grow greater the greater a legend I create. The more people that believe in me, the greater my powers will become.’ Resolve flashed in his eyes. “I will reach the end of the world and the Great Outer Sea. All shall hear of my legends for generations to come!”

…

Another time-jump. Ed rode his horse he had raised from youth into battle. He excelled at cavalry warfare, and he intended to show his enemies exactly how good he was in his first battle as king. Not long after he had been crowned king, vassals had rebelled throughout the kingdom. Ed marched his army to Thrace, where he quickly defeated the Illyrians and Triballi. Despite being outnumbered, his superior cavalry tactics easily won the day. The Siege of Pelium and Battle of Thebes followed, and he quickly won both battles again. The Kingdom of Macedonia had quickly been restored to peace, and he hadn’t even been forced to utilize his aether.

…

Ed was not satisfied with just his current lands. With the kingdom restored to peace, the time had come to focus on expanding the empire. Thus, began the Persian Campaign against the Achaemenid Empire. The battle of Granicus, the Siege of Miletus, and many more great battles and sieges took place over the course of seven years. Throughout the war, Ed never once resorted to aether or golden faith energy, keeping it well-hidden as had been instructed by his teacher, Aristotle. He didn’t know who would hunt him down if he was caught doing so, and he was confident in defeating whomever tried, but as he had not been forced into a corner to use it, he simply saw no need to.

…

The Persian Campaign ended in nothing but victory. New cities were built in Alexander’s honor, such as Alexandria. Ed had chosen Babylon as the new capital of his ever-growing empire.

‘The golden faith just keeps rolling in.’ He grinned to himself in private as he constructed his own holy kingdom, a vast golden continent filled with the souls of his dead soldiers and those of the armies he had crushed. The golden faith energy strengthened his body and mana, making him feel more invincible than ever. “Up next is India.” He confidently stated.

…

The Indian Campaign was going well. The same as always, Ed conquered his enemies without the use of his aether. He often wondered if others really knew how to use it throughout the world. Not once in his life had he seen a hint of someone else using it. Perhaps there were truly too few practitioners, or maybe Aristotle’s warning was correct, and using it was far too dangerous.

As the Indian Campaign was a couple years underway, Alexander’s men began to grow tired, wishing to return home. They had fought long and hard for nearly a decade between this campaign and the last. However, Alexander kept pushing them forward. The farther they went, the more golden faith he collected, and the more addicted he grew to collecting it.

…

Soon, the last battle for Alexander’s army had arrived, though not by his own choice. The Siege of Multan had been a success, and he had plans to conquer the rest of the Indian subcontinent next. However, his plans were soon cut short when he met with an unexpected guest.

“You’ve gone far enough.” A deep voice bellowed, startling Ed from his sleep.

Panicked, Ed hurriedly jumped up within his tent and took a defensive position. Almost instinctively, he activated his aether and golden faith. Golden flames blazed over his entire body, lighting the tent up brightly.

In front of Ed stood the strangest man he had ever seen. Four arms, blue skin, and golden clothing. If not for the man’s face, no one would believe such a creature was human. “Who are you?!” He questioned while enlarging the spheres of golden flames in his hands.

“I see. I see.” The blue-skinned man nodded repeatedly. “So, this is how you’ve made it so far. The use of aether is not meant for the wars of mortals. You have broken the code.”

“I’ve never once used aether to win a battle!” He shouted back, feeling insulted at what was being suggested. He was a proud man, and all of his battles had been won through superior war formations and cavalry. He had no need for aether against his fellow men.

“Is that so?” The man rubbed his chin with his upper-left arm. A golden flash appeared in his eyes. “I see. I see. It’s true.” He nodded. “Either way, you’ve gone far enough. These lands are under my domain, and I shall allow you to proceed no further. Turn back and return home.”

Ed’s eyes narrowed as he carefully examined the man. He felt instinctive danger, like sirens blaring in his head. However, his pride refused to allow him to back down. “And if I refuse?” He questioned.

“Then I will turn you back by force.” The man’s face turned angry at having been defied. “I’ve already been quite generous by sparing your life, mortal. Be grateful.”

‘He calls himself a god just because he has aether? How is that any different than me?’ Ed conceitedly thought to himself. No longer hesitating, he quickly pushed both arms forward. A spiraling burst of golden flames quickly sprung forward, enveloping the man and the tent.

‘Let’s see how you handle this!’ Ed smiled as he drew his sword. A stony shell grew from nowhere to cover the sword, making it both harder and sharper. Wind pushed from behind, hastening his steps as he moved. “DIE!” He commanded as he swung the sword down with all his might, a golden glow covering the blade.

“Yet to have even stepped upon the realm of laws.” The blue-skinned man suddenly sighed. He lazily caught the sword with one hand. Then, he slowly reached forward with another hand and flicked Alexander on the forehead, causing all of Ed’s powers to immediately sputter out.

“How?!” Ed muttered in shock as he took several steps back. This was his first defeat in life, and he wasn’t sure how to process it yet. ‘Am I going to die?’ He wondered.

“A pity.” The foreign man sighed while shaking his head. “So much talent is going to go to waste when you’re killed.” He turned to leave. “Do enjoy your few remaining days. I wish you the best of luck.” He took a step, preparing to leave.

“Wait!” Ed suddenly called after him. “What do you mean? If you aren’t going to kill me, then why would I die?” He asked.

The man glanced back, a pitying look in his eyes. “You’ve revealed your aether to the world. If it was a minor conflict elsewhere, then it might’ve gone unnoticed. But many gods have been watching you lately, and many would be watching me as well. There’s no way our conflict has gone unnoticed, and so you will be killed very soon.”

“The gods will kill me?!” Ed questioned in disbelief.

The blue-skin man waved as he walked away. “The gods do not like new competitors for the throne. It took so long to get to this point, so how could they possibly accept new competition? You can only curse your bad luck for being born a genius at the wrong time.” The man suddenly vanished, as if he had never there to begin with. “I still meant what I said. You shall not move any further into my territory, or I will kill you myself.” The man’s final words echoed.

Screams and shouts suddenly spread throughout the camp as the soldiers noticed the inferno near Alexander’s tent. Ed hurriedly snuffed the fires out with his powers and ordered the soldiers to return to their stations. ‘Damn!’ He bit his thumb in frustration. ‘Is this why teacher warned me, and why the training was kept secret? Aether and golden faith is actually the path towards godhood, but the gods do now allow new members to join their ranks?’

Frustrated, Ed paced back-and-forth amongst the remnants of his burnt tent, debating on what course of action to take next.

…

The next day, the troops were ordered to return home. Overjoyed, their great army began the long trek back towards Babylon. With their morale greatly increased, the journey was a smooth and quick one. However, Ed’s worry grew the further he journeyed. There was a tingling sense of danger shadowing over his head at every moment, and his only confusion was why the gods had yet to strike. Perhaps they were limited by time or distance, or maybe they were debating amongst themselves on whether or not to do so. For all he knew, they could just be enjoying the suspense like a game, or maybe they were plotting an assassination instead of dirtying their own hands. Unfortunately, he had no idea what way things were going to go.

…

Ed soon returned to his palace in Babylon. For now, things were relatively peaceful. He sat on his throne and stared in dissatisfaction at a map of the territories he had conquered. The territory of his great empire encompassed what would someday become modern day Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. But he had wanted to go so much further. So much of India was left unconquered, and he was still so young at barely over thirty years in age.

‘Would it have been better if I had never learned aether?’ He sighed to himself while shaking his head. ‘No, I don’t regret it. I only regret not being strong enough to defeat those above me.’ He glanced at a nearby bust of the divine hero Heracles. His face contorted into a frown as he stared at it. ‘Is Heracles one of the gods? Were all the gods just ordinary men a long time ago?’

Suddenly, a man stepped out of the void in front of Ed. He was a muscular young man wearing clean white robes. A golden glow covered his body, and just at a glance, Ed could tell the man was far more powerful than himself.

“Has my time come?” Ed asked, feeling disgusted by his own weakness.

“It has.” The man nodded while glancing at the same bust that Ed had just been staring at. He nervously laughed. “Haha, even after all this time, it still feels weird seeing statues of myself.”

“Heracles?!” Ed questioned in shock, now recognizing the man. A wry smiled appeared on his face. “I see. So, the legends of old are true.”

“Many are exaggerated, but more or less.” The man nodded. “Truthfully, I feel quite sympathetic for you. I went through a similar experience, but in my case, my father was already a powerful god. It was only thanks to his support that I had the chance to rise in status myself.”

“I see…” Ed nodded. “So, how are we ending things?” He sighed while closing his eyes.

Heracles pulled out a small jug of wine. “I convinced the others to give you a graceful death and allow you time to make final preparations for your empire. This wine is brewed with a special poison that could kill even weaker gods.” He placed the jug on the ground. “It’ll give you ten days to live. No more. No less. Please drink it.”

Ed opened his eyes and stared silently at the jug of wine. After several minutes, he sighed and stood up to fetch it. Having already resolved himself to his fate, he opened the jug and gulped it down in one go. “To Heracles!” He sarcastically cheered as he rose the empty jug high in the air.

“Thanks.” Heracles nodded. “Everyone watched you drink it, so you should enjoy peace for your few remaining days.”

Slightly intoxicated by the literal wine of the gods, Ed walked back towards his throne and slumped down into it. “Tell me.” He muttered. “Why do you prevent new gods from rising? What is the throne that the blue-skinned one mentioned?”

“The throne of the entire world naturally.” Heracles honestly replied, knowing that dead men told no tales. Even if Alexander muttered such nonsense in his final days, who would believe him? The wine would keep him intoxicated and slur his voice, adding even less credibility to his words.

“…The throne of the world?” Ed repeated. “Would I really have been competition?”

“Based on what you’ve accomplished during your life, you likely would have been a fierce competitor if allowed to grow.” Heracles nodded. “I’ve long supported my father in his claim for the throne, so I’m given a bit of a pass by most of the gods.”

“I see…” Ed nodded. “But why fear the newcomers so much then? Even if I was competition, barely anyone in the world has ever even heard of aether. Why would the gods go to such extremes?”

“It is hard to explain to mortals.” Heracles sighed while shaking his head. “A god well-versed in the laws of time has been claiming for the last thousand years that the person to take the throne would be born soon in an area encompassed by your empire. It’s only natural that the gods would grow wary of new competitors, and so they’ve snuffed them out before they could rise whenever given the chance. With your empire encompassing said-area, they’re even more wary of you than usual new competitors.”

“I see…” He nodded again. “And what will happen to me after I die? What will happen to my soul?” He questioned.

“It depends.” Heracles said. “If you have faith in myself or my father, we’ll be able to take you and your followers into our holy kingdoms. Such a boon of powerful souls would be most-welcomed.”

“And if I don’t have faith?” He questioned.

“Then the others will absolutely not allow you to reincarnate.” Heracles explained. “They’ll fight over your soul by force if they have too. Both to increase their own power and to ensure you are not reincarnated as a new competitor.”

Ed lazily leaned back in his throne and stared at his ceiling in depression. ‘I was simply born at the wrong time. They won’t even give me a 2nd chance at competing for the throne.’ He sighed while closing his eyes. “Thank you for being honest with me.” He casually waved his hand. “You may leave now.”

“Very well.” Heracles nodded and turned to leave. “For what it’s worth, I tried to get my father to support letting you join our faction, but he wasn’t willing to hear it.” He took a step and vanished, disappearing from Ed’s sight.

“Ten days…” Ed muttered to himself. “I won’t even have enough time to return home.” For the first time in his life, he longed for his hometown of Pella in Macedonia. ‘Would teacher be disappointed with my failure?’ He smiled sadly to himself.

…

The next day, Ed could already feel himself growing weaker. The poison seemed to have infected the core of his powers, and his aether grew sluggish as a result. With no heir to the throne, he didn’t particularly care what was to happen to his empire after he was gone. ‘The strongest vassals will naturally take control of what they can.’ He decided. He wasn’t going to pass the empire to a single general or vassal just for it to fall to ruins afterwards. He’d rather keep his own legacy intact by not associating himself with such a failure.

Quickly growing bored, Ed began exploring the ancient Babylonian palace. If he was going to die, he at least wanted to spend his final days enjoying adventure just like he had always done. He may not be able to explore the vast Indian subcontinent, but he could at least explore his own ancient palace he had taken over during his campaigns.

Ed slowly explored the library, the palace grounds, and many other rooms. Several days quickly passed, and he grew weaker with each day. His vassals had yet to notice, but soon he would be unable to hide it. The end of the empire was coming, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

With only five days left remaining, Ed began exploring the catacombs. He did not wish to be buried here, as he believed it proper to be buried in his hometown along with his father. However, he wouldn’t exactly get a say in the matter after his death. As such a famous conqueror, it wouldn’t be unusual for his vassals to bury him elsewhere against his wishes. In fact, just having his body buried in their city would be something to brag about for generations to come.

While exploring the catacombs, Alexander came across the remains of the first Babylonian king. The coffin was decorated with ancient glyphs that felt oddly familiar to Ed.

‘What is this?’ He thought as a golden flash appeared in his eyes. Suddenly, the glyphs rose into the air, forming what looked like a golden mathematical equation.

‘A soul seal?!’ Ed thought in shock. His teacher had taught him about the existence of such things, but not even Aristotle’s teacher had known a soul seal. The art was long lost to time, probably thanks to the recent actions of the gods competing for their so-called throne.

‘This… This is exactly what I need!’ Ed’s eyes turned red with greed as he zealously studied the arcane formation. If he understood it correctly, it would allow him to seal his soul so that no one could detect who he was in his former lives. He would be able to forcefully reincarnate despite the wishes of the gods for him to not do so. The seal would force him to live good lives where he would slowly accumulate good karma, and over time, the seal would degrade. His good karma would present new opportunities, though new sufferings would come with it. Eventually, the seal would vanish entirely, returning him the memories of all his former lives. ‘I must master it!’ He immediately sat down in meditation next to the formation, slowly studying the various characters.

…

Days quickly passed. Ed continued growing weaker, and his frequent trips to the catacombs caused vicious rumors to spread amongst his vassals. His incoherent speech didn’t help the matter, and rumors of him being poisoned quickly spread. However, he could care less. He would be dead soon, and this was his only chance at a 2nd beginning. His only chance to someday take revenge against the twisted gods that had forced this fate upon him.

Each time Ed gained enough understanding of a glyph, it would shoot into his head and fuse into his soul. Unfortunately, time was quickly running out. In the final hours of his final day, he had turned sickly pale in color. Sweat covered his body, and blood was starting to drip from his eyes as he stared at the glyphs.

‘I’m out of time. Hopefully 80 percent is enough.’ He thought as he closed his eyes and activated the formation. The arcane characters burned into his soul, forming a strange shield around it. As the formation progressed, his eyes slowly grew dull, and before long, he fell unconscious.

…

Ed suddenly reawoke in the void, his incomplete memories of Alexander still flooding his head. ‘…Alexander the Great.’ He thought to himself in disbelief. This past life was more extraordinary than any other, and he was even more shocked by the true cause of his death. However, he also felt slightly discomforted by his origins. ‘I’m only here today because of that seal… My affinity with the seven elements. Is that also due to the karma seal? Everything went as Alexander wished it?’ He frowned in dissatisfaction. Despite knowing that Alexander’s life was also his own past life, he felt that it somehow cheapened his own accomplishments. ‘Did I not struggle from the bottom? Did I not force my way up in this world?’ He looked towards the Samsara Wheel of Life, but nothing happened. It seemed Alexander had really been his first life after all.

“The seal is broken.” Buddha suddenly interrupted Ed’s thoughts. “Tell me. What do you think of your past lives?”

Ed closed his eyes in thought for a moment before reopening them. “They are not me.” He confidently stated. “I may have lived through those lives in the past, and my own life may share similarities with some of my past lives, but I am me and they are them.”

“Mm. You understand well.” Buddha nodded. “Samsara is suffering, and to escape suffering you must sever the cycle of suffering.” He looked at Ed encouragingly. “Do you understand?”

“I do.” He nodded. “The suffering of my past lives is not my suffering. The suffering of my own life is largely related to the karma between the past and the present. If I don’t break the cycle, then karmic suffering will continue into my next lives indefinitely.” Determination flashed in his eyes. “I’ll sever my past and future lives, living this life as my only life and my last life! I’ll escape Samsara with no regrets!”