Cyrus Solaris
"Anquaris. Anquaris." A soothing voice whispered.
My eyes cracked open; bright orange light crawled its way in, beckoning me out of a deep slumber.
My body felt refreshed. The injuries I'd sustained were gone, and my core was once again full of cosmic energy.
How is that possible? I was running on fumes!
"Anquaris, you're finally awake." A soft voice said from above.
It was the same warm, soft, flaming form of my mother, flickering above me.
"I found you lying here, so I gave you some of my cosmic energy to help you heal," she said, cupping my face.
"You saved me… again."
"Of course, that's what mothers are supposed to do." She said, smiling.
"I just wish there was something I could do for you…" I said, my fist tightening at my side.
Around us was a desolate environment. There were no world trees, no swamps, and no large animals or creatures crawling around.
It was a dry, brittle wasteland of dirt. Hundred-foot-tall skeletons jutted from the earth, alongside hard, almost metallic casings shaped like the insect-like creatures I'd seen in the jungle. Some were half-buried in the ground, while others stood upright, like strange works of art.
It was like a graveyard…
"I-Is this the place?"
She nodded, her flaming form flickering.
"This is the ancient Exoskeleton Graveyard. A place where behemoths of ancient Elyria would come to molt from their old skin, and metamorphose into something new.
This was the battleground of some of the most dangerous creatures of this continent."
"And the echo I need to meet pretends to live here of all places?"
"Sadly, yes."
"Of course it does. How much further do I have left before I get to this Atë hideout?"
"A few more miles."
I lifted my moon and let it slowly orbit me again.
"That's closer than I thought."
A moving object with cosmic energy entered my senses.
"Should we get going?"
My mother winced at my words.
"I'm afraid I can't. The cosmic energy I used to replenish your core severely affected my ability to maintain this projection. So I have to leave. But I'll be back soon to help. I promise." She gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"You're doing well, Anquaris. Just stay alive a little longer. When I get back, we'll defeat this rift together.
I leaned forward to hug her, but her form faded away. Leaving me feeling alone and empty.
See you soon, Mom….
I continued north, walking further inside the Exoskeleton Graveyard, weaving through the remnants of the fallen behemoths.
I was lucky that these things were dead; after fighting the behemoths in the jungle, I understood just how dangerous this whole thing could get.
If these creatures are this big, just how big is the Rift guardian? These skeletons are bigger than the Hydra I faced in the first one.
Actually, I don't want to think about it.
But as I walked, my stomach began to make its demands known, its deep, rumbling growl becoming impossible to ignore.
After expanding so much fighting, running, and healing, I'd completely forgotten about eating. I could try to suppress the feeling, using my breathing techniques to focus on other needs. But what good would it do if my stomach refused to listen?.
Walking a little further, I saw something squirm on the ground, slithering around the ribs of an old skeleton.
I followed it, hoping it would lead me to its lair, where more of its kind might be hiding.
It led me to an elongated, curving exoskeleton with dozens of legs on each side.
The site was horrific; a whole colony of worms, beetles, and other insects lived inside the hollowed-out exoskeleton.
I used Gravity Well Minor to lift the long carcass off the ground and folded its ends upwards, creating a bowl so nothing could escape.
I began to feast on them.
I couldn't care less if they had toxins; the Hydra Scale would fix it.
The sound of my teeth crunching down on the backs of beetles was satisfying; it was almost like eating hard candy.
There is no way these things taste this good.
"They're delicious, aren't they?" A smooth and eloquent voice said, pulling me out of my meal.
With my cheeks filled to the brim, I looked up and saw an eight-foot-tall figure floating towards me, their face hidden under a dark cloak.
I stood up, preparing for a fight, my moon swirling around me.
"W-who are you?" I said, spitting out the bugs I was chewing on.
The figure stopped, now only ten feet away.
"I should be asking you; you are in my home." The echo said, taking the floating boat of bugs out of the air.
"I was told to travel to the Exoskeleton Graveyard and find a member of the Atë, because they would have information on how to defeat the rift, and on the new and old evil that resides here."
There was a pause; the only sound was the crunching of the insects inside the echo's mouth.
"Whoever told you was wise. And I do have the information you seek. Come. I don't get many guests. Let's get you some shelter."
The echo turned and floated away.
I was hesitant to follow.
My previous experiences with echoes weren't pleasant.
But Mother said this was who I needed to find, so I followed the large echo through the graveyard of behemoths.
After about a mile, we approached a large hut with a raised wooden floor, a simple frame made of bones that served as poles. The walls were woven from plant fibers like palm leaves and rough wooden planks, with chitinous casing layered on top as a roof.
"Welcome to my home and base as a member of the Atë." The echo said as he phased through the doors.
I pulled the door open and entered the hut.
The hut was cool and damp, with a small fire stoked in one corner. A large table sat in the center, and a throne chair stood at the far end.
The echo went and sat on the throne, his face still covered by the hooded cloak.
I walked over and grabbed a seat across from the echo, my gaze never leaving him.
"Alright, care to dish out the information?"
The echo stroked its chin.
"Tell me about your parents."
"Don't play games with me; besides, what does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything. We will not continue until you tell me."
This felt stupid, but I had no real leverage.
This was an echo, a dead starbound that failed to beat a rift. One that has been here for quite a while at that, and an echo that lived farther out from where I even began this rift. Then there was also a strong chance I wouldn't meet any other students either.
I guess I have no choice.
"Fine...My father was the head of the Solaris clan. My mother was Melena, a member of the Bennu Clan. She was the one who told me to find you."
"Melena did?"
"Wait, do you know each other?'
"Not personally, but I have heard of her."
Just who was my mother before she met my father?
"Are you from the Bennu clan?"
If this stranger knows Mom, does that mean this echo died in this rift within the last thirty years?
"No, never put in the same category as that cult."
"But Cyrus, the cosmic energy from your tether is…hungry."
'Hungry?"
"Do you ever feel like there's something deep inside you, crawling to escape? Something that feeds on your rage, your pain, your sorrow… Your desire to be unchained. To be free to express yourself however you see fit?
"How did you kno-"
The echo chuckled.
"And no one knows how to deal with you either."
"Cyrus, you and I are more alike than you think. I used to fight it every day, too. But eventually, I learned to give in to it… And accept who I am."
My brows furrowed.
"And that is?"
"Maybe another time. But as far as the information you seek, to enlist help from an Atë, one must be a part of the group, and you are not."
My stomach twisted.
My thoughts raced. I played the scenarios in my head. Mindlessly traveling all across this rift, fighting creatures of great quantity and cunning. I couldn't do that.
"Ok, so how do I join?"
"There are two requirements. You already fulfill one of them. But as far as the other, one must perform a task given out by a current Atë."
"Fair enough. What do you need me to do?"
"You didn't let me finish, young starbound. If you accept this task, you have three days to complete it; otherwise, you will be hunted and killed."