Into The Tainted Waters

Progenitor

The Speaker froze, with a look of dread and surprise in his eyes. The entire Council seemed to just freeze in place, not daring to move an inch. "I thought you were better than needless violence Henry" the man said. "O-Old Man, why are you here" the Speaker says shuddering. "I sensed a presence that i hadn't in a long time, i feared the worst but now i know it is a good thing" the Old Man says in a smooth voice. "You were about to harm our new friend here, and we can't have that can we" he says to the Speaker. The Old Man turns to us and smiles. He had a grey beard and long grey hair, and was dressed in a black suit that had a golden shimmer to it. His face was indescribable, a mix of old and young. His skin was dark and light at the same time, it melded together seamlessly.

"Hello children" he said to us. "You must have questions, i will do my best to answer" he said as he sat in a chair. I didn't notice but we had appeared in a different place. It was an office that seemed to have no walls, but was pure white and had boundaries. There were void black chairs and a desk that held a single globe on it. I looked over to Caoimhe, who had just frozen. "Caoimhe, you alright?" i ask her. "That's- that's the Old Man" she stutters. I look over to the Old Man and see him chuckle. "That's a stupid name the Sentinels gave me" he says laughing. "Are you God?" Nate asks. "No, no i'm not God, i don't even know if there is a God" he says sternly "It's not in my grasp of knowledge to know that for sure". "Are you a Sentinel?" Viktoria asks."No, i am not a Sentinel" the Old Man says.

"Let me tell you a story" he says. "I was born long ago, while this planet still had dinosaurs. I guess less born and more of fabricated. You see, i'm what's known as a Progenitor. That is a being that rules over a certain celestial body. There are three main types, Planetary like me, Solar, and Galactic. Those are the ones that i know at least. Planetary Progenitors look after a planet with intelligent life, we also create our own workers, what you know as Sentinels. They are my, soldiers if you will, that help keep the balance of power from tipping too far in one direction. And also ensure that other Progenitors won't invade this planet" he explains.

"The Solar Progenitors are the ones that created me, and other Planetary Progenitors, to govern the intelligent planets in the solar system. The Galactic Progenitors created the Solar Progenitors, to govern the vast amount of Solar Systems in their Galaxy. Of course not everyone is of the same power, some are stronger than others. This exists in every stage, even up to Galactic. I have seen a Planetary Progenitor who could contend with a Solar one." he continues. "Have any Sentinels been able to contend with you?" Taylor asks. The Old Man sighs "One came close but, he is gone for now" he states. "Who was it?" i ask. Caoimhe elbows me. "Well, you know his name, Arkyn Hakon" the Old Man says "He was consuming the power from other Sentinels to build up his own, and almost came to similar power as me".

"He was really that powerful?" i ask. "Yes, it took hundreds of Sentinels to take him down" the Old Man explains "He was harvesting power and putting them into that large crystal, and it was to my understanding that he put a portion of his existing power into it too, which is why they were able to fight him without being totally destroyed". "He is still alive, just much weakened." he says. "It is of course, my fault that he was able to get such power, i did turn him into a true Sentinel and take him under my wing" he says with a sigh. "No sir, it was my fault that he was able to get away with it" Caoimhe says struggling to get the words out. "No child, you have no idea of the power he has, even in psychological power" the Old Man consoles "You should consider yourself strong knowing that you weren't compelled to join him".

"Ah but enough chatter, on to the business at hand" he says with a smile. "Ah yes, we found a lab ran by people claiming to work for, and maybe worship, Arkyn" Caoimhe says. "What was in this lab?" The Old Man questions. Viktoria steps up and says "Well for one, these guys" pointing at the animals we picked up. "Ah, i was wondering who they were" The Old Man says standing up. The animals walk over and tell their stories one by one, with the Old Man's eyebrows getting higher with each one. "Well, that is quite the adventure, unfortunately we don't have your original bodies so i can't put your consciousness back in" he says in a somber tone. Nate, Viktoria, Charlyse, and Taylor start telling the Old Man what happened in the lab, giving him a very puzzled look.

"So, you got their powers?" he asks, referring to the animals. "I knew i sensed Sentinels but i didn't remember when you were made" he says "That makes sense as you aren't true Sentinels, not even artificial Sentinels, you are borrowing the powers of that team". "That is puzzling" he says scratching his beard. "Well, i need to talk to Caoimhe and Jack alone for a moment, but first, come here child" he says, beckoning to Viktoria. He passes his hand over her eye and instantly heals it. "Ah, there you go, i can't stand to see living creatures in pain" he says with a smile. He snaps his fingers and they disappeared without a trace.

He turned to Caoimhe and I with a much more serious face. He walks over and says in a much more forceful voice "You do know what you have brought me Caoimhe". "Yes sir, i wanted to get your opini-" she starts but is cut off. "That is dangerous, if he finds out then it could be the key to him regaining power" the Old Man says sternly. "I know, that's why i brought him here, for guidance" Caoimhe says shaking. "Yes, wise thinking on your part, but does he know" the Old Man says "No, i didn't tell him" Caoimhe responds. "Good, it probably would have scared him" the Old man says. "Who are you guys talking about" I ask. "Yes well, i think it is time that you know" the Old Man says reluctantly.

"You are the reincarnation of Arkyn, who is a reincarnation Tohu" the Old Man states. "W-what, what are you talking about?" i ask scared. "There are legends amongst the Progenitors" the Old Man begins "The most notable being the creation of the universe". "It goes like this: an entity known as Seder, was the embodiment of order, then one moment he met with Tohu. Tohu is the embodiment of Chaos, and when she met with Seder things started to spiral out of control. The universe was created out of it and the first being was made from the joining of Seder and Tohu. It is said that this being created all life and all progenitors, but Tohu had sewed herself into it." the Old Man says. "Tohu has always had a reincarnation alive at one point, and it always came to be extremely powerful, as Arkyn was one of them" he finishes.

"So, i am him?" i ask. "Yes technically" Caoimhe says. "But i wasn't even a Sentinel, i was made this way through that crystal" i protest. "No you weren't, you have been a Sentinel all your life, your powers were just dormant" the Old Man retorts. "So, what does this mean?" i ask. "It means you are to keep training, and resist Arkyn if he reaches out to you" he says. "Now, you must get back to the Council, i have already relayed what they need to know" he says turning his back to us. We start to walk but the Old Man says "One more thing". He squeezes his fist closed and i feel something grip me. It squeezes tight but begins to subside. "There, you should no longer feel madness" he says. "But your friends however, i cannot help them, they will inevitably descend into it" he surprises me with.

"What are you talking about?" i ask angrily. "Their bodies are not made to hold Sentinel powers, it will eventually drive them mad, i am having researchers on the case to see if we can stop it somehow" he says "There is nothing you can do so don't worry about it". He snaps his fingers and we appear back at the Council meeting.