Evolution begins with an ant colony

Akun remained on his knees, his hand still clutching his chest as he struggled to understand the messages that echoed in his mind. The pain was sharp and it didn't look like it would be stopping any time soon, far beyond anything he had ever experienced. It wasn't just physical; it felt as if his very essence, the core of his being, was being torn apart from within.

Genreia, still kneeling beside him, watched him as he became even more uneasy as Akun's face twisted in agony. Her eyes darted from his clenched fist to the blood on the cobblestones.

Akun was the strongest person she knew, someone who always seemed invincible. To see him brought low like this was terrifying.

"Master, please!" Genreia pleaded, her voice trembling slightly. "You need to stop! Whatever you're doing, it's hurting you!"

Akun's breathing was labored, each breath seemed harder then the least, against the intense pressure building in his chest.

His mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. The warning from his system—the inability to activate †Chronos-Ruler† due to the interference from the Sub-†Authority† †AD† made sense. But what it meant was horrifying.

He thought only his own †Authority† was the one being ristricted, but if that wasn't the case, things were not looking very good.

"I can't... I can't connect with them," Akun murmured again, this time more to himself than to Genreia. His voice was filled with shock and fear, as if saying it out loud would somehow make it less real.

"What do you mean?" Genreia asked.

Akun slowly lifted his head to meet her eyes, his eyes filled with a look of dread and despair.

"Azara, Hestria, Tatillia... I can't feel them anymore. It's like they've been... erased."

Genreia's heart skipped a beat at his words. Erased? By what? The very idea sent a chill down her spine. She shook her head, refusing to believe it.

"No, that can't be. There has to be another explanation. Maybe... maybe they're just out of range, or something is interfering with your connection. But erased? That's impossible!"

"Only a god could do that." Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire

"Only a god could do that..." Akun repeated, his mind raced, as he took in her words, a certain cheerful goddess came to mind, her playful nature and the whimsical tone she often spoke in.

"Of course."

A sharp glint appeard in his eyes, Akun slowly rose to his feet, steadying himself despite the lingering pain in his chest. He closed his eyes and focused inward, trying to push past the throbbing in his head.

'Chrono Nexus.'

He called out in his thoughts.

There was a brief moment of silence, then a bright, almost musical voice echoed in his mind, full of affection and warmth.

'Darling!~ What a surprise! What can I do for you?'

Akun didn't waste any time.

'Chrono Nexus, I need you to locate Hestria, Azara, and Tatillia using your authority. Immediately.'

There was a pause, followed by the sound of humming cheerfully as she did as he asked.

'Alright, darling, give me just a moment…'

Akun waited, his heart pounding in his chest. But then, her cheerful demeanor fadded, when she spoke to him again, she stutterd, sounding uncertain. A trait that should be uncharacteristic of the godess of time and knowledge.

'Um… darling, I… I can't find them.'

Akun's eyes snapped open, his expression hardening as a cold fear gripped him. His voice dropped, becoming deadly serious.

'What do you mean you 'can't' find them?'

'I-I mean… I tried using my authority, but… their signatures aren't there. It's like they've vanished from this plane of existence. I don't understand…'

Chrono Nexus sounded turly confused, a tone Akun had never heard from her.

Akun's jaw tightened, his mind spinning as he processed her words. If even Chrono Nexus couldn't locate them, then the situation was far worse than he had initially feared. His thoughts flickered back to the warning he had received earlier, the fact of all this started to settle in, something, or someone, with power similar the gods was definitely involved.

'What about trying to look trough the past, can you at least find out where they were?'

'Umm... No, I don't know if I told you before but the timeline is currently unstable, I can't use my †Authority† to control or look trough it.'

'And I can't find them using the book of existence either.'

'What could possibly erase them from your sight?'

Akun asked, He didn't want to entertain the possibility that they were truly gone, but the evidence was stacking up against him.

'I… I don't know, darling.'

'This is beyond my understanding… whatever it is, it's powerful. Far more powerful than I anticipated.'

Akun's mind raced, trying to piece together what had happened. If not even Chrono Nexus could locate them, then what hope did he have of finding them on his own? And if they were truly erased, what force could wield such power?

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white as a mix of fear and anger coursed through him.

'Chrono Nexus.' he said calmly, trying to mask his emotions, 'you have to keep trying. There has to be something, anything, that can help us locate them.'

'Of course, darling,' she replied, although she didn't say anything, she could tell he wasn't feeling ok. 'I'll do everything I can.'

Akun closed his eyes again, focusing all his energy on maintaining control. The situation was spiraling out of control, but he couldn't afford to lose his composure. He had to stay strong, for their sake.

Genreia, who had been watching Akun all this time, could see the turmoil in his eyes as he opned them when. She hesitated for a moment before stepping closer, her voice gentle yet firm.

"Master, we'll find them. Whatever it takes, we'll bring them back."

Akun looked at her, her seeing her expression giving him a small measure of comfort. He nodded slowly, though the fear still lingered in the back of his mind.

"We have to, Genreia. We have to find them… before it's too late."