Chapter 172: The Secret of the Unlocking

A well-shaven old man sat down on a table in a small garden with very detailed artificial lightning.

It was hard to believe that this garden was hidden deep inside the reddish and terrible mountain that had radiation levels that could kill a man after being exposed to it for a few minutes.

"Finally. An Overcomer that I don't have to fight." Seeker laughed as he walked towards the gazebo in the middle of this garden.

"Welcome to Eden. My little escape in this red land." The old man smiled.

"Nogard Meng. It's a pleasure. I'm sure your son has given you the details of my life. I haven't met you on my other life, but I'm confident that most of our victories must have had you as a foundation."

Nogard Meng simply smiled mysteriously.

"I've heard my son's story. I have to say… we've hidden well." Nogard laughed.

Seeker's expression changed.

"Hidden?"

"Forgive me for being blunt, Seeker. In your past life, you had no right of standing in front of people like my son or that Lennox… So you might not have received all of the information regarding the war."

"Of course. I was a small-time streamer who was pushing for his luck to be a pro-gamer back then. It was only when Pangea was attacked by Australia did I managed to become part of the army."

"Then I believe that me and my peers took action."

"This was our hypothesis as well." Seeker spoke.

"Our?"

"Sorry. My memories have actually created a personality. I keep talking with him that I tend to think of him as a real person." Seeker gave an embarrassed smile.

"Oh… My son didn't tell me you've become insane." Nogard laughed.

"This was just recent. My future memories managed to manifest itself when my control over the foundations of other Paths improved."

"I see. Is this why you changed tactics?" A disgruntled Greydon joined in the conversation.

Rosa was quickly tailing.

For some strange reason, the flowers and plants around them were not affected by the desolation.

Seeker gave Nogard a strange look.

"Amazing. The opposite of Desolation."

"Yes. I am He Who Plows by the Good Soil."

"You don't tread?"

"I believe, people like me, who are destined to only be the foundations of your battle will be named as such."

"You seem to have a fairly passionate view of the bible." Seeker smiled.

"Our progenitor was after all."

"Progenitor?"

"The Mystery of the Unlocking wasn't something that just popped up. Nor did it exist since time immemorial. Put it strictly, it is science. One of the greatest scientific achievements ever to be made. You should have touched in it. I sensed it earlier. You were able to see beyond the dimensions, correct?"

Seeker frowned.

"Seeing it? No. I can't see it. I don't know how to interact with it. The more accurate statement is that my actions here seem to impact those dimensions. Still… I can't believe that there was such mystery over this Unlocking. So you're saying that your Progenitor was the one who gave you this technology?"

"Not exactly. Even before the Third World, my, no… rather our Progenitor has already taken actions to prepare the Unlocking."

"Our? I'm sorry. I'm not used to Communism."

Nogard laugh.

"Such dad jokes. You really are an adult. But no. Our in a sense that you are also the fruits of his labor."

"Who is he exactly?"

"He never told us. But based on what your story is, he should be an Aragarian."

"An Aragarian?!" Both Seeker and Meng echoed in surprise.

"Does it surprise you so much? It's technology beyond ours. It would only be that this was the work of an alien. Otherwise, why have there been only a few Overcomers who were born in this world? History must have had people like us. But in all of history, you could say that I and my peers were the first."

Seeker was silent.

"Why would this Aragarian help us?"

"I would ask you that. Who among the Aragarian's would betray their own?"

Seeker then realized it.

"The Lost Primordial?"

"Oh? Our Progenitor called himself a Prime."

"He is the Lost Primordial!" Seeker shouted in shock.

"What is a Prime?" Seeker then asked.

"I frankly have little or no knowledge about who or what I am. I was hoping that you'd have more details to who or what this Prime is." Nogard returned the question.

"The truth is we have little knowledge about it. I only know the details of the Primordial when I was fighting one of the Presiders in the future. Knowledge about this Prime or the Primordial is rare even among the Aragarians. What most know is about a legend of some wicked person who rose to power and was later defeated. But the real history about this is shrouded in mystery."

"What do they mean by wicked?" Nogard asked with a bemused expression.

"I have no idea. But the way that the Aragarians would question me was that he was assuming we were the soldiers of this Primordial because we had the Unlocking. You should share your side of the story about your Progenitor."

"Our Progenitor…" Nogard emphasized in correcting Seeker.

"Our Progenitor is someone who lived way way back. He lived during the Post-Modern era. Just before the Third World War. If he is an Aragarian, then he must have lived even earlier. Regardless, he is the world's savior. It was his reform that made it possible for the Earth to survive and grow after the Third World War."

"He's the founder of the World Governing Powers." Seeker realized.

"Right. But you see… the Progenitor was very very cautious. In fact, you could say he was paranoid. Ever since that era, the Progenitor had been making preparations. He would tell us to prepare for an enemy. And we will know who they are when they appear. He neither told us who our enemies are or what they will do. But our assumption all this time was that this enemy wouldn't be alien. This is because the Progenitor would only reveal himself to one person of every lineage. So even in my family, I only learned about his existence when my father died and when my siblings were all dead."

"What exactly did he reveal?"

"A way to control our powers. Doesn't it bother you? You and that boy Lynd required a sophisticated and advanced technology that could cool your body down. Yet people like me, who is clearly somewhere in the Proficient stage of Inhuman could survive."

"Yes. Greydon was a mystery. The more we fought, the more I pondered this. What made him capable of reaching that level? Even if he did evolve his cells, the process of evolving would have killed him and fried his brain." Seeker concluded.

"It was a practice in meditation," Greydon answered.

"A technique that my father taught. Or rather… instilled."

"Oh? Is it something that can be taught to me?" Seeker was curious.

"There is no need for you to learn this. You've already awakened your cells. And you've also began to interact with it. Those dimensions beyond the third. And frankly, the technology instilled in you is far stronger than the technology we use. Besides, what I have is incomplete. I need the pieces of the others to perfect it."

"Who are these others?"

"The Progenitor made several preparations. Many of which we will never know. He did, however, give us several instructions that only showed his extensive paranoia. He ordered us, to not reveal ourselves unless our lives depended on it, or until this enemy appears. In fact, he forbade us from seeking out each other when the time came. So I don't know who these are. But I am certain that you already gathered some of them."

"The Overcomers."

"Exactly. Progenitor made great preparations and hid us well. This is why we thought this enemy would be among us. We thought that this enemy will be someone who has great authority and control in the government. He would have control over a large force and unlimited resource and if we were any more obvious, we'd be found out and killed. We assumed that this enemy would have such power that they could easily infiltrate our ranks. And so, we were to hide or at least have knowledge about this. I'm guessing that the WGP holds one individual who knows about this truth. But unless this individual has an ability similar to mine, then he would have received information from an ancestor."

"The Progenitor is dead." Seeker caught on and concluded. A certain degree of sadness was apparent in Seeker's expression.

"Correct. I am probably the last person to have ever heard the commands of our Progenitor. And I had to hide this even from my own son in following his commands."

Greydon had a pained look.

Seeker almost laughed at seeing Greydon's soft side but mustered his Adult self to control his mirth.

"Progenitor died right after the Third World War. He charged me with this responsibility to act as a fortress should the enemy arrive. And they did."

"So that's what made you show yourself to Greydon."

"I thought that the mysterious organization that battled here in China and stole the Rule was this enemy. Who would have thought that it would be you and this enemy would be an alien race?" Nogard laughed.

"You Progenitor was right."

"Our Progenitor."

"Alright, fine. Our Progenitor was right." Seeker reluctantly compromised.

"The Aragarians possessed great technologies and control. If you would have been more relaxed in terms of keeping this secret, you would probably have been wiped out and eaten up before you even knew what was going on."

"I've heard about the Programmed Slave tech that Harker has. In truth, that technology is also among my arsenals. It was one of the techs left by the Progenitor. But it seemed that the others who received that, have died."

"So it really was an Aragarian tech."

"What Harker has, however, is a different technology. It seemed that the materials he used were specific to using both Solarium and Eradication technology. And because of that, even our scientists can't imitate it. We have one, but it's specific to the technologies available to us."

"Interesting…" Seeker smiled.

"It means; we now have more resources of making Programmed Slaves. So these others also have their own? We have to find a way to complete this technology by gathering everyone. If this tech surpasses the techs the Aragarians currently have, then we could use this to surprise them!"

"Your betting on our Progenitor's capabilities? You're assuming that if the Progenitor was able to create a Programmed Slave technology specific to the countries tech… then he should have technologies that surpass the common Aragarians."

"Yes." Seeker answered confidently.

"This doesn't look like some Presider tech. This should be a step up. I understand it now. Nogard… the Technological Possibilities that each country has… Is this something your Progenitor established?"

"Very perceptive of you. Correct. It was with his help that this was made. People attribute it to the World Governing Powers, but the truth was, our Progenitor was the one responsible for it. He helped the scientist and government of each region to build a technological possibility for themselves. The WGP, which was at that time under Progenitor's control was also aiding some of the poorer countries such as Pangea to rise up."

"Then that means… Progenitor made connections in different countries? The Families!" Seeker then shouted in excitement.

"Of course. The Families. These groups had strong foundations that could be likened to pseudo Technological Possibilities."

"I also considered that. I have long sent my men to infiltrate the families. Most of them reached where they are now through external means. Of the more prominent ones that you should note of in Pangea-"

"The Dalisay clan." Seeker continued.

"It seems you already connected the dots."

"No wonder. They were able to fight back because they have yet to unveil their full Technologies. No wonder Gardo was able to be Unlocked! He must have been at least at Inhuman level to be able to fight off Harker's armies!"

"What about the Ranked Heroes? Rosa? What of your family?" Seeker asked Rosa.

"My family?" Rosa wondered.

"The Ranked Heroes of my timeline already had abnormal traits. Almost every one of them was a mystery. The problem was my existence!" Seeker explained.

"Your existence shrouded doubt on the origins of the Ranked Heroes." Greydon understood.

"Right! Because my existence gave rise to Meryl and Lynd, no one knew what would make a Ranked Hero! Especially when the most common of all men became a Ranked Heroes later became a World Champion! But now… this Progenitor of ours must have been behind all of this!"

Rosa was silent.

"Then it means my sisters are all capable of reaching my level?"

"Yes. We were wrong all along! We thought that the Unlocking was something that our mindset added with faith could create! But we were so wrong! Even with the drug that Charles developed, it was unable to make people reach the Ranked Hero! This created more confusion in my timeline!"

"I get it now! There were only a few who were genetically and biologically capable of becoming a Ranked Hero!"

"Exactly! We have to find a way to determine who those with these potentials have!"

"I belong to a strong Family in the European Nations. Could one, similar to father-in-law be there?"

Nogard was pleased at Rosa's address of himself.

"Who is the oldest among your family? And who is the most inconspicuous?"

"I see. Uncle Slade. But why would he cast me out of my own family?" Rosa pondered. Her expressions revealed a hidden hatred towards this uncle.

"To hide you, of course. How many knew of your powers?" Nogard asked.

"Only my sisters. Apart from them, everyone I met and fought, I was able to kill. Except for my husband of course." Rosa blushed and turned to Greydon.

"Oh. I smell a love story."

"Please focus." The Adult Seeker manifested and reprimanded Seeker.

"Erm. Never mind." Seeker gave an embarrassed reply as he noticed the Meng's look at him with an odd look.

"One of us, have to meet him. We have to use this opportunity to gather them all. Who among your groups are capable of meeting them?"

Seeker grinned.

"This is timely. I actually had one plan to bring out more Ranked Heroes but this move may now target those that the Progenitor prepared. I have a way to make a broadcast that may alert those under the Progenitor's banner. But to do that I need to know. What happened during the times after the Third World War? Why have you been avoiding talking about it?"

Greydon and Rosa realized it immediately.

"Quite perceptive of you. I was hoping you wouldn't ask this question. I don't trust you enough yet. Forgive me, but I am skeptical of your existence as well. What if the Aragarians is using you because they found out of the legacy that the Progenitor left behind on Earth and is using you to lure us out? Prove that you are from the future. If not, all three of us will kill you right here, right now."

It was then that a shuddering pressure fell unto Seeker. His physical body withstood it. But he could sense a giant before him.

"I can't see it… But I know that I won't be able to leave scot-free… Especially with Greydon and Rosa here." Seeker smiled.

"Well? You have ten seconds to prove your claims."

Seeker then used Surmounting Though. The Adult scurried his memories to search for anything that could be of use, but the Child gazed in marvel appreciation over the power of the Dragon.

"What does this control? What are his powers?" Seeker pondered in amazement.

The sensation that Seeker felt was not a physical sensation. It wasn't an emotional forbearance. It wasn't an instinctive reaction.

"As the wind blows… wherever it please… so is someone borne of the Spirit… I see… So that's why no one was able to reach the Unlocking before. It needed to have this seed placed on a person's form on one of those dimensions to make them capable… It's the opposite of Charles' drug. Charles' developed something that could forcibly enable a person to have the potential of Unlocking but this made them unstable…" Seeker mumbled as he basked in this revelation.

"All interesting points. But none of them would make me halt my counting. You have four… three…"

"You're up, Old Man." The Child laughed.

It was then that a powerful change occurred in Seeker. The full switching between the two personalities was very drastic that a few dimensions were quaking.

Nogard halted in his count and was astounded. A soul far more mightier than his stood before him.

"In my future…you told my master, the Realm King, to call Greydon by his real name. Robertson." The Adult Seeker assumed full control over the body of Young Seeker Carlean.

Nogard stared in shock.

"I guess that made you stop counting." Seeker cheekily laughed.