Chasm
(How similar are we...?)
A rather late reservation. The sun was setting so fast so early, it was just shedding its last breath between the reflected wave of skyscraper towers. It was beaming so beautifully across the rainbow hued spirit.
A body so intricate with color, a small mote of all things united resting where their head should be. Haloes so delicate and adorned with laced patterns to captivate most people around them. Detailed, yet tasteful and simply thought out so well. Epsilon held a folder within the fragments of their obsidian-like body. Even though they were not flexible to look directly, their fragments often shuffled the folder closer to them.
The work hour was ending soon, at the very most they were leisurely floating towards the tower. It loomed over the majority of the skyscrapers, imbued with what appeared to be solid black beams, but were in fact a red so dark it bled black from further inspection. Blackout windows, shedding no image of lies behind the massive front doors. It was sketchy, but Epsilon knew what might potentially hide within the walls of the tower.
Well, here goes nothing.
A bell chime ensued from the hour finally approaching. Within the instant, the doors of the tower slammed open as hundreds of workers spewed from the confines of the tower’s maw. They came in waves, as Epsilon simply stood there to let them empty out first. In a trance, the Edeia of Unity simply gaze towards the mass of people, pouring from the endless river.
It felt like forever.
Then finally, the tide fizzled out. The spirit floated towards the door as a last employee shuffled themselves between Silo and the exit. And so, they took a peek inside.
—
Housed inside was the Abstraction of the Legion where the sky was black, encased with subtle hues of blue as the floor shimmered a ghastly red. Swarms of those that worked for the corporation were plentiful as they migrated between the "buildings" that seamlessly formed from the ground up. A breathing macrocosm of fragments that spread for as far as Epsilon could perceive.
“There you are. We have been expecting you.”
A myriad of voices echoed from every direction of the Abstraction's interior, pulsing as they appeared. Emanating from every crevice as their form coalesced in front of the Edeia of Unity, the Legion gave a grin to the glorified eyesore.
"We have noticed your attention to our inner workings." It wrapped one of its many tendrils around the other, its many eyes fading and reemerging from nowhere. The proxy of the Legion simply motioned its head towards the vastness.
"A wonderful secret about it all just for you… for it is all us."
"A-Ah, is that so?" The colorful Edeia could only mutter from speech, perceiving the direction Legion pointed towards.
"Absolutely. For we are so much bigger that we appear as we walk among the rest." Their grip, it only grew tighter as their speech devolved into whispers.
"But soon, they will become one with us."
Epsilon only removed Legion's limb from their shoulder, "We s-see. That is an i-interesting thought, yes… though, we came to discuss something else with you, Legion."
"Of course. How careless of us to put a guest in such an uncomfortable position. Our apologies." Legion straightened itself up to formally greet the Edeia of Unity. It unsheathed a tendril to shake with.
"Legion. Edeia of Legion, the embodiment and potential of the collective will of many. CEO of Legion Incorporated, member of the United Council. A pleasure to meet you, dear."
Epsilon shook it, "Epsilon, the Edeia of Unity. We hail from an alternate timeline, and we b-believe you are an unique Edeia from this one. Likewise."
A small pause passed by, "Unity. Fascinating." The Legion only masked their disdain for their past lives as they shook Epsilon's limb for a little longer than usual.
"A rather less known fact, for our Idea was once Unity, in a distant past. But we felt our attunement drift away to something more suitable for us." Legion remarked, letting go from their greeting.
"We saw i-in your Registry entry. We'd like to discuss that, perhaps for the differences and similarities between us, i-if you wouldn't mind."
"Oh really? Why, we don't mind at all. After all, you did schedule this appointment."
The Abstraction began to shift, moving as if it was simply the hivemind's limb, sinking deeper into a more secluded area for them to chat. . It became more difficult to distinguish the part of Legion from the scenery as they sat on a manifested seat. Their smile, faintly gleaming as they clutched the side of their head, caressing it in their massive palm.
“So, tell us about yourself, Edeia of Unity. What was it like in your continuity, little one?”
“A-Ah, what a choice in words. We don’t believe we’ve been called little, there were quite a few of us at one point.” Epsilon chimed, their obsidian like body reflecting the dark hues within their blue form.
“How many.”
“A few hundred. But… we often felt guilty at some point of our existence. They only yearned to be free. Discourse waged between us in our earliest days. It did not get better when Secrecy loomed over the corner. We would not have settled our discourse without the help of a member of the Orderly.” They said, their luminescent hues gently fading as they pondered.
“Very peculiar…” The Legion mulled over the thought as their voices spoke. “We can relate quite well, though our efforts during the Age of Secrecy warranted us to be locked away." Their smile faded away, grasping the chair they sat upon. Gripping with tension, the mass warbled, recalling that fateful day.
(Do not leave us here.)
"Would the name of Eternity… ring a bell inside you, Silo." It mustered, deep into thought. Silo only looked melancholic at the mention of the name. They shed a sigh.
"... A d-distant individual we knew for all of our life." Their color faded, the values illuminating only a monotone color.
"Imagine every day, knowing that you could never leave the very place that reflects your soul, and the one you thought you knew, locking you away in your own prison. Just because you wanted the beings of the world to end their differences." The Legion's tone heightened, strained with murmurs filled with anger.
"... w-we're sorry it ended that way for you." Epsilon could only spit the sentiment up, as they heard the Legion speak. "We suppose… if we were in your p-position, we'd come up with such a conclusion out of desperation. It does not sound illogical from a standpoint."
"A world to exist as every organism in all of existence, coalesced into the mass collective, to end all disputes. All wars, conflict. To never worry about hunger, survival. To exist with the knowledge that you are everything there is. For everything to simply be one and many." The Legion remarked, frothing at the possibility as their smile faced towards their counterpart. "To become all is what we desire now, Epsilon. That is pure unison."
"It is certainly a v-viewpoint."
"It will become reality someday, for we all approach the future of Ideation."
Approaching the surface, Legion's Abstraction unsheathed the two Edeia towards the front door of Legion Inc. headquarters, just as they started from earlier.
"Thank you for the meeting, Legion."
"So, you decide to shed your lisp, hmm?" The hivemind teased.
"It was short to say."
Leaving against the exit, the glorious ray of sunlight shines amidst the dark hues.
"Legion."
"Why yes, that is us." It joked.
"The Council part you m-mentioned… do you actually p-plan to become a member of the Orderly…? Curiosity gets the better of us…"
"It is not a priority at this moment, so not at this time."
The Edeia of Unity paused before squeezing through the exit, keeping a crack open.
"... We think you'd be an amazing member… g-good luck."
The door closed behind their departure, leaving the Legion to mull over the interaction…
It pulled out a singular photo from its mass, a framed recreation from a time long ago. It appeared to be them from a time long gone, and another Edeia sitting beside them."
"You know… we will thank you this once for trapping us, dear Eternity. What an eyesore."