Ascenders: Rising From Zero 44 The Evolution Table

The sky was warm blue with scanty white clouds drifting here and there as they graced the heavens above the Playing Field. The field was mostly empty except for a gardener with his lawnmower trimming the grasses and a big and girl seating on a swing chair that was suspended by a rusty iron rod which in turn was supported by two even rustier vertical iron rods. Behind them was the concrete pavilion that stretched for over a hundred meters sporting visibly damaged books, shirts, pen cases and even shoes which obviously had been dropped by the students in the course of their activities.

The boy on the swing had a crew cut on with white vest and Ash colored knickers while the girl wore a plait that was commonly referred to as 'All Back' in the locality. Her gown was a brown slick attire with flare at the end which was complimented by a black fluffy slippers and a black sling bag.

"Hey, Shade." The boy beamed sheepishly as he held her left hand cupped in his. "I actually did not expect that you would make it."

The girl smirked and then pouted. "I had to lie that I was coming for study, you know. But anything for love, Bayo." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Heh.... Yes. Anything for love." He beamed a not so white teeth as his lips parted, rubbing his yellowy complexioned chin.

"It's just... Shade, I really don't have anything. And I keep wondering just why you are still here with me. You should be with someone better. Someone richer. Some..."

"Hey! Shush!" Shade put a finger to his lips, her chocolate complexion contrasting greatly against his skin. "I didn't come here to be told I need someone better. I know you don't have pocket loads of money and that you have family issues and all that. But I love you. And that's what matters, not Money. Not anything else." Shade said, her brown hazel nut eyes burning of fierce commitment.

"Really? You're okay with me just as I am?" Bayo eyes widened as his hand held the hand that was at his lips.

"Love don't care. Love understands. Love is willing to sacrifice the World just for it to stay. Love is perfect." Shade said, leaning closer at the last words.

Bayo understood immediately and drew closer with his lips. Shade was the best. She understood, what more could he ask for in a girlfriend?

Their lips were just few inches from touching under the perfect blue sky with the softly blowing wind.

It was perfect... This relationship was...

"HEEEYYYYYYYY.... if you catch you people there, eh? Awon omo rada(1)" An old croaky voice interrupted the upcoming kiss.

((1) Yoruba word which Means- Useless Children))

It was the old security man with his faithful whip, running across the field with the strength of a horse towards them.

"Eh... Tear race." Bayo muttered as he picked shade's hand and raced further away from the Security man.

Baba as he was usually called was an old generation man who frowned at the things of new age especially at that of teenagers professing love to each other.

The duo giggled as they raced...

Their lips were just few inches from touching under the perfect blue sky with the softly blowing wind.

It was perfect... This relationship was...

Bayo froze.

'Wait... what? This has happened before... de ja vu? No. This is real. Just now, I was running with Shade and now, I'm back in the swing?' Bayo frowned, pulling away from the kiss.

'Something is not right. Am I not supposed to be in Drago, after the fight with that wolf?'

Just then, the air rippled, his present environment vanishing like the rolling away of a sheet. A sensation of change washed across him but he could not however pinpoint what had happened.

It was like being at the pool and seeing a water ripple but not being able to identify what caused it.

Suddenly, Bayo felt a restriction at his throat as he sank or fell horizontally, backwards.

"H-helpppp..." His voice was muffled and strained while his hands suddenly became laced with several aches.

'No... no... this has to be a dream. No, wake up, Bayo. Wake up.' He huffed, Breathing hurriedly as his eyes darted to and fro in the clouding darkness.

"Bayo, Wake Up. I said I'm sorry, don't pretend to be sleeping on me." A feminine voice cut through his desperation.

'Wait... Sorry? Pretend? Sleeping? What's happening?' He asked, feeling hot tears stream down his face.

"Bayo... I meant it when I said I Love you." The voice came again. "If I didn't love you, do you think I would be here when I heard you were hit by the truck?" The voice came again.

He knew that voice.

It was Shade.

Her? He frowned as his eyelids flung open, revealing the staring physique of Shade's teary form.

'You... B*tch!'

"What is happening? I can't stand up." He asked her.

Shade sniffled and leaned closer, her breasts following in the motion within the orange and yellow spotted blouse she had on.

"You are on life support , Bayo. After the accident, you've being on life support for several weeks now."

It was then he noticed that what had muffled his breathing was crisply an oxygen mask. Somehow, without being able to move, he could feel the piercing sensations in his hands were point of syringes that were drilling in substances to his body.

'So, Yasmin and the rest were not real?'

No, it couldn't be.

The taste of flesh in his mouth was still lingering.

Except that was the effect of the drugs he had being on?

'No. I'm dreaming. I am dead. No. I remember being crushed entirely to paste. This is not REAL! YASMINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.....'

Just then, a current of heat waves surged over his frame. It felt like he was beside a huge flame that was nearby.

'So Hot!' He struggled to rise.

"Bayo. Easy. I'll call the doctor now." Shade said, startled at his movement.

Furiously, he screamed. "SHUT UP! I HATE YOU."

And then, the air rippled again, blackness clouding his vision.

CLAP... CLAP... CLAP... CLAP...

"Hey!" Bayo gasped, panting for breath. He was thirsty, so thirsty too.

He was seated on a chair with his blue desk, the exact type he had used in secondary school. Except that, a huge screen of blue was seated above him, presenting a sort of PC feel.

The slow claps eventually got to his side and stopped. Startled, he turned, his eyes noting the blue two piece suit of a dark skinned man with his eyeglasses and a white handkerchief dangling from one hand.

"Sir? What are you doing here?" Bayo asked, mouth agape.

It was his teacher, the last teacher who taught his class before his death.

The History turned Yoruba history teacher.

"What? You think after telling you about the Orisha, that I don't deserve to be here?" He chuckled.

"Look..." Bayo spoke with a bored look, pointing a finger at him. "Don't come with your boring stories. Plus, I'm dead and gone from Earth. Whoever is doing this should stop 'cause I'm fed up already." He hissed.

"Hmm..." The teacher eyed Bayo. "Such a unique soul." He muttered under his breath.

"Wait... soul? Did you say soul?" Bayo turned to him, rising from the chair as the teacher shifted nervously. "ya, Yasmin, what are you doing in my teacher's body?" Bayo clapped happily as he laughed.

"So, you're the one behind those dreams stuff?"

"Dreams? What dreams?" Yasmin adjusted His eyeglasses. "I have no idea."

"Forget! So, where's your body? I mean, I'm in my Earth body, what about you?" Bayo asked, seating .

"I am a soul remnant so I don't have that luxury. And I can only use the form of a person you respected that much."

"But I respected my mum very well." Bayo was puzzled.

"I sorry. But your mum was the least on your respect chart. It was this human, followed by..." Yasminwas interrupted by Bayo.

"Oookay... What happened? I should be dying now, right? Soul fragmentation, remember?" He clicked his fingers.

"Well, after You suggestion, I was able to extract the bloodline from the life force you absorbed while modifying and reconstructing your soul to accept the ambient energy as growth energy."

"So, im healed?" Bayo's eyes fluttered as he shot up.

"Not really. We still have the 2:30 minutes countdown on. Look!" Yasmin points to the screen as a timer appeared, and repositioned itself at the top left corner of the screen.

"You asked to tweak the bloodline of the spirit Wolf. Here are your stats. I'm curious to know how you would go about it. And oh, this is your Evolution Table where I sort out all bloodlines accrued and run possible combinations." Yasmin said, pulling the jacket flaps of his coat down as he stepped back.

"The floor is yours."

"Hmm."

On the screen, he saw the image of the outlines spirit Wolf with several lines attached to it that spelled out the function of each biological component.

"First, remove the unnecessary bio data and present the important soul stats." The screen rippled at Bayo's voice as all unnecessary bio data about the body of the Wolf faded while replaced by a square like menu that presented the soul Status.

"Good! Show all available fully grown bloodlines. Ignore any bloodline with its maximium below Elite."

An image of a bunny with two weirdly set glittering tooth exposed from its mouth, an eagle with iron platings at its wing shoulders, head, back and talons, a ape with sparkling electricity, a scorpion like quad pedal creature and winged dog like form shone into view on the screen.

"That's all? Lower the conditions to Ground Class, let's see what we have." Bayo said, noting the timer had dropped to 1:56.

He had to be fast.

More images appeared on the screen and Bayo squinted, trying to focus on each form.

He reached to the corner with a hand and dragged the image of the Spirit Wolf to the center of the screen.

"Enhanced perception, eh... what if, we added the inert ability of the Metalplated Eagle to give you even sharper reflexes." He said, dragging the reflex tag that appeared on the eagle towards the Wolf.

"I need you Breathing Fire." He dragged a dot from the Fire breathing Salamander into the Wolf.

"Hmm..." he paused, observing the screen. "Motion sense, in." His hands moved to the Latent Stealth Dog.

"Hmm... I always wanted to fly. Let's see if I can add the biological wings of the eagle in." He muttered, his hands moving again.

"You need to be faster. I just realized that if we burn out the excess energy, in evolving, the soul decline will be cancelled." Yasmin spoke from behind him.

"I'm coming. Add the Agbara sensing ability of the Sand Fox and..." Bayo's voice trailed off as he tweaked the Spirit Wolf here and there.

Behind him was Yasmin, mouth opened in wonder as he watched Bayo go about the bloodline tweaking.

"This form... it might not be cutting it but." He smiled, muttering under his breath.

"Yasmin, it says, two bloodlines created. Open stats." Bayo ordered, looking at Yasmin.

"Ah! Spirit Alpha Wolf. The spirit alpha wolf, an evolved variant of the spirit wolf with all the characteristics of the previous and an added ability, The Alpha Call which allows you to call on any dog family creature in the nearby as well as Energy manipulation that gives you even finer control over Agbara technique using. Still Law of Gluttony."

Yasmin paused, wiping his face with the hankie.

"Prickled Bane Winged Wolf, thrice the potential of Spirit Alpha, winged, creates beast bomb which is an evolved form of Fire Breathing, the potentials are innumerable. Rare Type." Yasmin read off the screen.

"Rare Type eh..." Bayo muttered, it was just so tempting.

"Rare Type wont let you have a better control over your choices as you would be drawn even closer to Fated beings which might automatically determine whether you live or not. And in more severe cases, you would be hunted immediately sighted. Spirit Alpha, it is." Yasmin stated.

"Hmm...Seems like it." The timer has dropped to 1:25minutes.

Bayo sat down, mentally fatigued observing the two bloodlines informg Of him.

"I'm ready, Yasmin, Evolve Me."

"Of course. But I won't be evolving you, Bayo."Yasmin stepped forward, clicking this and that on the screen.

"Wait... what?" Bayo started but was held back by tightly bound cords that suddenly sprouted from the chair.

"I'm evolving Bayo and this time, I am I the driver's seat. As it was meant to be." Yasmin smiled as more cords sprouted from the chair,binding a startled Bayo even more tighter.

"As the First, it is to me that the unity of all Soul remnants falls to. You understand, do you, Bayo? After all, you were once an Alpha!" Yasmin smiled sinisterly.

Chapter end