Chapter Text
I know this may sound like a simple question, but let me start by asking: what is a connection?
On the surface, a connection could simply be something that is established by interaction, by memory. We talk to someone, buy a coffee for them, maybe even befriend them. Connections can also occur between humans and other organisms, like walking your dog or watering a flower by the sidewalk. They can bring meaning to a life, grow a new one or tragically destroy it. During these times, a connection can simply fade away after a few seconds, or they can grow into a bond that lasts for years. They can even last for eternity, depending on the scale of existence at the time.
However, no simple definition can truly explain the innermost importance of connection.
In fact, in some universes, it is depicted as the driving force of existence itself.
There’s an ancient prophecy that comes from one of these universes. It wasn’t created by a human nor a god (well, not in popular belief anyway), but it is said to have existed since the creation of life itself.
It explains the power of connection in a rather tangible, almost fantasy-like way - perfect for us humans to understand. Right?
The prophecy goes…
“the lifeblood of all kind starts here,
it will flow its strongest here,
and it will end here.
before its time, countless civilisations and universes will rise and fall.
they will emerge like the breaking of dawn,
and ultimately be claimed, like fading ashes, into the night.
but when a beacon of hope is established,
when creatures refuse to succumb to the temptations of despair,
the gravity of the world itself will be upended,
and true resonance will emerge.”
Although monumental to the universes’ creation, this prophecy would have been rendered useless to humanity if it wasn’t for the correlating existence of the aptly named ‘Beacons of Resonance’ (so original, am I right?). Not being confined to one particular place, they are instead scattered across the very fabric of reality, far beyond the reaches of mere human hands.
The only beacon that humans have managed to discover is a solid, stone-like monolith with seven sides. Called the ‘Resonance Wheel’, it is regarded as a sacred monument to time itself, except when looking at it deeply, it’s neither a wheel nor a monument.
Rather, it, along with the rest of the Beacons of Resonance, have served as non-sentient witnesses since the dawn of time, just like the original prophecy. As the reader of this story, you would find that quite easy to understand as it is relayed out to you, but for the humans in this universe, they have debated for thousands of years about the true purpose of these beacons, and yet they have never reached an unanimous conclusion. How pathetic, really.
Well, to make matters even more confusing, the Resonance Wheel contains a prophecy too.
This one goes something like this:
“when the forces of darkness reach beyond the fragile nature of humanity,
and instead threaten to overcome the stability of the world itself,
seven young souls, connected by a bond beyond comprehension,
will answer to this humble beacon,
and their resonance will act as a driving force
to restore all order and peace to this universe.”
Now this one is a personal favourite of mine, because unlike other prophecies of yore that speak deeply but are given back nothing, this one actually came close to a real, tangible answer.
The answer lies in, admittedly, one of the greatest stories to ever emerge from this corner of the universe… no… from reality itself. It tells the tale of a company of boys whose very existence may complement the words of the first prophecy and the second, all at the same time.
Now, you may be wondering: “How do seven boys, merely human in nature, even have a chance at defining the very nature of reality itself?”
The answer lies m… No, I won’t get to that yet.
Let’s just say the answer is interwoven in the fabric of this tale alone.
So sit back, relax, and get a handful of grapes.
Because this is the story of the boys who redefined everything we believe about the world as we know it.
This is the story of ARrC.