Character: Sacred Atom

Sacred Atom

Thousands of years ago, the Channelers were a simple race, dwelling on the Sumiria Archipelago as sea-faring fishermen. In those days, Atom was a young merchant who had set up shop on the shores, frequently trading with the local undersea-dwelling Gluaglian tribes. One day, the Gluaglians brought a strange, bluish crystal to Atom's shop. It had a pristine purity to it, and it seemed to catch the light in such a way that made it glow. Atom offered to purchase the crystal so he could examine it further.

He took the crystal home and kept it secret as best he could. He soon became obsessed with the thing. The more he was around it, the stronger he felt. And the crystal's luminescent glow seemed to get brighter and brighter the more he was around it. It was almost as if it knew when he was near.

Atom went to the Gluaglians and offered his life savings in exchange for as many of the crystals as they could find. To his surprise (and joy), they came back with armfuls of the things. Atom bundled them up and secreted them away to his home. But fearing his fortune would be discovered, he migrated to a small nearby island and took up shelter in a cave, surrounding himself with his crystalline companions. He spent the next thirty years studying the crystals and obsessing over them. He came to understand that the crystals rejuvinated him and seemed to prevent him from aging or feeling hunger or pain. And with enough concentration, the crystals allowed him the ability to manipulate water molecules. He could create steam from the humidity in the air, or create vortexes in the sea. He could even direct the water molecules in the air to create wind and currents, which allowed him to fly. But he also discovered that the crystals seemed to store his life essence within them, so that if he were to get too far away from them, he became weak and wracked with pain. If he was away from the crystals for too long, he would surely die.

It was then that Atom decided to ensure his immortality and strength by embedding the essence crystals into his own body. The self-surgery was traumatic and amateur, and Atom lost his legs due to infection by the time he had finished. When he had finished, he was forever changed. His blood ran blue with crystal dust, and he glowed with the light of dozens of essence crystals emerging from his skin. His eyes were no longer black but instead surged with a glowing white light, as if they were a window to the soul of the crystals he had buried in his body.

As Atom gracefully floated on air currents back into the village, thirty years after he had departed, hundreds of his fellow Channelers crowded around, awestruck. They all thought he had died at sea, yet he had returned with supernatural power and immortality.

Atom believed that the essence crystals held the key to solving hunger, pain, and war. He wanted to spread his message and teach about the power he had discovered, but he wanted to ensure that it did not fall into the wrong hands. He chose a handful of worthy disciples and spent the next fifty years teaching them all he knew. From then on, Atom returned every fifty years to select a new handful of disciples.

Today, Atom is now revered as Sacred Atom, and he has thousands of disciples who have all embedded essence crystals into their bodies. Although none have attained the power Atom wields, each of his disciples is honorable and good at heart, just as he had anticipated. Sacred Atom now resides somewhere out on the sea, and he and his disciples serve as protectors of the secrets of the essence crystals, only unveiling them to those who are worthy and pure of heart.