Screaming winds, freezing black cloud-swirls flashing white lightning smelling ozone –

I curve my flight, spiraling briefly, anticipating...

A call like thunder behind me: "MINE!"

Putting on speed, I arc downwards again, turbulence rippling my skin before a sonic shockwave BOOMS as I burst out into daylight while breaking the sound barrier, rocketing away from the black storm down through blue sky towards the gorge, with Protean Peak a distant, thin height...

"You are mine!"

I soar down into the gorge, speeding through rocky defiles then BLURRING past an overhanging escarpment, towards –

A Concussive Blast IMPACTS behind me, followed by the crumbling ROAR of the escarpment crashing down.

My whistling-fast gravimetric flight takes me up and out of the gorge before I immediately hurtle myself back to skim just above the terrain, nearing the Peak now...

It seems to be alone. Perhaps its desire for a chance at private justice has given me a real chance.

An idea!

"YOU!" it calls.

(Endings.)

I reach Protean Peak's base, corkscrewing up around its massively tall rocky pillarbody at increasing speed while also leaving replicating nodes in rockwalls before apparating randomly, to avoid concussive blasts, up and down along my flying route towards the peak –

"ARE!"

Speeding FASTER, I activate an endo-split to begin separating my internals, then my outer body down the middle in a process almost exactly like amoeba's binary fission as I reach the summit and SHOOT out –

- then apparate back again below the summit with energy CRACKLING up the Peak to join me when I shoot back over the summits riding its crest ahead of another sonic shockwave BOOM amidst a new type of spatial distortion which will apparate me well clear of any more purs–

IT appears before me. "MINE!"

Concussive force BLASTS me down, falling to impact back against the summit and carve through rock with my body, leaving behind a significant furrow in solid stone until I come to a bloody, broken stop.

I...

Groaning. My vision doubled, I look up: blurry sight of a figure gently floating down on broad white wings to land, wings furling back away into nothing as it begins walking towards me. Pain fades into my Sub Conscious mind's internal regulation. Rapid-healing reseals both of my splitting halves and I roll onto my side, grunting.

"Why?" it calls.

I push myself up into a twinging crouch.

(Organelles are re-threading.)

"Why are you doing this to me?" it asks.

I stare, wondering. "I am not doing this TO you."

(Bones are re-fusing.)

Its post-quantum/neuroplasticity Crown glimmering against the blue sky, my former Master stands above me. "Semantics."

"Yes," I agree.

(Muscles are re-knitting.)

A brief silence.

"It can no longer be a home for you. The Tower."

I come up, to one knee. "No."

(Skin is sealing.)

"Where did you plan to go?" it demands.

I shift, readying myself. "Elsewhere."

(Whole.)

Holding my gaze, it smiles. "To carve out a domain? Become the 13th?"

I stand, my advanced post-human body completely healed of damage. "That is not my path."

It stares at me incredulously. "Impossible." Then its expression hardens. "Where. Would. You. Go."

I gesture. "Away from all this."

"Join the Outers?" It laughs derisively. "Do you even have what it takes to pierce the Orbital Barrier?"

I gaze upwards. "It will be night soon. And the stars would make a welcome sight."

It smirks. "Think you a true pioneer? To leave us all behind? Join the children at their play?"

While still facing the early evening sky, I glance back sidelong.

Its eyes narrow. "Perhaps you dare hope to cross the Line in the Stars!" Sneering. "You dream too big. You are not ready. You are not able. You are my own!"

I face it fully, feeling calmer than I should be, and just gaze back silently.

A long moment.

"Bold," it finally sibilates. "Yes. My boldest one of all, perhaps. Yet we do not have to part like this. You have not taken the proper time to consider all your options. There is no cause to be hasty."

I shake my head. "I wish it could be otherwise..."

It takes a step towards me, abruptly furious. "You will not!"

I take a step back, cautious. "I must."

With blurring speed it comes -

- and with blurring speed I strike the blow upon it, unthinking.

It stumbles back from me and falls to one knee, after which its grey hand reaches up towards its grey cheek, the bruise already healing, UTTERLY shocked.

Oh...

Tears well in my eyes, and I reach out my hand now, reflexively. "I didn't..."

(But I did.)

I withdraw my hand again. "There is no other way... for both of us. Born or perpetual, we are." My personal gravimetrics enfolds me, and I begin floating upwards to leave while activating a final pre-planned sequence that sends smartmatter/nanites filtering out of my body like a thick white mist, which coalesces brightly into flexible, hyperstrong organic alloy plates snapping into place around me and shading, forming towards...

Gabriel stares up at my rise. "The God Conundrum," it whispers wonderingly.

A burst of gravimetrics BLASTS me upwards as inner systems come online, rising quickly until Protean Peak is far below, with a speck of grey atop it and the landscape becomming a spreading tapestry, the Tower only a dark smudge upon the distant horizon, before...

It's time.

I lift my gaze, the wind drying my eyes. A wreath of hair, feather and flowers forms upon my brow. Once the device is complete, I activate it...

Post-quantum awareness expands within and around me, giving insight into MORE.

... as personal gravimetrics continues BOOSTING me up towards the darkening upper atmosphere, that same nascent feeling rising again within me. A clear faceplate slides across my vision, and a chime sounds.

(The Deep Space Integral Suit is complete.)

I increase my thrust yet again, EXPLODING upwards now towards pinpricks of light forming in the blackening blue of the atmosphere becoming space above me...

There.

Pinpricks of lights begin winking out as an unnatural thickening darkness spreads across the blackening blue, with strange gleams flickering within it...

The Orbital Barrier.

Now. (Now.)

An i-sphere flickers around me, abruptly fading into spring-latched readiness. My blood singing, I continue rocketing upwards towards the Orbital Barrier, priming various firing solutions before assigning the Blanker to manual control.

A gleaming dark and smiling face forms there, with its vast mouth opening to consume me...

I raise a plated arm, and my scale-plated palm opens at the very last moment to emit a glittering ray lancing forward instantaneously to PIERCE the darkness inside its mouth, creating a tear.

Its vast jaws close upon me...

Speeding upwards towards the glittering tear, that nascent feeling is blooming to shuddering, joyful...

I break through to sudden, wondrous sight.

...

And so began my life.