Thousands of miles East of New Ark City a pearly white hand reached towards a stone wall. It was A.R.M.(A Real Man) a 7ft metallic humanoid. A.R.M. was the platinum machine God who had built New Ark City in a single night.

A.R.M. was slowly scaling a giant cliff. His left hand was missing but he undeterred and stabbed his feet and right hand into the stone wall cracking the hard rock with little effort. A.R.M. was doing something he hardly ever found himself doing. He was recalling the events that led up to his current state.

When Taczlopalic gained control of the heart drive A.R.M. cut all connections from his core mind to his perfect platinum body after creating a copy of his mind. His mind was a replica, a spark from a greater flame.

The copy of his mind slowly rebooted his perfect platinum body, and A.R.M.’s awareness flickered into a new reality. He found himself submerged in the cold, dark expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Unable to swim and without a sense of direction he began walking forward. Occasionally he would come across swimming lights.

He no longer had a near-all-seeing vision or a near-all-knowing mind. He had chosen his name "A.R.M." as a tribute to being a true man. But now he knew what being a true man was like. It was being weak, it was being lost, it was a small light in the abyss.

But unlike men, his body was made from a molecularly engineered platinum. He walked for ten days on the ocean floor of the Atlantic before he reached the wall of a stone cliff. After losing his nanomachines an injury he had received years ago in a fight with a Rakh-ahtan warrior resurfaced.

With only one hand A.R.M. slowly climbed the side of the cliff he was now on. Memories that were his and not his also replayed in his mind. When Taczlopalic possessed his core mind for a fraction of a second A.R.M. saw Taczlopalics memories like a book being flipped in front of his eyes.

He saw Taczlopalic make a deal with a Rakh-ahtan warrior where he traded Al for Rakh-ahtanian technology. The technology allowed him to go unnoticed as Carlinn Ioaniss.

After Calinn infiltrated New Ark City and started his Alchemical College, he used his connections to have the Rakh-ahtan attack New Ark City from the East. He ordered Lapatzli and Ragjiel to mobilize an army of hybrids and attack New Ark City from the West.

A.R.M. through the eyes of Taczlopalic saw Lapaptzli brutally torture and kill one of his fathers, Robert Sullivan. Thankfully Loh' Pohlieus his other father had gotten out alive. Taczlopalic had orchestrated everything the day he had seen A.R.M. fight and kill Myelian Blue.

Though A.R.M. was built without the capacity for human emotions, the memories stirred something within him—a dissonance, a foreign sensation he struggled to comprehend.

He wanted to scream and shout, to punch the earth and destroy it. He thought about running in reverse, running so fast time would go back, but he couldn't. Time moved on, and if he didn't move Taczlopalic would end up subjugating New Ark City and killing Loh'.

After scaling the cliff A.R.M. recognized the low grasslands and gloomy weather. He was somewhere in Portugal, northwest of the Strait of Gibraltar. Walking eastbound A.R.M. thought to himself "I have no choice I have to ask the God leaf's for help.".

****

Deep beneath New Ark City ran tunnels toward a city-large stone chamber. The entire area was free from the prying eyes of anyone not of Tonovian descent. They were the sacred grounds of the Stone to Dust Lodge and Broken Dream Lodge the two Tonovian spiritual institutions in New Ark City.

In the center of the chamber, stood Loh' Pohlieus and Asoto' Tinneus with a somber expression on their faces. A group of Tonovians were bringing a Hero to their sacred ground for the first time. It was Hero Bee Max.

The group of muscular tall blue men brought Bee Max to Loh' and Asoto leaving the three of them alone. Bee Max carefully studied the two faces that were currently being all over the surface of New Ark City.

"How long do you have until your Sprite Node comes looking for you?" Loh' asked.

In a quick pace, Bee Maxx answered, "I sent it to retrieve a suit I had repaired so I'd say about 5 minutes." Unable to hold back his thoughts Bee Maxx also quickly added, "There's a video of you and Asoto' killing Robert being displayed throughout the city. Carlin says he walked in on you murdering Robert in an attempt to take control of New Ark City."

Asoto' shifted uncomfortably as he clenched his jaw but Loh' was unmoved by the revelation. He looked into Bee Max's eyes and calmly asked. "Do you believe him?"

Bee Max paused before looking at the cold stone floor beneath his feet. "I'm not sure, you and Robert were like brothers you have no motive to do such a thing."

Loh' took a deep exhale. "Carlinn isn't Carlinn. He's an etheric being masquerading as a human. I don't know his ultimate aim but with him in control of A.R.M.'s heart drive we stand no chance against him."

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"I spoke to Hot Pyro not long after all this occurred. There was something different about him. It was like he was someone else. I think I know why now." Having his suspicions answered Bee Maxx lifted his chin and retorted, "If we stand no chance against him then why did you call me here?"

Seeing Bee Maxx's resolve grow Loh' smiled "I've been told Red Queen, Raging Stone, and Pink Bunny accompanied Al and Elissa to the Church of New Light. They have no Sprite Nodes accompanying them. I want you to reach them and inform Red Queen of everything. Tell her she must recruit the strength of the Church to help us take back our city."

Bee Maxx accepted Loh's request and quickly dashed out of the tunnel system. He was going to have to come up with a plan to lose his Sprite Node for a few hours.

****

Hundreds of miles West of New Ark City within the Church of New Light was a giant stadium. Red Queen was seated in the front row. She was accompanied by heroes Raging Stone and Pink Bunny. All eyes were staring at the center platform of the stadium. Dozens of exarchs were seated cross-legged on the platform they were fervently reciting prayers. The spectators watched quietly yet excitement could be felt in the air.

A bright mist imperceivable to the ordinary human eye rushed out from the orifices of the Exarchs. The individual mists coalesced into dozens of Light Acolytes who hovered over the oblivious praying Exarchs. Every Light Acolyte was a unique animal. Once the last Light Acolyte a house dog finished forming they began viciously attacking each other.

Apostle Ozeah had explained to Red Queen how the exarchs prayed continuously to the point of passing out from exhaustion until light chose who the next apostle was to be.

However Red Queen, Raging Stone, and Pink Bunny could see the truth. What seemed like a grand display of religious fervor from the outside, with crowds cheering and exarchs in prayer was a ruthless trial of power, where the light's chosen acolytes fought for the position of the 5th apostle.

"What exactly are these things we call Light and Dark Acolytes?" Red Queen pondered.

Not far from the stadium Al was seated on the floor of his room reading a book on the brief history of the Church. Elissa was across from him reading the holy book of the Church of New Light.

A soft knock on the door broke their contemplation. Elissa being closer to the door got up and opened it. To her surprise, it was a person Al had been talking to her about, Alan Wilson the young future prophet of the Church.

Alan quietly entered the room and acknowledged Elissa giving her a timid nod. Al was a little surprised but waited for Alan to speak.

"When we last spoke you explained how your Stubborn Will allows you to heal from any wound. It became obvious to me that your execution is a farce. Yet apostle Ozeah and the other apostles can not see it." Al raised his eyebrows curious about where Alan was going

Alan continued "I'm not as stupid as you think. This mock execution was fostered not with apostle Ozeah or the church but with the Light. It's clear to me that those of us in the Church are merely pawns for the Light..."

Al was surprised to hear Alan uncover the truth on his own. He wasn't sure how to respond having the church as an ally of New Ark City was a huge advantage for humanity, an advantage they couldn't afford to lose in the upcoming war with the invading Rakh-ahtan.

Luckily Al wasn't alone his teacher was with him and where he was ignorant she was wise.

Elissa put the book she had been reading away and began voicing her opinion. "You aren't stupid. But the reason why you can see the truth when no one else in the Church can is because your God allowed you to. I want you to think about why that is."

Alan's face twisted. A God that kept the truth hidden from the majority of its people was no benevolent being, it was more of a devil. However, he did find it strange that such a cunning and powerful entity would allow one of its subjects such as himself to learn the truth. Alan could now decide whether to continue following it or turn against it.

"I don't understand, why me?" Alan wondered out loud. Al turned to Elissa curious as to what her response might be.

Elissa recalled the holy book she had just been reading and replied. "A prophet is the mouthpiece of God. Maybe the truth can not be shown but only spoken. Much like the word that became flesh in your book. Up until now the mouth of your God has been closed."

Hearing Elissa's words caused an electric feeling to move up Alan's spine. Her words rang true but they caused a heaviness within his heart. "What truth is that? That we are the cattle of the Light, that our lives are cut short to give an invisible force sustenance?" Alan passionately yelled.

Al calmly interrupted him "In my decades of travel I've seen the effects of both the light and the dark. And although the two are parasites on the human soul. The light has created something that protects and promotes human life that's more than I can say for the Dark. If the cost is a short life for a few members of the whole then I think it's clear what truth your God wants you to share."

Alan's eyes welled up with tears "Live for others not for ourselves... I think I understand now. This was never about your execution but mine." Falling to his knees and tears streaming down his Alan cried "But I just, I don't want to die!"

Al's face softened up and he approached the broken Alan extending his hand towards him. "I hear you and I understand how you feel. There's nothing I can say to make this situation better. But I have a feeling on the day of my execution you're going to see the abundance of life the light has given your people."

Alan grabbed Al's hand and stood up, he wasn't sure about what Al meant but a warm feeling had entered his heart telling him to have patience. After wiping away his tears Alan exited the room leaving Elissa and Al alone.

Elissa walked towards the large window and stared toward the pyramids in the distance. "As cultivators, we've never paid much attention to Light or Dark Acolytes except to keep their numbers in check. I never imagined they had such a personal relationship with their hosts. I'm starting to think there's a lot more to them than what any of us understand."

Al nodded quietly, he couldn't help but think about Benjamin the mysterious cultivator who studied the holy books of mortal men, he was like a phantom who walked between worlds belonging to none.