Bright white snow reflected the morning sun on a desolate mountaintop. The air here was brutally cold, and swept across the peak with a howl that could rival thunder. This icy cap was called the Peak of Desolation for no creature would dare call this place their home.
Mana appeared. Without preamble, the mana began to cover the mountain top, stretching out in all directions like the light from a star. The tiny refractions of light from the snow were magnified to such a degree as to emit an explosion of color that could be seen even from the mountain’s base more than a mile below.
On and on the mana poured forth, digging into the mountain itself, and stretching up into the skies. Clouds became aglow with radiance, and the mountain began to shine. At this time, people all throughout Shu Varuna took notice of the phenomenon, wondering what this strange omen could mean.
Not more than two minutes after the mana appeared, it suddenly recoiled — coalescing into a sphere the size of a house that shined like a second sun.
There was a flash of light, and the Peak of Desolation was gone, with a torrent of steam in its wake.
Suspended at the center of the crater where once was the mountain’s peak, was a young woman. Her form slowly sank to the ground.
She was, by almost any measure, an average looking woman. Her height, her stature, and even her looks, with the exception of her red hair.
As soon as her feet touched the earth, her eyes opened, revealing a curious black freckle on her right eye.
The cold wind cut across her flesh, and she shivered violently, wishing to be warm again.
Warm she was, as mana enforced her will on the world itself.
Confusion immediately followed, and the woman began muttering questions to herself, all of it drowned out by the sound of the wind howling.
A set of white robes suddenly appeared on her person, and the girl hooted with delight.
She looked around the crater, noting the devastation, and placed her palm on the ground. As she stood back up, a long staff, made of silver and bronze, rose to meet her hand. She looked down at the staff with curiosity before she shook her head and began walking.
A hundred questions swam through her mind, followed by a thousand possible answers, as she walked.
Whatever else may be, the first thing she was going to do was find a way down this mountain.
----------------------------------------
“It must be some kind of an attack,” Nayav insisted, “there’s no other explanation.”
“And from who?” Kulla stopped stirring the pot of stew to stand up and face her brother.
Nayav just stared at her as if she were being purposefully daft. He must have picked that up from his human friends, because no proper orc would be so disrespectful to their elder.
With strained patience, she counted off each reason, “The Empire would be stupid to do this because we are the only people that can track down the soul of their Emperor without enchantments.
“The Alliance would be stupid to do this because our brothers and sisters there would turn on them the moment they found out.
“The Commonwealth would be stupid to do this because we would drive them out of Dimu Prithvi with a vengeance reserved only for demons.
“The hybrid peoples would be stupid to do this because it would only invoke a worse reputation about them from the rest of the world, and invite vengeance.
“Now, you tell me, who could pass by all of our tribes and somehow make it to the center of the Diluvium Bhoomi?”
Nayav threw his hands out in exasperation, “Demons, Kulla, demons. What else would try and bring about destruction to the world without reason?”
“And how would they make it there?” Kulla demanded. “They cannot enter Yume’kai. They cannot create portals in our land. Sages know when they near our border, let alone when they cross it. It is impossible.”
Massaging his temples as he spoke, Nayav said, “It is the Breaking, Kulla. We know it is coming. What other explanation could there be? The Breaking has started and they are attacking us first because we are the biggest threat to them. Open your eyes, Kulla!”
“A single wildfire is not the Breaking, you foolish boy,” Kulla lectured. “For all we know, it was started by children as foolish as you are.”
Nayav groaned in exasperation before turning to the only other person in the hut, “Tell her, Modiuk. It is the only sensible explanation.”
Not yet a proper sage, Modiuk was still able to enter the first layer of Yume’kai, and thus shown great respect, as was proper. He had put off his ceremony only at the behest of Nayav. The boy had begged him to journey to the nearby Empire city because his parents wouldn’t let him go without a chaperon. As a kind and charitable individual, Modiuk had offered to spend a month of his precious time looking after the growing warrior.
The young orc had spent all of their money in the first week. They had to do odd jobs here and there just to afford travel and food until they got back to the border of the Bhoomi. Apparently, however, that first week had been enough to rub all sorts of bad human habits on the impressionable orc. Especially his willingness to immediately challenge the words of his elders.
“You are once again rushing things, Nayav,” Modiuk spoke softly, trying to keep a measured tone. “Though we must always remain vigilant, it is not the way of Eratosk to see enemies where none have been found.”
Crossing his arms, another habit picked up from being around his human friends, Modiuk was sure, Nayav said, “Then what do you think started that wildfire? There was no lightning. We’re not on a volcano. Was there a drought going on that no one told me about?”
Modiuk wanted to slap the boy, but he was a patient and kind soul, “You must trust that the sages will find the answers and focus on your own duties and training, Nayav. When was the last time you practiced your forms?”
Shrugging his shoulders, the boy answered, “I do them when I have time. I’m doing many things.”
The urge to slap the overgrown child grew anew, like a fire that was fed a pine cone, but Modiuk was kind. He was merciful and forgiving.
“Remember, ‘he who chases two deer catches neither,’” Modiuk reminded him.
“Perhaps they just aren’t fast enough,” Nayav arrogantly countered.
Before Modiuk could get to his feet, Kulla already slapped Nayav across the face, and jabbed a finger at him, “You should hold your tongue if you’re only going to say stupid things, you stupid boy!”
Rather than looking chastised, Nayav only drew his eyebrows down in anger. As brother and sister stared one another down, Modiuk frantically thought how to calm them down.
The young orc grunted and marched out of the hut in a fury.
Modiuk could see the regret in Kulla’s eyes, and he sighed. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he would be the one to clean up this mess.
“Who goes there??” Nayav called out. “Name yourself!”
Modiuk and Kulla looked at one another in alarm before they both darted out of the hut.
They saw Nayav, axe in hand, looking up the dirt path.
There was a figure — human, judging by his size and stature — that was walking with a lazy pace to his steps. His clothing was bizarre and unlike anything Modiuk had seen during his time in the Empire city they visited. The human looked totally unconcerned, as if he were just going out for a stroll.
No humans entered their lands without an escort — not the Magi, not the Oracle, not the Huntress, and not even the Emperor or Empress.
Modiuk opened his eyes beyond the veil of reality.
An infinite dreamscape overlaid atop the physical world as Yume’kai revealed itself to him.
The figure on the path had a burning soul that shined so bright it hurt to even look at it, as though Modiuk were staring at the sun.
He blinked his eyes as he looked away, “Impossible… no human has that much mana..!”
“What do you mean?” Kulla voiced in alarm, “What do you see, Modiuk?”
“Name yourself, now!” Nayav shouted once more.
If only they had traveled further into the Bhoomi, or had waited for a caravan. The hut they took shelter in was meant to house a dozen of their people, not just a paltry three! They should never have traveled so few in number.
“Do you have any quests for me?” a voice shouted back at them.
The orcs looked at one another in confusion.
“Do you know any good spots I can grind?” The human said as he continued along the path, “Any raids or dungeons?”
“What does he mean by that, Modiuk?” Kulla whispered to him.
“Stay back!” Nayav shouted, then he dipped his fingers into a satchel on his belt, and began anointing ancestor ashes on his face.
The strange human — no, he couldn’t have been human…
The creature stood still, though, and shrugged his shoulders as he watched them. He was only a hundred yards away now. If Modiuk were an archer, he would have shot the creature dead.
But Modiuk had pursued the path of the sage. He wanted to learn how to enter Yume’kai and mold the world like clay, as the Ten Prime could do. Even if he hadn’t gone through the ceremonies, Modiuk still knew how to mold mana to his will.
He stepped in front of Nayav, and thrust his palm forward. Fire gathered forth, and Modiuk could feel the heat, but the heat would not harm him. It would sear this creatures flesh.
With a roar, Modiuk willed the fireball toward the creature. The flame screamed forward and impacted in an instant, exploding in a flash of light.
Feeling his reservoir of mana already depleted, Modiuk focused on steadying his breathing as his body instinctively drank in ambient mana. It would be at least a few minutes before he could attempt something like that again.
The smoke was dispersed with a burst of air that snapped the branches off of nearby trees.
Unbelievably, the creature was still alive, and his arms were crossed.
“Run…” Modiuk whispered to the other orcs. “Run far away. I’ll try and hold it off as long as I can.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Kulla squeezed his hand. Her eyes met his, and he felt yearning and heartbreak all at once as his entire world crashed around him.
“I’m with you til the end, brother,” Nayav growled.
The creature uncrossed its arms, “Do you know what an alpha strike is?”
Nayav roared and charged toward the creature.
It was the last thing Modiuk saw before the world went white.
----------------------------------------
“Fine, then,” Dinah reluctantly agreed.
Ciarlare nodded his head, and then the Blue Prism shined for a moment.
Blue light reflected off the marble walls as there was virtually no other light source in the chamber they were in. Luckily, that mana explosion from earlier had limited its damage to just the Bethel Lyceum as all the other enchantments in the House of Vrata were still operational. Including the bars for the holding cells in this room.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
In an instant, Kronus was no longer sporting that weird, distended patch of skin on his face.
He immediately gasped a breath through his mouth, “Holy shit, that felt weird as hell! You think Caesar—”
“You speak when spoken to,” Dinah snarled at the man. He clamped a hand over his mouth and bowed his head. Something about it annoyed Dinah, as though everything were still a game to him.
“Are you ready, Dinah?” Ciarlare asked her.
Considering the scale of the accusations he had laid at their feet, Kronus had to be interrogated. The threat of a civil war was something that Dinah couldn’t really believe, but also instinctively felt unsurprised by. However, the threat of a demonic invasion was too serious. And the fool had even claimed he would help them stop it? Dinah couldn’t see this schlub accomplishing anything with his life.
Dinah looked down at the man. He was slouched over, which made his already unimpressive stature even smaller. He winked at her, and Dinah immediately felt a new wave of revulsion at this man. ka’Kia stepped closer to Dinah, the poor girl obviously uncomfortable with the whole situation.
Fueled more so by anger than a sense of duty, she conjured the Golden Prism once more. All lies would be revealed to her. The Prism shined, and a barrier of golden light bathed the room in a soft glow.
“What is your name and true identity?” Ciarlare inquired.
Kronus took a moment to appreciate the soft glow on his person, nodding his head appreciatively at Dinah, before turning to Ciarlare with a smile, “For all intents and purposes, Kronus might as well be my name. I mean, why should anyone else get to decide that for me? My parents were sanctimonious assholes; the government doesn’t respect the rights of the people; there is no god above me. So, what does that leave us with? ‘I think, therefore, I am,’ a philosophy you could appreciate, right, Ciarlare?”
True. Dinah immediately scowled at the unrepentant arrogance of Kronus’s absolute childish beliefs. The boy spoke like he could trust no one but himself. Dinah wanted to give him the verbal thrashing he deserved, but held her tongue. They needed him to speak, and insulting him wouldn’t get him to cooperate.
In the ensuing silence, Kronus looked at the bars curiously. He seemed to be thinking hard about something. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head.
Ciarlare, however, simply stared at Kronus.
A minute passed before Kronus, apparently bored, suddenly spoke again, “I’m giving up that old life of mine and choose to be someone new — someone better than I was before. There wasn’t much for me in my other life anyway. My parents already disowned me, so it’s not like I was going to get an inheritance.”
True. Inheritance? Was this bratty man-child a noble? That would certainly explain his attitude. Nonchalance in the face of the Champions? Holier-than-thou disposition? It clicked into place perfectly.
“What kind of life are you choosing to give up so easily?” Ciarlare asked.
“A pretty shitty one, honestly,” Kronus answered. True. “This whole thing was nothing more than a story where I come from. That’s why I know everything that happens. It’s why I know that the civil war can be prevented if we just take out most of the senators and ambassadors today. The ones that I can’t name will probably never attempt something like that again once they find out how quickly you guys have already eliminated the others. Even the unknown benefactor will have to back off.”
True. Ciarlare perked up, “Who is this ‘benefactor?’”
Kronus sighed again and dropped down to the ground, kicking his feet in front of him and leaning back on his arms, “I wish I knew for sure, but that detail was never revealed. I can voice my doubts about a lot of people, but I can’t definitively claim anyone’s guilty of being the mastermind.”
True. Dinah immediately stood at attention. ka’Kia noticed her change in posture, as did Ciarlare.
“You actually do want to help us, don’t you?” Dinah pressed.
With a short, sad laugh, Kronus said, “Yeah, I don’t want you guys to suffer. If I don’t help you guys, then the world is way worse off.”
True. Dinah asked, “What do you mean this is a ‘story’ to you? How do you know so much about us anyway?”
“One question at a time, Dinah,” Ciarlare said. “Tell us what you mean about this being a ‘story.’”
Kronus smiled again, but it was a sad smile. He looked at Dinah. His face full of pity.
“In the way I know it,” Kronus began, “you suffer most of all, Dinah Ukusika. Your fate was probably the worst out of all the Champions.”
True. Shocking her into silence, Dinah felt as though she had suddenly been condemned. A flurry of emotion washed through the coldness as she felt confusion and hurt and anger all fight to break through her tenuous calm.
A wall of air rushed around Kronus, and Ciarlare leaned toward Dinah, “Are you alright?”
She shook her head, but said, “I need to hear more. I need to know what he knows.”
“He isn’t lying?” Ciarlare sounded surprised.
She shook her head once more, “That’s the scary part. He hasn’t told a single lie. I don’t understand.”
“He could have access to powerful divinations,” Ciarlare proposed. “Maybe that’s why he feels what he says is true. Maybe it is more of a possibility that he firmly believes in.”
Dinah met Ciarlare’s eyes, “This man was prophesized to appear by the Chosen of the Purple Prism, just like Silva Shyanna.”
Ciarlare gave a noncommittal hum. ka’Kia gently took Dinah’s hand, and Dinah gave the younger woman a small smile at the sign of support.
The wall of air vanished, and Ciarlare declared, “Tell us something that can prove this isn’t all just pointless conjecture and accusations.”
Kronus seemed to take it all in stride. He simply smiled again, and looked up at ka’Kia, “She’s in love with Azazel.”
True. Dinah felt ka’Kia’s hand suddenly grip hers tightly. Ciarlare looked at ka’Kia with confusion, and the younger girl hid her face behind Dinah.
“No…” ka’Kia flushed a pink as bright as her dress, “Well… I don’t know…”
“Although telling,” Ciarlare mused, “I’d rather have information we can confirm concretely. Tell us something about these corrupt senators that no one else should know.”
Kronus waved his hand dismissively, “That’d take too long. ka’Kia can just read my mind? I know plenty of caches and secret passages and prisons that the senators and ambassadors have. You can just send Azzy to check them out.”
True.
Curiosity urging her, Dinah asked, “Why do you think she can read your mind?”
“That’s part of her whole schtick, right?” Kronus looked between everyone. Seeing the confusion plain on their faces, Kronus continued, “The Pink Prism of Dreams? Illusions? The veil of reality? The whole dreamscape of Yume’kai? Nobody? ka’Kia, you have to know this. C’mon, girl, don’t leave me hanging.”
Suddenly put on the spot, ka’Kia tottered on her feet for a few seconds before answering, “Well, I have been contacted by some orcs before. They seem to deeply respect me as the Champion of the Pink Prism, but… I don’t think I can read minds or anything.”
“Huh,” Kronus nodded. “Guess that’s just a Chosen thing?”
A thin slate of marble popped off a nearby wall, and floated in front of Ciarlare, “If you know these locations, then you shouldn’t have a problem providing directions, I assume?”
At first uncertain, Dinah became both wary and impressed by the wealth of knowledge Kronus seemed to possess. Not only did he name the senators and ambassadors, describing their looks and mannerisms to a tee, but he knew the names of their estates, the colloquial slang for certain areas in each city and town and backwater. It was as though he had known these officials personally and been to these places himself a hundred times before.
Ciarlare wound up creating multiple marble tablets. Some had descriptions but, eventually, he wound up creating floor plans and maps with Kronus’s direction. Any trace of Kronus’s foolishness disappeared as he went into detail on the intricate plans for civil war that were occurring right under the Champions’ noses. Worst yet, Kronus never spoke a single lie. It was chilling.
Dinah knew that, regardless of how she had felt about this man, he had to be kept safe. There was no longer any doubt in her mind that he knew the future. Her future. Caesar’s future. As the conversation came to a close, they discussed who would verify the evidence Kronus presented and who would stand guard. Dinah knew she had to get more answers from Kronus.
“Take ka’Kia with you to investigate,” Dinah ordered. “If Kronus knows this much, but still doesn’t know the true face of this mysterious mastermind, then we have to protect each other.”
“But who will protect you?” ka’Kia tentatively put her hand on Dinah.
“No one else knows that we’re here and,” the Golden Prism flashed brilliantly above Dinah, “I’m the strongest Champion anyway. Even Kronus acknowledged that it was only with the Golden Prism that the portals to the Hollow Expanse could be closed. I’ll put more barriers and wards to protect me and Kronus until you all return.”
ka’Kia still looked worried, and tottered timidly.
Dinah couldn’t help but smile and pull the girl into a hug, “You need to spend less time worrying about others and more time worrying about yourself.”
ka’Kia laughed as they parted, “Lady Sita tells me that all the time…”
“I’ll be fine,” Dinah gave ka’Kia a reassuring smile. “I’m stronger than I look.”
Blue eyes filled with concern, ka’Kia shook her head, “Lady Sita says that, too…”
“Then she’s much wiser than I thought,” Dinah smirked.
Air rushed past them before coalescing around Kronus.
Ciarlare cleared his throat then asked, “What if Kronus is somehow deceiving us? What if he is the true mastermind behind all this?”
Although Ciarlare had a point, Dinah felt this wasn’t the case, “He can’t speak any lies, and he has only just appeared before us. I think he might have been sent to us rather than coming here on his own… I’ll continue interrogating him and try to piece together his identity until you return.”
“I’ll tell Caesar to make his way over here,” Ciarlare offered. “This man seems to hold him in great esteem. Though deserved, the reason for such respect could be from something Caesar does in the future.”
Wrinkling her nose, Dinah asked, “What makes you say that?”
Ciarlare shrugged, “He was foretold to appear by the Chosen of the Purple Prism. I wonder if we are seeing eddies in the wake of Caesar’s decisions in the future.”
“I’m not entirely following, Ciarlare,” Dinah sighed.
Smiling with good humor, he cupped his hands in front of him as water slowly filled the empty space. A small marble ball rolled down his sleeve and gently landed in the center of the water. A current took shape, and the water poured forward, looping along the outside of Ciarlare’s fingers before coming back up his wrists to flow through his cupped hands once more.
“See how the water is parted by the front of the stone?” Ciarlare explained, “But it comes around and splashes up the back.”
“Okay…?” She still didn’t understand what he was getting at.
“Caesar is immortal,” Ciarlare said. “He is like the wind and the ocean is history.”
“He’s famous for many things,” Dinah stated. “I don’t see what this has to do with eddies.”
Ciarlare pressed his hands together and the water dissipated into fog before fading from sight in an instant. “Caesar will be the only one of us who will personally know every Champion and Chosen that comes into existence.”
Dinah swallowed hard. Whenever the topic of death came up Caesar laugh it off with an anecdote of his escapades. Thinking back, it became clear to Dinah that he was hiding a darker sense of loss behind his surface smile.
“You think when Caesar meets the Chosen of the Purple Prism of Time,” Dinah thought aloud, “he’s going to have a lot of points in time that he wants to go back to.”
Shaking his head, Ciarlare clarified, “I think he’s a man of tremendous will and won’t abuse a power like that to spare his own feelings. He’d use such power responsibly.”
“You think Caesar is the one who sent Kronus back in time?” Dinah guessed.
He shrugged, “Maybe whatever Caesar does in the future makes the Chosen of the Purple Prism bring Kronus. I cannot say for certain.”
Dinah blew out a breath, “This is a lot to take in.”
“It is only speculation, Dinah,” Ciarlare said to her. “What I do know is that we must trust each other, now more than ever.”
His dark eyes held a shine she wasn’t used to seeing in them — concern. He very much reminded her of her kid brothers just then.
Acting on impulse, she pulled him into a one-armed hug, and kissed the top of his head. “I could get used to seeing this side of you more often, Ciarlare.”
He pulled back and readjusted the kofia atop his head, “Well... you won’t if that’s what I’m to expect.”
She laughed, “You boys always puff yourselves up and act proper. It’s hard not to tease you for that already, so what do you expect me to do when you’re so sweet?”
Ciarlare eyed her curiously before turning to ka’Kia, “Is this not strange from her?”
ka’Kia only shrugged, “I like it.”
Dinah shook her head, “You two should come to Nucifera. This stuffy place has always brought out the worst in me. People weren’t meant to live in stacks of rock — the open sky and ocean breeze are where we are our truest selves can thrive.”
With a finger raised, Ciarlare offered, “Rain check?”
Laughing softly, Dinah wrapped a finger around his, “Promise.”
Looking toward ka’Kia, Dinah extended the pinkie of her other hand. The taller girl reciprocated with a pinkie of her own.
Finding herself smiling, Dinah took in the scene in front of her. Both had been nearly strangers to her for three years, and now they were becoming fast friends. Why had she let all that time slip through her fingers? If she hadn’t spent so much time focused on her problems, and instead recognized opportunities for moments like this, would they have been friends already?
ka’Kia placed a hand over Dinah’s, a face of worry and questions.
“Look at us,” Dinah smiled at the scene. “To think that I could have had this earlier if I only had the strength to reach out first.”
“Well,” Ciarlare cleared his throat, “the same could be said of me. Communication is a two-way street, Dinah. I’d be hypocritical to not mention that my own behavior has led to some roughness to our relationship.”
“That’s changing,” Dinah looked between the two of them. “I think there’s going to be a lot of changes coming soon. Like you said, Ciarlare, it will be easier to weather the storm if we work together.”
ka’Kia’s smile was soft and gentle, “Together.”
“Together,” Ciarlare echoed.
----------------------------------------
Although the words of Kronus had wrought irreversible damage, at least the mana explosion that preceded him had caused a suitable distraction. Lady Soteria and Azazel would follow Caesar’s orders and focus on tending to those effected instead of lashing out and trying to find somebody to blame. Sermon would have easily wiped the memories of the assembly, but stuck close to Miriam to protect her. Meanwhile, Caesar would be wracking his brain trying to figure out a long term plan to deal with Kronus, the civil war, and the alleged demon invasion.
If he acted quickly, then he might be able to salvage things.
“ka’Kia,” Ciarlare levitated the marble slats in front of the tall girl, “could you hold these for me? I need to stop by the lavatory for but a moment.”
“Oh, yeah. No problem,” her voice was as demure as ever, but didn’t tremor or vary in volume. Dinah’s influence was already having an effect on her.
“Thank you,” Ciarlare gave her a small smile and nod.
She returned his nod but shifted the focus of her attention to levitating the marble slats. Even if only subconsciously, she still preferred to avoid being the subject of scrutiny. That was good.
Two invisible wards alighted atop the pair of bronze statues that he passed, which would keep out any trespassers. Likely due to the mana explosion, the lavatories were already empty, which allowed him to immediately get to work.
Ciarlare closed the door, and a wall of darkness swept over it. In the cramped space, a translucent silhouette began to take shape — at first, nothing more than a humanoid shape, but soon it became defined with contours and a face. A perfect stranger stood in a cloak, with no particularly defining features. Technically, it wasn’t a perfect simulacrum, so the form would collapse rather quickly without him concentrating on maintaining it.
But it was perfect for what he intended.
The Blue Prism shined as its infinite reservoir of mana churned. Memories and intentions flooded the empty vessel that stood before him. Without the Blue Prism, this would have taken hours, and any mistake made would cost him every memory that he was copying over to the simulacrum. However, after a few seconds, the Blue Prism calmed.
The simulacrum became surrounded by shadow and disappeared.
Doffing his kofia, Ciarlare took a moment to splash some cold water on his face and tidy himself. The wall of darkness in front of the door, as well as the two wards outside it, dissipated with a thought.
As he exited, he saw ka’Kia looking about the halls, nervously.
“Is something amiss?” he asked.
A look of relief swept across her face as her eyes met his, “Oh, no. I was just keeping watch.”
Ciarlare smiled sheepishly, “When I get nervous, I… well, I have to go.”
“Oh, man, me too,” she chuckled.
“I can stand guard while you…”
“Oh, thanks so much!” ka’Kia tittered anxiously, “I’ll only be a second, sorry.”
He waved off her concerns and took the floating marble slats.
After she left, he began rearranging them. They would be arriving at crime scenes, after all, so all he had to do was make sure they find the right evidence.