The True Believer
He watched as the screen faded to black in front of him and the speakers fell silent. In response to the end of the session, the lights in his room lit up, illuminating an office that was almost startling in its utter normality.
He had never liked the trappings of wealth, not even as he grew richer and more successful. Large elaborate desks, chairs like thrones, luxurious carpets, none of them had ever sat well with him. When circumstances had forced him to use them in the past he’d felt as though he was trying to work in the lobby of some fancy hotel, and any minute an usher would try to politely but firmly ask him to leave.
A knock came at his door, pulling him out of his thoughts as he looked up.
“Sir? I noticed that your meeting has ended, are you ready to go over the reports?”
With a sigh, he sat up in his chair and tried to put on the face that was expected of him, of the man that had built himself up from a data entry clerk into the owner of a multibillion-dollar corporation.
“Okay Evans, what have you got?”
He watched as the young man that was his aide brought in a small pile of documents and left the office.. Maybe a tablet would have been easier, but the older man liked having something he could hold and sort, even if he knew it was an outdated method.
He tried to focus on the task in front of him, but his mind kept on returning to the meeting. Without conscious thought on his part, his hands clenched into fists, a small tremor running through them as his thoughts turned to the . . . freaks!
Intellectually he was disgusted with himself for thinking of them so. He liked to think he was a good man, someone that had not allowed himself to be coloured by such prejudices as racism, sexism or social standing. He had always treated everyone he met equally, and he had always tried to measure his employees on their own merits, rather than stereotypes or preconceived notions.
But the supernaturals, be they gods, angels, demons or demigods, all of them made his skin crawl. The idea that there were these . . .these things out there that didn’t conform to the world of reason and sanity that he had grown up with. They had power, inexplicable, impossible power. Power that made them a threat.
That was what it came down to, he supposed. Even more than his aversion to their existence. Even more than the way they broke the laws human science thought immutable. They were a threat, pure and simple. Gods, their spawn, the other beings that swarmed around them, all of them were . . . were invading predators, creatures that had usurped humanities position at the apex of the world’s ecosystem.
That was why he was a part of the coalition of powerful individuals that had come to be in the wake of the Black Sun, to ensure mankind didn’t become some sort of side note. This was their world, even the gods acknowledged this, calling this the mortal realm. Humanity would not be weak; they would not be pawns. They would gain power of their own, enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with these arrogant creatures that demanded worship and obedience. Maybe even surpassing them one day.
Sighing he reached into a drawer and pulled out a folder that detailed the project he was personally working on. It was hardly revolutionary, simply an advanced piece of software that could be used to keep track of certain trends on the internet concerning demons. The thing that made it special was that it was able to ignore most of the security precautions meant to ensure privacy for casual users.
Certainly, such software was illegal, but as long as it let them keep some idiots from selling their souls and giving more hellspawn access to Earth then he wouldn’t feel even a twinge of guilt. Compared to what some of his other colleges were putting together it was just small potatoes, but it was one brick in a growing wall.
He liked that image, each of them working on their own brick, fitting them together, making something that grew with time and their efforts. The end result would be a battlement, something to shelter mankind from the depredations that threatened them, perhaps even something from which they could strike back.
He shook his head at the grandiose nature of his thoughts, slipping the file back into the drawer and locking it behind careful security measures. When had he become so poetic? It did not matter, there was work to be done. The coalition would only succeed if every member put forth their full effort, after all.
He had faith they would. The threat they faced left no other option. Victory and freedom, or failure followed by slavery or serfdom, those were the only paths available. That was a guarantee of loyalty, of full support.
That was why they were all dedicated to the cause.
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The Betrayer
“I can’t believe those idiots still believe I am dedicated to their cause.”
The figure leaned back in their chair, the sound of machinery fading away as the computer they’d been using had its power cut. As the light of the screen faded, darkness took the room, the obscuring murk settling upon the reclining figure like some sort of familiar cloak. Nothing could be seen of them in the gloom. Not their features, not their figure, nothing.
Even so, the obscured form had no trouble in reaching into a small cupboard and pulling out ink-black robes that they quickly donned. The darkness was no hindrance to them, every move devoid of stumble or uncertainty. Perhaps it was the result of long experience, or perhaps the darkness held no impact upon their sight, whatever the case the figure was soon clad in robes that hid their identity every bit as thoroughly as the darkness had.
Then, only a few seconds after the last tie had been knotted into position, light flooded into the room as the door to the dark chamber was suddenly thrown open. The robed figure gave a slight wince at the unexpectedly bright intrusion but turned to face the door.
“Acolyte, I have news!”
The one who had opened the door was a distinctive figure, a well-muscled mage with scars prominently on display due to his shirtless state. His unkempt black hair contrasted with his pale skin, and his face was devoid of apprehension, even as the robed figure turned on him.
“I told you not to disturb me!”
The acolyte’s words came out as an almost reptilian hiss. It was a tone that would have intimidated even a hardened soldier, but the scarred mage remained unaffected.
“Your meeting had finished, and as I said, I have news.”
“Regardless, do not disturb me!”
The acolyte turned and walked to the door, deliberately taking their time. As they stepped past the scarred mage, they couldn’t help but feel their thoughts drift back to the meeting they had just been part of.
In truth, they found the ideals of the cabal they were a part of to be absurd. Mortals manipulating gods? Ridiculous! Certainly, there were examples in various mythologies of heroes or villains tricking or confounding a deity, but though it worked in the short term, in the long term it rarely turned out well for them. The luckiest had been stripped of their wealth and sent to wander the wilderness, the worst . . . well, wheels of fire and hordes of hungry ghosts had been involved.
The robed figure had no intention of making such a mistake. Their mortal identity was powerful and well connected. They had been one of the earlier members of the circle to be brought in. Of course, they had informed their patron of it immediately, and he had ordered them to remain undercover, seeing the use of an agent in such a position.
Beneath their robes, the acolyte felt their lips curl into a twist of disgust. It was so idiotic, mortals standing against the divine. Those others . . . they had some notion that technology could close the gap, that somehow they could disrupt the power of likes of gods and angels and bring them down to the level where such things as guns and bullets could harm them.
Lunacy!
As a student of magic, the acolyte knew how . . . naïve such a thought was. Gods, demons, angels, fairies, elementals, they were all so much more than mortals. Those others in the gathering, they thought of the divine in terms of their science, as mutants, humans that had evolved differently. They spoke of tapping into higher dimensions, advanced mitochondria and Nth dimensional spatial folding, psychic powers unleashed and collective unconsciousness empowerment. All of it was just a frantic attempt to rationalise and categorise.
Fear, that was what it came down to, the robed figure knew it with confidence. In a way, it was almost amusing. Some of the richest, most powerful and most well-connected people on the planet had come together, and it was all driven by fear. They talked about safeguarding humanity, but the acolyte knew what they meant. They wanted to safeguard themselves.
And now they were sinking vast fortunes into anything they thought might help them. New technology, new research, anything that might let them be more than sheep to be slaughtered. Within the acolyte’s hood, their sneer became an amused smile at the thought. So much wealth, so much effort and all of it being wasted. Technology? In the face of true power, it was all but worthless. How could tools that functioned by using the laws of nature possibly be of any use against those that could rewrite those laws when they chose?
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
China had proven that well enough. Stupidity and desperation had led those in power to try to strike down the returned gods with their greatest weapon. An atomic bomb, the nightmare of the modern world, unleashed against their own lands in an attempt to hold onto power. The ultimate act of cruelty and recklessness, and it had amounted to nothing in the face of one able to turn deadly plutonium into worthless lead with nothing but a gesture and a flick of will.
Still, not all their schemes were futile, and there was some value to being a member. Their efforts to track and influence demigods, for instance, that was of value. Knowledge of their attempts to collect and stockpile weapons and items of magic, that was also worthwhile. It made the time and resources invested into being a member worth it. And the information they had been able to forward to their patron had earned them considerable favour and rewards.
Maybe more information could soon be gained, enough to make up for their failure in securing the demigod that had proven so powerful.
“Well, what did you need to tell me?”
They asked the question in an effort to distract themselves from the welling of fear and anger that came with thoughts of their failure.
“My contact has replied.”
Immediately thoughts of the meeting and past disappointments vanished from the acolyte’s thoughts.
“She answered? What was her response?”
“She is willing to meet.”
Both hope and fear shot through them. This was a gamble, going to one with such a dangerous reputation. It could yield great rewards, but it could also lead to ruin.
Just one more thing to worry about.
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The Double Agent
She reached out and tapped a button on her desk, severing all electronic connections to the outside world and reasserting the isolation of her office.
This small room had been specially prepared, with metal and special ceramics running through the wall to ensure her privacy from virtually any tech-based surveillance. Measures ensured that even if bugs did get in somehow, they would not be able to transmit any information. Without wiring or any sort of signal, it would have been impossible for her to send out a message either. Perfect isolation.
Unless you had unconventional methods of communication.
The charm that she pulled out of her pocket was small, barely larger than the average key fob of a car, however, its appearance was distinctive, to say the least. The core was a pitch-black stone carved into a vague hourglass shape, dried vines and copper wire wrapped around the narrow middle. Strangely, modern computer chips were fitted into the wires, and visible flashes of energy ran from them through the copper and into the stone.
Holding the charm closely to her lips the woman whispered into it.
“This is Asset Onyx, ready to share my latest findings.”
There was a moment of silence, and then a scratchy and indistinct voice replied.
“Were you able to find out anything else about the target demigod?”
A smile touched the woman’s lips as she heard those words. This was no simple magic communicator; such a method would have been entirely too unsecured for her needs. The charm she held was unique in the world, a union that was only possible due to the expertise of the organization that held her true loyalty. A familiar pride rose in her heart as she answered the question.
“Nothing we didn’t know. There was some speculation about their heritage, but nothing we weren’t already aware of.”
“No notion as to their location?”
“None. The area of the Awakening is devoid of clues.”
A frown touched the woman’s features as she had to answer in the negative. She was well aware of how important the acquisition of powerful demigods was for her organization. Being able to provide information on the one with such a potent and spectacular Awakening would have been well rewarded.
“Such a shame. No matter, another new prospect has shown themselves in the Philippines, one of our agents has already been dispatched to secure them.”
That was a surprise. This new interest must have been powerful to make the loss of the unknown demigod less disappointing. Her curiosity aroused, she asked the first question to come to mind.
“Who was sent?”
“Her.”
No more identification was needed. There was only one member of their organization that specialized in the capture of demigods to the point where that was all that was needed to identify her. The irony was that the one they spoke of was herself a demigod, though no one knew who her divine parent was. Still, even though she had only joined the organization recently her reputation was already approaching legend in their ranks.
“Ah, it should be of little difficulty then.”
“To be sure.”
“There is little else to report,” She stated, leaning back in her chair. “The only point of interest is the increasing influence on public opinion via various media channels. I shall send the council a full report later tonight, but I believe that it can be exploited to the benefit of our goals.”
“I shall be sure to include it in the next dispatch.”
After that, the voice from the charm went silent. There was no goodbye, no over and out, but then the woman had not been expecting anything of that nature. Neither of them outranked each other, and the speaker was not one to stand on niceties.
With a small sigh, the woman slipped the charm back into its hidden pocket and then rose from her chair. As she made her way out of the room she could not help but think back to the meeting she’d just been a part of.
The group she had infiltrated did have the right idea, but they were too narrow in their thinking. Mankind did need to grow stronger, but reliance on technology and recruitment of demigods was not enough.
Her own organization, the one where her loyalties lay, had a more . . . concrete plan. One that, in her opinion, was more likely to work.
Humanity could not triumph against the gods, that was a simple fact. Technology could not bridge the gap. Magic had a better chance, but the tiny number of legendary magic users that eventually rose to be of comparable power to deities in the distant past had ended up being little better than gods themselves. Greed, hubris, feuds and overreaching had torn apart nations before magic faded from the world.
But technology and magic together . . . that was a game changer.
Magitech was a new concept to the world, and it already existed to a degree. Olympus Industries had offered some to the world already. Many of their products were mass-produced magic items created by the forges of Hephaestus, things like lighters, torches, metal bottles that kept their contents warm or cold better than a thermos. Trinkets really, hardly worth the exorbitant amounts they cost, just toys and novelties for those with some spare money.
But what could be accomplished with something more ambitious? What could a more powerful fusion of science and the supernatural do? Enhanced weapons, computers, vehicles, medical tools, the list was as endless as the possibilities.
There were powers out there besides the gods and their ilk, powers that the pantheons regarded as ‘lesser’, powers that had ambitions of their own. In the wake of the Black Sun, certain alliances had been tentatively made, and certain long-term plans were put into place.
So far, they had been staying in the shadows, but she looked forward to the day when they could step into the light.
It would be glorious!
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The Realist
An exhausted sigh escaped his lips as he watched the screen go dark.
Every one of these meetings was a drain on him, the strain of maintaining a completely neutral tone and posture taxing in the extreme. Still, he had little choice in the matter, not given what he knew. Closing his eyes he massaged his forehead as he leaned back in his chair, trying to ease the headache he could feel growing.
This was a precarious balancing act he was attempting, but did he really have any other choice?
He had been the one to create the group that had just gathered. He’d wanted to draw together all the power, all the influence, all the strings he could gather. He’d started with friends, people he knew he could trust, people that had managed to hold onto some of their soul and morals, despite having risen high in the worlds of business and politics.
It had been a good idea at the start, but he’d quickly realised they weren’t powerful enough for what he wanted, so he’d tried to recruit further a field. His friends had followed suit . . . and some of them hadn’t been as careful as he wished. Those choices had made recruitments of their own, and before he’d been able to muster his influence to curb the induction of new members the small circle of allies had swollen into an organization of large numbers and enormous power.
Now the gathering had the power he’d wanted, power enough to send entire nations spiralling into war and ruin, enough to change the course of history, enough to elevate a backwards mire into a world power. So much power, so little trust, so little commitment, so little reliable control. What should have been a bulwark for humanity was now a golden house of cards.
He knew that the ranks of the circle were now riddled with spies, double agents and opportunists out for their own profit. Yes, self-interest was making sure they all moved in the same general direction for now, but he had no illusions as to what the future held.
Still, that was acceptable. If there was a future at all then that would be a win as far as he was concerned. For now, he just had to keep the house of cards from falling, keep playing the different factions against each other, and keep the spies ignorant of his awareness of them. Honestly, he would have preferred to spend his time doing something less complicated and stressful, like working as a bomb defuser or being a shark dentist.
The simple truth was that he had only been holding this gathering together for a few months, and it was already placing a huge drain on his time, resources and energy. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any better choices available to him. For all the rot that had found its way into his nameless organization, he had managed to do what he wanted, keep the world from going up in flames.
Now, there were gods invested in the status quo, gods that would want to keep the current social structures in place because they liked them. The Greek pantheon was a good example, Apollo was a movie star, their king was now ruler over a growing corporation, and even their more scattered members were working with the mortal societies about them rather than crushing them.
Europe, Australia, North and South America, all of them were reeling but still on their feet. Africa was mostly a lost cause, save for the northern regions in the hands of various Egyptian deities. Asia was a mixed bag, with China being taken over by gods, but Russia, India and Japan were faring much better. To the average man on the street, it might look like the world was in the midst of massive upheaval, but that was due to their limited knowledge.
He knew how close things had come to really crashing down, and sometimes he still woke from nightmares about it. He knew how close certain buttons had come to being pushed, how close certain orders were to being given. He knew how close the world had come to burning, and that was why he’d do everything he could to keep it from happening.
He knew that he couldn’t hold things together forever, not even with the organization he’d managed to build. But if he could hold things together long enough . . . then there was hope. If enough of the gods grew to like the modern world then they’d be the ones to hold it together after a bit. If enough demigods bought into the notion of being heroes, or just special and highly valued members of society, then they’d also keep things from collapsing.
Hell, maybe he’d get lucky and there would be some unlucky bastard out there that he could hand the whole mess over to so he could wash his hands of it. That thought drew a snort of laughter from him.
Yeah, as if he could be that lucky
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The Unlucky Bastard
Lying on his bed Adam dreamed of magic and colours.
Adam’s adventures and trials will continue in Blood Divine Book 2: Broken Blood