EPISODE 107: SIX — 8

— Edryan Queendom, Year: 7291. Season: Color Fading.

I stared at the being, [Echo]? I wasn’t certain, as the thing wasn’t fully present. In fact, it looked more like a ghost than anything else. Next to me was Madria, who silently chanted, preparing herself in case of the worst. Black soot covered both of us from head to toe. We’d managed to get inside the Pillar of Power and Endurance, but the attack from Olvido covered us first.

“Oh! I’m glad both of you could make it, but how are you still alive,” the ghost said. It was only semi-visible as it spoke, but its body reverberated with every word. The thing had feminine features. However, its face and other identifying aspects weren’t clear.

I hesitated, unsure of how to answer the question. The reasoning was simple… “I don’t know.”

The ghost cocked its head to the side. “Ahh, but of course, you don’t. My mistake… I think I remember now,” she exclaimed before continuing.

“I’m glad you could finally join me Lawruthian, Madria.”

“You know our names? You’ve been watching us?”

“You’ve entered my domain… are you not here for my inheritance?”

A sharp hiss was heard as I inhaled. “That means you’re-“

“I’m… I am,” the ghost interrupted. Yet, it seemed unsure of itself as it struggled to say its name.

“You’re Alidra Edryani, the first [Chosen of Madris],” Madria stated. She let out a breath of relief as she dismissed her spell.

“Ahh, so that’s who I am…,” Alidra Edryani said.

The moment the words came from her mouth, a transformation began. Her once semi-visible state began to morph and change. She began to grow more solid, and physical. It was like saying her name activated something the ghost, Alidra , didn’t know she was missing. She glowed, a startling lavender, and the strength of the light lit up the entire area. The transformation took several minutes, and Madria and I began to look around as Alidra changed before us.

The internals of the Pillar of Power and Endurance were dark, filled with stone and gravel. These stones were smooth, polished objects that seemed to hold some sort of purpose to them. Each held text on them, a word that either symbolized Power or Endurance.

The Trial of Power consisted of understanding how to control your Power. The Trial of Endurance was about reaching your limit but not just reaching the limit, it was to push your stamina and Endurance to the extreme. To try to get the maximum out of every single point. That’s why the distance between us and the pillar fluctuated constantly. I wasn’t certain what effects mastering Endurance would have, but I understood with each step I would get more out of it. I would travel farther even with the same stride I’d always used. That was what occurred as I ran with Madria. (Imperius Combat Arts: Flash Step) was a movement skill that allowed me to move at an extreme speed. Each step flashed around a meter forward, but as we were in the midst of escape, I broke through that limit until each step became three meters forward.

Now, I suspected pushing Vitality, Mind, Self, and Intent to some sort of limit would be the key factor in completing the Trial of Six.

As Alidra continued to change, I turned to Madria and stared. She stared back, covered in soot and appearing like she just climbed through a chimney.

“What,” she asked, which set me off.

“Ha-ha…. Hahaha! Ahahaha,” I laughed. It was part from relief, part a general joy.

“You look ridiculous,” I said once I got control over myself—chuckles still escaped from me, however.

“Well, you’re not much to look at yourself,” Madria responded, but a smile graced her face—lighting up the room.

“This place is… not what I expected,” she continued. “It seems… decayed. ”

“It’s a remnant of a different time. Perhaps there used to be someone or something dedicated to the upkeep of this place… judging from the state of Alidra…,” my voice trailed off.

Our attention snapped back to Alidra as the transformation seemed to be finishing. The lavender light settled down and a face, so ever familiar gazed back at me. Madria gasped, and my eyes locked with that of Alidra. My eyes locked with a near-carbon copy of Goddess Madris. There were only a few differences that allowed me to know this was another person. The first was a beauty mark that was just underneath her left eye, but that wasn’t the most significant difference. Gold-red eyes stared at me, hints of divinity within them. What was the most important distinction… was the feeling that arose in my heart. It was the same feeling that attracted me to Simra.

“This fragment won’t have much time before I begin to revert and start to forget things. I'm pleased to meet you… it is nice to see my descendants are still thriving under Mother.”

Madria trembled next to me. Gently, she took a knee and began to pray. Her voice was quiet but filled with strength and joy.

“As always, descendants of the Gamals were the most pious. Judd would have loved you,” Alidra commented before she returned her attention back to me.

“I'm pleased to meet you, Lawruthian—allow me to introduce myself once again. I am Alidra Edryani — First Daughter of the Goddess but more importantly… I am the first [Chosen of Madris].”

There were many— many things I wanted to ask her.

What caused the shattering of the Pantheon of New Gods?

What made her fail in her quest?

So many things flashed through my head, but none of the former was the first thing I said.

“What is that connection between us?”

Alidra’s left eyebrow raised. She seemed surprised and her expression said… ‘That’s the first thing you want to ask me?’

“Blood,” she responded.

“That is a connection of blood shared between kin. You are an Edryani and should be able to feel this connection with those who share our blood.”

I breathed in deeply, not quite a gasp, but not far off either. This…

Alidra grimaced in pain—a hand clutched to her head and she moaned in pain.

“That damned Carno. Blast him to the Underneath,” she began to mutter.

I stayed silent, unsure as to how I could help—unsure as to what was happening.

Alidra took in and let out a deep breath after a minute of muttering to herself.

“This must not be what you expected,” Alidra chuckled to herself once she recovered.

She floated forward—although she appeared completely solid, she was still a ghost… an [Echo] of what she once was. She sat on one of the larger stones and gestured to another one across from her. I approached and sat, waiting for her to speak.

“Where do I begin? There is little time now that Olvido has awakened. I will not be able to fight it for long before returning to that state,” Alidra said once I sat across from her.

Just as she was about to say more, Madria stood, her prayer finished. She hesitated—unsure of whether to join us, but I wouldn’t have any of that. We’d been through too much, and she deserved to be next to me to hear this. I waved her over—grabbing her hand and pulling her to sit next to me, and we exchanged smiles before turning to Alidra. She watched us silently and a happy, but despondent smile appeared on her face.

“That little brat Judd would be absolutely delighted to see this.”

“You know my ancestor? The originator of the Gamal clan?”

“Back then, we used to call them Cohorts, but I see times have changed. Judd was a brat—one of the first natural-born magi after Mother stopped producing us.”

My jaw dropped at the words of Alidra. “The Goddess truly had children?”

Alidra laughed, a clear, melodious sound that was unrestrained in its volume. “Oh no, not children in the more… mundane way… children in the way she crafted me… and most likely the second [Chosen]… most likely you as well.”

Alidra held my full attention and I leaned forward—eager to ask questions but patient enough to know she would explain shortly.

“Mother Madris is the first magi-human, truly . The first of us, crafted by the [Realm Lord] — Elrunian. That allows her to hold far greater properties and special skills than most. She is the progenitor of this branch of the human race and can create magi—without the process of natural births—from her power alone.”

“That is… something…,” I said. I truly didn’t know what to say, but perhaps some of the circumstances of my birth could now be explained.

“Did she… just put me in my mother… never mind… I don’t even want to know.”

Alidra laughed and Madria held a mortified look on her face next to me.

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“Basically, yes. She most likely crafted your body before inserting it into your mother to grow. She could have delivered you fully mature, as that was the process of my… ‘birth,’” Alidra said, smiling.

“That is enough on that, you are here for my inheritance, are you not?”

There was much more I wanted to know, but those questions, as many others, were waylaid and saved for later… if they got the opportunity to be asked.

“Yes, I only learned about it from my capture under the Aspect of Knowledge, Rasheed.”

Alidra’s face took on a dark expression. Her ebony-gradient hair was in a single tight, warrior queen’s braid, hair slung across her right shoulder.

“Rasheed… Rasheed,” she said through gritted teeth. “He ruined one [Chosen] and now he seeks another.”

“Yes, and I will kill him for that and other things,” I said, thoughts on Minerva. Our connection told me she was alive, but there wasn’t anything else besides that. I knew it wasn’t a distance thing, but the domain of Rasheed blocked her and me from communicating.

Alidra looked at me part surprised, part curious, but ultimately, she frowned. “You cannot kill him. He is the only and final Aspect. He is needed to stabilize the realm from breaking apart.”

I just chuckled and shared one of my two quest notifications with Alidra. Her eyes quickly scanned the contents, her frown growing deeper the more she read.

She let out a heavy sigh. “It seems the protection cast by Ashaka is fading… Regardless, if you kill him, you will only expedite the process.”

I opened my mouth to object, but Alidra continued.

“If there is a system quest guiding you, then all is not lost. There is a way to save the Genesis Realm. Just know your actions of slaying him will bring consequences.”

Before the conversation could continue, Madria spoke up with a question of her own.“How are we still alive? The attack of Olvido clearly struck us,” she asked—shivering.

Alidra smiled at her and responded, “Simple, everything here is under the laws of the hall. Just as you must lower your Power to within twenty attacks of an opponent’s Base Defense, the same must go for them.

…

Did you not try fighting one another,” she questioned—gazing between the both of us before speaking again.

“Ahh, of course not,” she smirked as she looked us up and down. We sat close, Madria’s thigh brushed up against my own.

“Back to business, I don’t have much time… most of my concentration is used to suppress [Olvido] from breaking out of the Hall and into the Mortal Realm,” she began.

Her presence suddenly changed. It was aged, filled with majesty, as her Intent swept through us. I felt seen, like she took a peak at my most private thing—she gazed at my soul.

“Mhmm, not bad attributes for your levels. Madria is a bit lacking, but that can be made up through titles and achievements.

…

Kneel. ”

The same persuasive force the Aspect of Knowledge used against me emerged from Alidra’s voice. It was powerful but fighting against the commands sent from others through Intent was something I’d rapidly adapted to. Blocking her attempts to control my body wasn’t as difficult as it was with the Aspect.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise as nothing happened. If before, she gazed at me with a mix of surprise and approval.

“Good, great! You’ve already begun the process of mastering your Intent! No Edryani—no [Chosen of Madris] should ever kneel to another. You represent Mother on the Mortal Plane—we do not kneel,” Alidra said. She stood and gestured before her. It wasn’t difficult to understand what she wanted.

I stood to stand before her, our eyes locked, and a reassuring smile was present on her face. There was so much I wanted to ask her. So many questions I had about… just everything. The history of Genesis was just… expansive. I felt like I’d barely scratched the surface.

“You are a curious one. Your soul is different from anything I’ve ever seen… more pure, refined. You are a strong [Chosen], but that is not enough if you are the third. You must be come more. You must be greater than me, or the previous [Chosen]. You are the last after all,” she said the ending sadly.

She gazed at me with companionship and more. There was pain in her eyes—for what? I did not know.

“Tell me what year it is in the realm,” she asked.

“The year is 7291, at the season of Color Fading.”

Alidra sighed. “It is no wonder you’d received such a quest. Seven thousand years… seven thousand years and this conflict is still ongoing.”

“Do you know what you fight for Lawruthian? Why you are Mother Madris’s [Chosen]?”

I hesitated, before shaking my head. “No, not truly. I know I am to guide the people and unite the continent, but… I don’t know why,” my voice trailed off during the ending before I continued. “However, I think I’m starting to have an idea as to why.”

“When Genesis was first destroyed and its remnant was stabilized by Ashaka and the survivors, we believed it to be a new paradise. A new chance at life without the worries of the Outer Realm. We believed wrong.

It was my mother who discovered that Ashaka’s fix was only temporary. It only halted the spread of (Oblivion’s Flames). It did not stop it. My mother… discovered this early on once she ascended to Godhood and received Ashaka’s inheritance. Then the other Gods came, members of the original cohort who established Union and protected the Saphens, their ascensions started slowly.

…

They didn’t believe her. No, they didn’t want to believe her. El… didn’t believe her, and Quinarax supported his brother. So Mother’s only answer was to wake the Saphens out of their dream, harshly. To show them that they were crabs in a pot slowly being cooked alive,” she sighed at the end.

“So I became her [Chosen]. I took on the responsibility, as the Gods could not fight one another, not unless they wished to shatter the realm apart. I became the first [Chosen of Madris] and shattered Union.”

The air was heavy, not with tension, but responsibility as Alidra told me her story. I knew details were missing, but just to hear a part of it opened up so much.

“I have left an inheritance alongside this fragment of my soul before I ventured out… before I attempted to extinguish the light of the sun— but , I left conditions. I will give you two options to choose from. The first… you must accomplish perfection. You must finish the Trial of Six in its entirety to receive this inheritance. It will not make you stronger, nor will it provide a significant benefit in any way but one,” she said.

I listened, standing before her—before the first [Chosen of Madris]. I wonder what she must have felt, having lived within Union and being the very one to shatter it. Would I be able to shatter Edrya had I been ordered to by the Goddess?

I didn’t have an answer.

“I cannot tell you how it will help, but the item will help,” she paused here, taking a moment before continuing.

“Or I can teleport you out and save you from the danger of having to venture into the Hall of Attributes to complete the trials. You will not receive the inheritance, of course. Yet more importantly, you will not have to venture out and worry about the persecution of Olvido. It is awake now, and far smarter, dangerous, and adaptable than it appears. It will learn a way to kill you, whether by comprehending Power or destroying the hall as it awakens this time. It failed in its first attempt, but this fragment of my soul still held far greater Power then than it does now,” she grimaced as she finished.

“Teleport Madria out, I will stay.”

“She will do no such thing,” Madria responded, as she hopped down angrily.

She walked up to me and pointed a finger at my chest, her sharp nail stabbing into my skin. “Why are you trying to protect me in this manner? Every time, you try to push me to leave? Am I that much of a burden to you?”

She was angry, outraged even. An experience that was new to me.

“You’re not a burden…,” I began.

“So then let me help you, ” she cut me off. “I didn’t come with you to Starglow Valley in the hopes of only watching from the sidelines. I came to help you, to prove that I deserve the status of a [Hero] like my mother… like your mother and the rest of the [Six Heroes]. I am a Saintess, even if I am a [Hero] I cannot become a saintess without the recognition of our Goddess. If she believes in me… then why can’t you?”

Her chest heaved up and down as she finished, and I stood there, unsure of what to do or say. Before I could, Alidra spoke.

“Do not be harsh on him, Madria, I had a similar experience with Quinarax once before,” Alidra said wistfully—her gaze elsewhere.

“Is he still alive? We were both demigods before…,” her voice trailed off.

“Are you referring to the [Eldest Elf] Quinarax — Demigod of the Sun,” I asked, recovering a bit of my composure. I was startled by Madria’s outburst. I wanted to protect her, but it was clear she wanted to stay by my side no matter what. I thought after what happened with Aspect Rasheed…

“Yes, he was… my…,” Alidra began. Her eyes didn’t look at us but through us at something from long ago. “ Sun .”

Her words were simple but it pack unless emotion into it—pain, sorrow, joy, happiness, outrage, hate and… love. I felt it not just through her words but her Intent that covered us. She continued to speak as if that wave of everything didn’t happen.

“He is regarded as the highest authority in Elysium besides God El. From what I know, his prestige among the masses is even higher than the rest of the Gods of Elysium,” I answered.

Madria was still next to us, but much calmer than before. Her head was down—eyes covered by her bangs.

I wanted to say something but felt like now wasn’t the time.

“Thank you,” she said, sighing.

“I will withdraw and conserve my strength and give you time to come to your decision,” Alidra said. Slowly, she floated high into the air before crossing her legs and closing her eyes—leaving Madria and me alone.