EPISODE 96: PROMISE
— Edryan Queendom, Year: 7291. Season Color Fading.
“It’s like…,” Madria began. A finger was placed on her chin as she gazed at the unfinished product. “ …nothing I’ve ever seen. ”
BAA-THUMP.
I chuckled, glancing at her before back at the unfinished golem suit I’d devised for myself. “I know — it’s like nothing this world has ever seen. That’s because It’s based on something from my world… the original world my soul is from.”
Over a year ago, I made a promise to Simra, a woman I consider my best friend. I promised to do better to Madria. There are many secrets I keep as the Crown Prince of Edryan and [Chosen of Madris]. Secrets I’ve kept to this day from all but my mother. Now, it was time to add another woman I trusted to that growing list.
BAA-THUMP.
The air was thick and held a loud thump as silence entered the air between us. It was only after several moments I realized that thumping was my heart.
I stood and turned to face Madria Gamal. She, too, hesitantly stood. Confused eyes looked into my own, but I took a deep breath and resolved myself to say what I wanted to say. Besides, it was already too late, it was clear Madria heard exactly what I said.
“I guess it’s better to do proper introductions… Hi,” I held out my hand. “I’m Lawerence Brown. ”
“ Law, ” Minerva chirped. “ You’re confusing the poor girl. Just be clear on who you are. ”
Madria’s face was confused at my words, and with everything going on, it wasn’t a great opportunity to do this. Yet, if not now, then when?
“I am… was — Lawerence Brown, a soul from another world chosen by Goddess Madris to be the leader Edryan needs me to be. ”
There was less confusion in Madria’s eyes, but plenty was still present. She gently reached forward with both hands and grasped my own. “I’m Madria Juud Gamal.”
Her hands were smaller than mine, but they held a warmth and gentleness I didn’t want to leave.
“I just… wanted you to know who I truly am. A man with memories of his past life…,” I said. My words didn’t continue as Madria gently shook her head at me.
“I don’t care if you were reincarnated Law,” Madria said, and my heart dropped. The emotion must have shown in my eyes as Madria hurried to continue.
“There are plenty of records of previous reincarnations in the history of magi and much of the realm. I care for who you are now .”
Her grip around my hands grew tighter with her last sentence, and I felt a weight I never knew existed leave me. This trial of Aspect Rasheeds… no matter what, I was ready to face it now.
“Thank you…,” I responded softly.
She let go of my hands and gave me another gentle smile. “You tell me about this… golem suit . Like I said… I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The crunch of ore continued as I brought Madria closer to the unfinished product. Ignis sat in his place and continued to watch us. Every so often the automaton would pop a gem in its mouth like popcorn. The impurities of the ore burnt away until nothing but a refined ingot emerged from his rear and stacked into a neat pile beneath him. I shook my head and chuckled, my attention returned to the golem suit.
“This is what I always dreamed of building as a kid. It’s… inspiration from my favorite [Superhero], a suit of armor that can function on its own and with me.”
Together, we approached the half-finished golem. The machine was heavy. It was built using [Star Iron — ★ ★ ★ ★ ]. A material the craftsmen of the House Ca’Ronna, Carter, and Zeno, the families in charge of crafting my golem armies, would kill for. It was an extremely dense material that boasted superior defenses from the quality of its build alone. It was the material Ignis kept pooping out.
“This is the Star Suit — Mark 1. A prototype of its making and something I’ve long wanted to introduce to Edryan… not necessarily in this format, but what better time to use all my cards than now?”
Minerva took off and flew around Star Suit — Mk 1. Shrill chirps of excitement were left off as she did so. “ You built an [Ironman] suit? It’s about time you built this. Should have done this long ago! ”
“It’s… interesting . What is that,” Madria asked as she pointed at the cannon mounted on the golem’s shoulder.
“It’s a cannon meant to fire a powerful magical blast. I’ve yet to choose the Kair-unian inscriptions I wish to carve into it yet, so everything still looks rough,” I said excitedly.
The Star Suit did look rough, but it was not unredeemable. The cannon could be retracted around the shoulder, and the face of the suit held a similar appearance to one of the heroes that inspired me. It was a war machine that I couldn’t wait to finish.
“I’m thinking to focus more on defense rather than offense, I can still use my skills to increase whatever damage output I need to, but… we need more information. The history of the Genesis Realm is deep, and we’ve only uncovered the surface of it. There is more to our Goddess and the Gods in general than we realize. Knowledge kept hidden from us… perhaps for our own good.”
My words seemed to relieve some pressure on Madria’s shoulders. Although we shared a single soul, unless I was paying attention and vice versa, I wouldn’t exactly see or know information Minerva knew immediately. The thoughts would be there, but they would be more similar to background noise. They didn’t come to the forefront until I actively paid attention. This was how I knew Madria held conflicts. The information she was now coming to know was far from the truth Goddess Madris’s church presented.
My eyes softened as I gazed at the beautiful young woman. I wanted to reassure her and let her know she’s not here alone. Just like she was here to listen to me ramble, I wanted to be there for Madria as well. “If you want to talk about what you’ve discovered… I’m here.
I do not believe what is written and known by the Church of Madris is wrong… but perhaps it is written in a… simpler form. ”
This was something I discussed heavily with Minerva. In many of the stories of deities, the facts and tales can be mixed or interpreted differently than they once were. In many of Goddess Madris’s tales, it is well known she brought the magi-humans from the darkness and into the light. She did not gain her domain of war through fighting men… no… it was said she gained it through fighting beasts and monsters . I was starting to suspect it held something to do with the remnants of [ Oblivion ].
“Thank you, Law, but I am a [Priestess of Madris] my faith in the Goddess cannot be shaken so easily. It is only my lack of direct communication with the Goddess that bothers me so. My prayers are being received, but there is no response to them… do you feel the same?”
“I-,” I hesitated. I didn’t want to admit I’d never prayed to Goddess Madris. I was her [Chosen]… a representation of Her on the Mortal Realm.
My hesitation was saved by Ignis as the golem spoke. The ores he just consumed to process finished.
“Heh, well, of course ya can’t communicate with her. Ya're in the dominion of Aspect Rasheed. Her presence being here and watching ya would be a direct insult to him,” Ignis said.
My eyes lit up in surprise and a hint of relief, as did Madria’s. Suddenly, it all clicked for me. The reason Goddess Madris disappeared when she was talking to me. It seems Aspect Rasheed served as some sort of barrier between a direct connection between the Goddess and us.
“No wonder…,” Madria whispered. “No wonder…”
Ignis approached us and began to circle the Star Suit. “Boy, this is what you put ya heart and soul into crafting?”
“…yes?”
“Well… Master Jaahgar did always say it’s not about ta outside, but what’s in.”
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“It looks like a pile of Rakkon shit, huh?”
“Your words — not mine,” Ignis laughed as he continued to circle my prototype suit.
“Ya used several advanced techniques. It is surprising that each individual digit can move on its own… this technology on this scale should be lost to the realm. Golems are not known for their dexterity. May I,” he turned to me and asked.
I nodded in confirmation. Carefully, the Realm Guard approached the suit and lifted one of the arms. He slowly tested each of the fingers, which responded the same way a living hand would. From there, he began to test each part of the golem suit. Ignis twisted its hollowed arms, head, and more. He opened the back of the suit and even shrunk himself down until he could fit inside. Once done, he reemerged to stand before us.
“Ya’ve crafted them well… the internals are a bit rough, but da suit should work for ya purposes. Do ya know what runes ya wish ta imbue them with?”
“That’s the part I’m still hesitant on. This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this… and I don’t know what Aspect Rasheed’s trial will have in mind.
This golem… Star Suit is supposed to be my answer to a generalized way of combat. A solution to all problems or at least… a stop-gap,” I said.
“Mhmm, there are no solutions ta all problems, but ya’re in the right mindset. These suits of ya aren’t like anything I’ve seen in my eons of existence. Master Jaahgar would have loved the idea of combining man and golem,” Ignis began.
“Check her writings on Golems, Automatons, and the In-between. They will help you better comprehend what you need ta make something truly worthy.”
“Why are you helping me? Why are any of the Realm Guards… helping… do you not wish for me to fail as Aspect Rasheed does?”
Ignis laughed, a booming thing that continued for several loud moments. When the automaton finished, his attention returned to me.
“Rasheed is not inherently bad, he’s just… Lost . Everything he… we’ve ever known has been lost to [Oblivion] or the stream of time. We are not able to access any source of magic or resource outside this fragment of the Genesis Realm. He is desperate to see what would have become his children with…,” Ignis didn’t finish the sentence. The automaton just sadly shook his head.
“If you can, help him… he is just tired… betrayed by one he apprenticed. I do not know the change that overcame the previous [Chosen of Madris] but Aspect Rasheed feels responsible for the state the world is in now. This small fragment used to be… more… it wasn’t until Carno that everything dropped to such a state,” Ignis said before moving on.
The golem stood and approached the pile of ores placed next to his seat. He grabbed a few and popped them into his mouth. A refined ingot emerged from his palm. Slowly, he placed it on the growing pile of ingots before speaking.
“I cannot speak for the other Realm Guards, but I hold no inherent hostility to Saphens, especially those who do not come to rob the mountain. Unless you become someone of worth, a demigod or greater… you are just a fleeting moment in history — in time… for me. Saphens are like flickers of firelight that burn brightly for a single intense moment, as does the birth of a star. Their struggle for more is beautiful, and I am a being for fire—of change . A fire that burns eternal until my core runs its limit.”
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We entered the Library of Final Hope with heavy thoughts, Minerva on my shoulder and Madria next to me. The words of Ignis continued to replay in my mind.
‘ Is that the way deities and others of comparable strength see us? Small flickers of flame that shine but for a moment? As nothing but chess pieces on the board, they call Elrunian? ’
The thought refused to leave my mind the moment it emerged. This time there was no response from Minerva. She, too, held thoughts on the matter and the words of Ignis. Yet, it wasn’t just him, but the Gods and beings of power that occupied her mind.
Power…
Power…
Power… in the end that is what it comes down to… I lack the Power to control my own fate… to plan my own destiny.
“I’m just another piece on the chessboard… a King’s Piece, but if I ever want to control my own destiny then…” I whispered.
“If I want Power… I need to become a Player ,” my left hand tightly clasped. The prosthetic golem arm kept itself at my side after a simple command. It wasn’t an answer to my situation, truly… a stopgap measure was needed. This was what I could come up with in a short amount of time. The arm was strapped onto me like a well-fitting glove, but several straps helped keep it secure.
“Is there any book you’ve been curious to read Madria,” I suddenly asked.
We’d been walking into the library together, gradually making our way to the research area Minerva and her set up shop.
It only just occurred to me that I had Madria running up and down doing all this work without allowing her to discover something of her own. She was my friend and not some maid or worker I could task. It wasn’t right of me to take advantage of our connection.
“Thank you Law, but it is quite alright… I don’t wish for you to use a precious opportunity on me. I’m not sure how much different knowledge you can give the Aspect…”
“It will be enough… after all… it’s all the knowledge of an entirely different world.”
“I’m sure the world had some advanced magic, but how much different can it be from what we have today?”
‘ Oh, she has no idea…, ’ Minerva mentally passed to me, chuckling at Madria’s question.
“I came from a world of science. A mana-less world that-“
“That’s impossible,” Madria interrupted. She looked at me like I was sprouting wings. “Mana is a fundamental building block of the Prime Plane. Without it… nothing would exist. That is something taught at Imperius Academy. ”
She cocked an eyebrow at me and our steps slowed. It was time I explained to the second person the beauty behind science. When I first told my mother, we spent the next hours of me describing my world and her listening.
I miss her…
“Earth was… the pale blue dot… in a vast void we called space. There was no magic, no mages, no spells, no mana . Everything that was built — was built by hand and machines. Tools crafted to build bigger and better tools. It was beautiful…”
“It’s terrifying. You’ve learned of Magi Caimen’s Mana Void Experiment… in which he tried to remove all magic from an area? The collapse of reality it caused was…”
Madria continued to speak, and I listened along silently… the Mana Void Experiment was a result of my words to the Grand Magi who resides in one of the three powerful mage towers of the palace.
“…your world must… have had traced amounts of mana… even if it was minuscule enough to not produce any reactions in the realm. Reality is supported by it…,” Madria trailed off as I slowed my steps to a halt.
What if Earth did have magic…? Everything Madria was saying were truths of the Genesis Realm. Mana is a fundamental part of reality… Earth wasn’t like the Genesis Realm — it held no magic… but… what if it did?
The Genesis Realm holds low mana areas in which a majority of the inhabitants live. Not out of fear of the mana, but the strong ecosystems high amounts of mana create. Stronger plants, beasts, monsters, and more… all reside in mana-dense zones. Zones without high traces of mana…
‘ …appear just like regions of Earth, ’ Minerva finished.
‘ What if we are able to use the technology of Earth… what if we’re just not calibrating the change in mana density? ’
“Law… ruthian ?”
Madria’s question snapped me from my thoughts. However, the excitement on my face was clear for all to see.
“Sorry Madria, you’ve just made me question… everything. You’re brilliant,” I laughed and moved in close.
A gasp of shock, surprise, and a hint of something else entered my ears as I hugged Madria, picking her up and spinning her around. An easy thing to do, even lacking an arm. I didn’t know whether the conjectures I came up with were true or not… but frankly, I didn’t care . Just having the opportunity to pursue a new avenue to the several problems I held excited me. This could lead me in the direction I needed to solve Edryan’s communication issue.
Slowly… gently, I lowered her. My hand raised scratching the back of my head. “Sorry… you just… opened up a new way of thinking for me.”
“It’s ok,” she responded, clearly flustered.
We stood there for several silent awkward moments before Minerva nudged me. “Let’s head to the table.”
“Yes… lets!”
Madria took off at a brisk pace and I followed behind slower but steadily keeping up. The moment she turned by one of the many giant bookshelves, she paused, and I caught myself before I stumbled into her. She didn’t say anything, but I turned to gaze in the direction she was looking.
The Aspect of Knowledge, Rasheed — Final Dragon, gazed back at me.