The night grew cold, and the mist thickened. The sounds of the forest echoed into the room around them. The silence was all he wanted for a mere moment to be able to fall asleep, though the jungle would not allow him this, nor his attraction to Viha. His gaze was set on Viha as she slept, she may have been peacefully asleep, but Izzar could see she was distraught. Holding her, a female or anyone in that manner, was new to him; the sensation exhilarated Izzar. He hoped it brought her some comfort.
It had been a long time since a day on Dessix felt longer than usual; Izzar was exhausted. His eyes began to grow heavy as the tiredness settled in, his eyes finally closed as he rested his head on Viha’s. A familiar voice echoed from outside; at first, he hardly noticed it; the sounds coming from the jungle was known to give Izzar hallucinations. He had trained himself not to react to every sound he heard.
“Izzar.” The voice echoed from outside for a second time; this time, he heard it as clear as if the person was standing before him.
“Master Thanatos.” Izzar acknowledged him. He could not hide his surprise; it was not like his old Master to venture out into the forest to find him.
Izzar slowly placed Viha to the side against the wall making sure she remained sleeping; slowly and silently, he made his way outside, curious about the voice of his master echoing from beyond the door. In the darkness of the woods, he could make out the features of a familiar man moving a few feet away close to the forest entrance. He wore his usual hooded robe, black in color with no pattern, and he seemed to proceed around the grounds with an elegant motion he only knew as his grandfather’s.
“This might be the last time we speak,” Thanatos whispered loud enough for Izzar to understand. “I need you to listen.” He continued.
Izzar’s eyes narrowed as he looked upon this strange familiar presence; he knew it was his Thanatos; the man walked, spoke, and moved like his old Master, but something was amiss.
“Have you been wondering about the strange powers you’ve been discovering today?” He asked, looking away somewhere deep into the forest.
Izzar looked down at his hands; he hadn’t stopped once to think about it. It all seemed so strange now that Thanatos mentioned it, was there something else at work here? It seemed like Thanatos was able to read his mind.
“You have hardly scraped the surface of your training.” These words seemed mysterious to the young Izzar; he raised his brow and played with the hem of his shirt. He had trained for many years; he scraped his head at the thought. But, nevertheless, the training seemed to be as complete as it could be; he was doing martial arts, weapons training, and all the theories and entrapments of the mysteries of the universe and the Order.
“The Nihil has chosen you to wield its power. Do you know what that means?”
Thanatos turned to Izzar; his tone was dark; Izzar could only imagine his grandfather’s eyes flare up under his hood; his deep black eyes would pierce his soul in an attempt to make him understand. His hands grew clammy at the thought; memories of his harsh training in the dark rooms of the Citadel clouded his mind. A subtle shiver came over him. He was forbidden to feed these emotions.
“There is no need to fear anything, my son. In the Nihil, there is no fear, you are in control, and you shape the destiny of the universe and yourself.” Thanatos’s voice had a slight agitation; Izzar could hear it.
“I do not understand The Nihil, I don’t know the nature of its power, but one thing I do know is this: It holds the key to ruling the galaxy…. And possibly beyond.” Thanatos turned away from Izzar once again, in deep thought.
“The order is crumbling, my enemies are closing in, and I do not have the time left to teach you.” He turned back to Izzar as if rooted to the spot for a moment Thanatos contemplated.
“In whatever way or form it presents itself to you, it is imperative to embrace it. The Nihil already deems you worthy; all you need to do is yield to it.”
“I do not understand my master, the Order, how is it crumbling… How would I know what or who the Nihil is?” Izzar was a child again, new to a world he never knew existed; deep down, the answers were clear, but he didn’t want to believe it.
“The Nihil is the Void, and the Void is the Nihil, unlimited powers, both moral and dark, await you in the Nihil. In time, you will learn how to see, feel and act as it will guide you. You are a mere child; you need training, discipline, and a stronger will. The galaxy is moving against me… against us. For this order to survive, it must be reborn. You, my son, will be the father to a new Order, one more elusive and powerful than the one that is coming undone. By the power of the Nihil, once harnessed at its fullest potential, you, Izzar, will be able to rule the galaxy without an Order of men and women.”
Izzar recalled his teachings about the Ipsimussian Order, the ancient order of peace and harmony amongst humans. It was an organization that sought none militant ways to progress mankind in both culture and technology. Five hundred members formed the very first Council, and from there, the order had evolved into something far more than what it was initially intended to be. There were no interstellar peoples who were not controlled by the Ipsimussian Order; they were in control of every aspect from trade, politics, civics, and cultural advancements. They were obsessed with maintaining order and, most of all, a perfect balance.
Before the discovery of Dessix, Thanatos had ruled an Order in significant decline, suppressing the will of many peoples desiring a higher plain in society through freedom. However, Thanatos could not maintain his rule. Many people within the Order itself perished because of their defiance to Thanatos, defiance not experienced by most Epsimusses that preceded him.
Escaping an ambush, they were diverted off course, ending up with the discovery of Dessix and the tablets that promised him this higher power; Thanatos was desperate to find a way to regain control. The leaders within the Order demanded a change in leadership, but Thanatos did not give the Order what it wanted for over two hundred years until his decline was more apparent. Finally, Thanatos was forced to make Iphis the executive leader of the Order while he controlled things from the shadows. This pleased many those who wanted him gone and kept them at bay.
“Their plot is finally coming to its triumphant end; within the month, the galaxy will see the end of Epsimus Thanatos Velix. I cannot stop the coming storm no more than I could have stopped the internal insurrection years ago; making your mother leader in my place only delayed my despatcher.” Thanatos seemed to be pained by the thought; he lost his train of thought.
Iphis moved quickly after the assassination of his advisors, rallying many against him. The laws of the Order dictated justice be done no matter who broke the rules or who was indeed behind any plot. Thanatos never knew who was really behind these plots against him or who murdered his family. He killed everyone except for the true enemy he sought for years.
“Every day, I am reminded of the betrayal of the Order by looking upon the dead; I keep them with me forever in hopes that one day I can bring them back and make everything right.”
The power to bring back life was far from his reach; he believed that the Nihil held the secret to reviving those who had long passed away. However, this was only speculation. If it weren’t for Thanatos knowing of the existence of the Nihil, he would have never imagined himself searching for a way to revive the dead.
“Your father lay in a crypt, at the very top of the highest spire of the citadel. I never wanted you to go up there; I do not want to place the weight of the loss of his life on your shoulders.”
Izzar always believed he wasn’t allowed up there due to the extreme height, the fear that he would lose his footing and tumble to his death. This revelation made him realize the burden Thanatos had been carrying around; he could now see why Thanatos wouldn’t want him to go up there. He always knew his father was murdered, never knowing who had done it, though. Unfortunately, it seemed like Thanatos also didn’t have any answers for him.
Izzar was told everything he had to know about his late father, Igor Velix, nothing more could have been said about the man other than he was a devoted man to the Order and was groomed for over forty years to become the next Grandmaster of the Order. He had died during an ambush on Luna; Thanatos always suspected Iphis to have been involved. Her actions lately have convinced him that there could be no one else cunning enough to have done that. She was the only one to have survived that day.
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“I would have liked you to be much older before I left you in charge.” Thanatos continued.
“Master…. You are still here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Izzar felt out of place saying these words. Thanatos, to him, was the most powerful being in the universe; who would be bold enough to harm him?
“Your father was murdered…. Through the direct orders of Iphis.”
This statement made Izzar take a step back; his eyes slightly widened; he never suspected his mother to have been involved in his killing ten years ago. Though rumors spread within the citadel, Izzar took great care never to get involved with them. The talk had reached him about his own mother murdering his father, but he dismissed it as a tactic to test his resolve.
“I wasn’t sure until now. She is plotting against us and might succeed. I need you to be ready, to be strong in the battles to come.”
Izzar was unsure what he meant; he looked for answers deep within himself. He never knew Iphis personally and only saw her as a passing stranger; he never had that maternal bond and felt no connection. The only thing he was meant to feel towards anyone else was emptiness. The order demanded that he take action and make decisions without emotion; if he failed slightly in this, the repercussions would be felt far beyond his understanding. Everything was hanging in a delicate balance, easily tipped by the slightest mistake.
“Remember Izzar, in whatever way or form the Nihil presents itself to you, embrace it and its teachings. You will avenge me in time. But, for now, you will remain on Dessix until the time is right.” Thanatos’s voice trailed off; he had come to Izzar with a singular objective that seemed to have been fulfilled by these words. He turned around and disappeared into the forest.
Izzar opened his eyes; it was just a dream; he couldn’t deny that it felt natural, that he truly spoke to Thanatos. He looked around the room but couldn’t find anyone there. Izzar felt Viha still sleeping on his shoulder; her slow breathing was soothing; for a moment, he wanted to lay his head back on hers, but he couldn’t shake that feeling of being watched.
A strange noise echoed in the place, almost like a small machine running, though very faint. Izzar looked towards the door and found the door had been moved; someone was in the shelter with them. Indeed, someone had to be the person both of them thought were following them during the day. His heart began to race; the loud thumping made it almost impossible to hear any movement around him. He had to wake Viha, or else they would be in serious trouble, he didn’t want to move, but he knew they might be in great danger if he didn't.
To his relief Viha sat up; the cool breeze coming into the room must have woken her. She looked at Izzar, her eyes squint tightly, gazing at Izzar with questions; Izzar had no answers and only returned a finger over his lips. They slowly got up from the floor with their back up against the wall; at least whoever was there with them would not be able to attack by surprise from behind. A strange sound echoed in the building, something Izzar recognized but could not place very well.
“Master Izzar!” Said a strange, childlike, metallic voice that made both of them beamed towards the voice’s direction.
Two glowing blue eyes appeared from behind a wall. Izzar recognized the tiny robot with an abnormally large head. It was a DG6 unit, a service robot he had grown used to having around in the citadel. There were thousands of them roaming the Citadel going to and fro, working here and there. Their responsibility was to keep the building maintained and do the tasks too trivial for the monks to do. Though this particular unit Izzar was well acquainted with.
“Diggix,” Izzar responded in relief, lowering his guard. Unfortunately, Viha did not lower her guard; she was still in a daze from being woken up. “Please close the door.” Izzar continued as he sat back down in his spot with great relief. Diggix followed this command and closed the door.
“I haven’t seen you in the citadel for at least two days; where have you been… why are you following us?”
Diggix moved towards them and sat down opposite Izzar; his glowing eyes grew brighter, lighting up the room, finally revealing its splendor. Viha was amazed to realize there were styled hieroglyphic writings on the walls. However, it was in a style and language she did not understand.
“Master Thanatos has sent this unit on the most important secret quest. This unit’s programming indicated fulfillment and finds it easy to say that this unit has completed the most important mission.” Izzar noticed Diggix’s speech was processed incorrectly. He must have gotten damaged in the forest; referring to himself as ‘This Unit’ proved that his identification module might have also been damaged and needed repairs.
“This unit has been lost. So many dangers lurk in these forests, new threats not saved in my data banks.”
Izzar and Viha were well aware of the dangers, though they did not know why a DG6 would be out this deep in the forest.
“This unit was not following master Izzar and his companion; this unit is familiar with this dwelling and sought shelter. Scanners no longer operational.”
Viha sat down next to Izzar, relieved that it was only a harmless little service robot. She had not yet encountered one of these units during her brief half-hour visit at the citadel.
It was still cold, the sun was close to rising, and neither one of them really got any proper rest. A familiar situation for Izzar though, he’s been in these situations before, many times. The training on Gandron was lighter than Viha thought; she was never forced to stay awake overnight. Unfortunately, though, Gandron did not have a seventeen-hour cycle either. Her body was struggling to adjust.
“You need to get back to the citadel.” Izzar broke the silence after a while. “You need to get repaired.”
“Diagnostics required, no damage detected to this unit. The software has memory overflow. Much knowledge acquired in travels.”
“What kind of knowledge?”
“The glowing stones spoke to this unit, shared many hidden secrets, and showed the history of this world. The Void teaches.”
The robot’s words were mixed; confusion seemed to attack its systems as speech began to mix and form words not understood by anyone around him. Viha remained silent, studying the robot. On Gandron, the luxury of owning robots was forbidden; they were encouraged to do everything themselves. They knew of robots; they were not arrogant people but saw them as threats rather than help.
“The Void?” Asked Izzar in surprise, remembering what his grandfather had told him in his dream.
“Can you teach me everything you know about the Void?” He continued with excitement.
“This unit is able. No time for that now. DG6 needs to rest, internal power crystals at critical levels.”
Robots needed sleep just as humans did. The discovery of power crystals on the planet Cyonopa brought a breakthrough in the development of fully autonomous robotics; the crystal generated a large amount of spendable energy when it was stationary due to subtle vibrations in the air. It took no more than an hour for one of these crystals to charge; it held its charge for days releasing it gradually no matter the load placed on it. Many ships use the same crystals to keep their electronics alive as a backup, though ships no longer malfunction as frequently. It was used for distress calls if the vessel was out stranded without fuel to skip through space.
The sun had risen early; Viha tried to rest some more after Diggix shut down but could not. Izzar sat with his back against the wall, resting his head on it, his eyes were closed, but he was far from sleeping. The room became freezing as the morning fog settled in outside. When these structures were built, they weren’t designed to keep the elements out but rather to keep the inhabitants from getting wet from the thick fog outside. Viha had wondered what the robot meant by “The Void.” Izzar seemed to have known what the robot was talking about; she looked towards Izzar to see if he was awake.
“I’m listening,” Izzar said out of nowhere; it made her heart race somewhat, a sensation she had not experienced outside of battle too often.
“What is the Void? Is it outer space? I’ve heard some of the warriors at home refer to it as the void before.”
“I am not sure. Grand Master Thanatos wishes for me to learn from it. I believe it is some kind of power. It also goes by the name of Nihil.”
Viha contemplated for a moment; his words brought back memories from the day before. Izzar was using strange powers that she thought were technological weapons designed for combat such as that.
“So… the emp blast yesterday came from you and not an emp device?”
Izzar looked down at his hands, recalling the moment it happened, the voice in his head… the call.
“I believe that was the power of The Void.”
He looked at her, searching for answers; she had none.
“Diggix might have the answers I seek; if not, I hope somewhere someone will be able to teach me.”
“Does master Thanatos not have the answers you seek?”
“He might. Grand Master Thanatos does things in his own time.”
Viha moved closer to Izzar; she placed her shoulder against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. That strange sensation was back; his body felt like it was warming up, and his toes were uncomfortable in his boots. His face was warm, too; the cold around them seemed to disappear as he wrapped his arm around her and somewhere deep down enjoyed doing so. He noticed her hair; it had a faint sweet smell breaking through the odor of sweat, it made his heart race.
Diggix was charged, his hollow eyes lit up, and he woke; he looked around the room as if not knowing where he was but quickly synced with his environment. The two noticed him and quickly stood to their feet before the robot saw them cuddling; it was forbidden for Izzar to make any kind of non-combat contact with any other being. The robots were known to watch Izzar closely and report his behavior to Thanatos; Izzar knew this and ensured that this unit, being Thanatos’s personal unit, would not report it back to Thanatos.
Izzar sat down on the roof of the shelter to meditate; it was part of his morning routine. Diggix was used to it; the little robot had seen him meditate many times before. However, Viha found it strange to sit in one place with his eyes closed; not concentrating on the world around him seemed like a silly concept; she firmly believed that one should be ready for the day as soon as the sun rises. So she instead went out to train; she took out her sword and imagined enemies that weren’t there, slicing her way through a patch of the jungle, causing damage to the plant life where she went. During these sessions, she was highly focused; she was aware of every plant, rock, tree, and stump lying before her.
Although her shouts and groans broke Izzar’s meditation more often than not, there was something in her voice that drew him. He could see her perfectly well from his vantage point; she had taken her thick jacket off for training and looked more feminine than before. He tried to calculate in his mind the possibility that someone who seemed so soft could match him in hand-to-hand combat. It was exhilarating at best.