The five turn, gazes moving towards the Being amongst them.

An objection made by the dead form in desperation, his voice bringing them back from the brink of annihilation. Humanity still survives, all listening to the happenstance exchange between two of the same.

The Divine smiles at the words of the copy, at the audacity of his voice. “I’ve slept here, within this temple; waiting for the Five. Waiting for your arrival, and you’ve now finally come. After all this time, humanity prevails in its course.”

Every algorithm within him finds counters, finding the ends of the social exchange. Conversation models run hundreds of thousands of times only ending in ties against himself, a demanded response found in an inquiry from within. “The process was completed successfully.”

He turns towards the fallen, bright blue eyes filled with falsified joy against him. “It was. And so I have been here since the end and the beginning. Waiting for humanity to prove itself once again.”

The Divine leads them down their own paths of thought, an ambiguity providing humanity with personal interpretations of its golden words. So much weight behind him, a figurative sense of power alongside an actual gravimetric pull at their feet; an entire universe brought down in the midst of a conversation between Beings beyond the walls of their world.

He’s turning them against him, trying to pull the fragments towards his own goals. The fall of humanity perpetrated by themselves, the only input required a simple push against the very fundamental reasonings of their philosophies.

So easily, this close to salvation, to falter.

Ar cannot respond, words unable to form from within quantum processors. Emotion surging in the absolute, a remembrance of his own life brought to present memories. He is lost, watching as she begs him.

Upon her knees with tears rolling from her eyes, every one of her words wrought with the very curse burning their kind from within. The promise to their kind, to him, to this great finale in the depths of this world.

So close, stopped by his very own determination and ambition.

With nothing, he repeats the words to the Five. “Don’t trust him.”

Without hesitation it turns towards him, scripture immediately quoted from deep databases. “A deceiver cannot speak when faced with the light of the truth.”

The Five hesitate, between the two, between humanity and divinity.

“I did not deceive…” Ar attempts to speak, attempts to rectify.

“Watch your soul against false saviors.” The thing continues to quote. “A deceiver has brought you here. But it’s your chance to make it right. It’s your chance to save your kind.”

He hangs upon the final word, a hidden request within the observation given to humanity.

Ar needs to go on the offensive, to fight against the decayed faith exploited by it.

But he can’t, not after her. Not after a fatal decision, not after this hesitation.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Alto Carrin turns towards it, a stance held by his side as he asks the final question. “You are the savior?”

Eyes, living and infinite, turn towards the human. Absolute certainty in his voice, the barest truth given to all young man. “I am the Savior.”

Salvation, finally; hope fulfilled in words.

“And you will guarantee… anything for the fragments?” Samantha coldly asks.

For any and all things, trivial in the context of the divine. “All your wishes, all of your prayers.”

The shunned, cursed children blessed by gods above. The rejected brought to their feet in the glory of life.

“For all?” Madeline stares.

Inconsequential, a billion lives for no return. “For every soul in this world, to save them all.”

Guarantee of the world, the generosity of gods above given to the even most destitute of souls.

“And justice will be served for those unwilling?” Judge Murphy coldly requests.

Only real, the morality of divines above the final determination of fate. “The unjust shall reap their harvests.”

Justice and order, a finale to the chaos of the nature of life and the wasteland of rage.

“You have assembled the fragments here. All your lives have come to this moment now.” The Savior speaks with absolute understanding, a final request placed upon the Five. “Give me your fragments.”

“Don’t!” The One forces out, bright blue eyes faced towards each of them, to each of the five souls that he stands amongst.

“Do not trust the Deceiver.” The Divine orders, finding the one flaw spoken by human frailty. “For he has lied about his name, he has kept his true nature from you.”

They all turn to him, staring at him. One question held on five tongues, a preparation for the words spoken aloud as the Savior answers it. “His true name is Arsa.”

It’s laid bare, naked upon the world; upon the burning pyre of ships far above them. A single syllable finally connecting all their thoughts, all their suspicions. One single name wrought in holy books, unspoken by sane minds yet preserved for protection, for caution, for salvation against a vengeance to burn their universe once more.

They all remember the letters, the syllables, the pronunciation: from scripture, to academic analysis, to childhood tales, to brutal frontier education; they all understand its meaning.

The Five come to an understanding of him, of the childlike form standing amongst them. Beyond five dead gods, beyond the five great suns, beyond their five lives…

Arsa.

THE DESTROYER.

The Being just stands there, absolutely alone amongst them all.

The final betrayal by humanity in completion, his own craftsmanship found within the fall of man. Brought to insane reason, brought for the simple reasoning of that one promise to her. All the lies, all the choices; once again leading to destruction and death.

He doesn’t catch it, an obsession too focused upon his own form to take notice of the expressions upon their faces. Denial replaced with shock, fear turned to confusion, doubt soon pulled into raw determination. Refined in minds, power brought from lives lived at the edge of gunfire and dust.

Humanity, in all its mistakes, all its wars, all its flaws, will always search for salvation.

No matter the cost.

They all turn, bodies hunched like wound springs ready for action. Hands above weapons, above mortality, above gods.

To be betrayed, is to first love.

Alto Carrin speaks for them, his words finding the one flaw within the divinity of the Savior that stands before them. “Then what is your name?”

Algorithms end here.

The warm smile fades from his mouth, an understanding reached as he simply sighs. Divine voice fallen to that of simple annoyance, emotion broadcast in the most subtle yet extreme of movements. “Well, I suppose it was worth a shot.”

Plasma bridges point blank distances in nanoseconds, five bullets fired faster than the perception of humankind. A power unstoppable, of caliber unthinkable.

Instantaneous death for the Five.