No one spoke as Tybo ate the food Luno had ordered servants bring for him.

He stuffed his mouth with breads, meats and fruits while sitting in a gazebo that sat just west of Middlen.

It sat on a hill that overlooked the grassy planes of the Medelona.

“And the host of life?” Luno asked.

[Ah- she should be on the continent far to the west.]

“I see. I know that thou art the host of time but… how dost thee know all this or, more importantly, how didst thee not go mad after learning the truth of everything?” Luno asked as Sagathon rested his head on the ground.

[Who said I didn’t go mad?] He asked with a rather wistful voice.

[Born small and sickly, my mother, a Dragon Lord, a being of godly power, tossed me into a dark forest and I was forced to face all truths by myself all while struggling to survive. I spent eons fighting those who would try to eat me while rebuilding my consciousness thought by thought. I eventually gained access to the realm where Loç resides and it’s there that I meditated. I learnt many things but the more I knew, the more I understood that I could never know everything and so I focused on what mattered. I started with something that you might have noticed. Do you know that Loç speaks?] Sagathon asked while Tybo burped loudly.

“Ah- her lips move but I have never heard anything she says. That place is far too loud.” Luno said.

[Well, she does. She speaks the language of reality, her every utterance brings into life the brightest of stars and the smallest of flowers. I spent almost a millennium studying her words and I eventually learnt a new kind of magic. The magic of Loçian Runes.] Sagathon said as the glyphs on his horns started glowing.

[I’ll explain them in detail later but, in summary, they are runes made out of the unseen quantum strings that drive the laws of existence. With this newfound magic, I returned to my home world where I started a plot that would take an eternity to play out. I made my way to the Dragon Royal Family. These beings differ from normal dragons because they are more ethereal than anything else. They are the closest a physical being could get to becoming a Caelasti. Anyway, I confronted the Dragon Queen, Apólytrix and tried warning her about the ultimate fate of everything but… she couldn’t speak- actually we dragons didn’t originally speak, at least not in the conventional sense and so she beat the shit out of me and chewed off my wings.] Sagathon said with a weak laugh while Na-Ahn gently patted his back.

[Anyway, using the many spells I’d learnt, I managed to subdue her and after days of pleading, she finally calmed down. I then spent the next few months teaching her the language which you would all come to speak, Pétriniglóssa.]

“Oh, so it was thee who taught them our tongue. I had always wondered why we were able to speak the same language and when I asked, thine kind would always credit the dragon queen as its inventor.” Caligo said making Sagathon sigh.

[Of course, she would tell everyone that it was her idea. Anyway, I then told her to prepare for the eventual destruction of our home world before heading back to the forest where I was cast away. There I built my library, the building I came here in. It’s there that I researched ways to save the cosmos but no matter how far into the future I looked, the truth of the Ritual of Eight never revealed itself to me and so I turned to the past where I eventually came across a being who, just like your father and I, worked to set the stage. He was the First of all Kings, the King of the Haneem.] Sagathon said making Luno’s eyes widen a little.

[Yes, you and the Haneem share quite the history.]

“Yes, and I am quite certain that Pétriniglóssa is a creation of theirs.”

[It is. You see, after seeing the end, I also pinpointed the epicentre of all collisions. Edenton. It’s here that I found a race of beings that lived nigh eternally. It is by watching and studying them that I learnt speech.]

“I see.”

[Yes. Anyway, I will let the Haneem detail their history but what you need to know is that the First King, as a fellow time magician, saw the end and so he gave his kind immortality so that they would help us get to the finish line but he also left something for me and all future time magicians. The key to the Ritual of Eight.] Sagathon said before sitting upright.

[Blood. Our blood is the key. I will use it to create a magic circle that will force the Noladmet to exist on the same plane as us and we will kill them along with ourselves to save Loç from further suffering.] Sagathon said but Luno’s eyes fell as the words were uttered.

[I know it’s a lot to ask but trust me, there is no other way.]

Luno nodded before deeply sighing.

“It is they who allow us to control the aspects yes?”

Sagathon nodded.

“Why? Why did they grant us these powers and why are they eating away at our reality?” Luno asked.

[That... I don’t know. I can only look so far back without risking breaking my mind beyond repair and like I said, there are a lot of things I don’t know. I don’t know how existence came into being. I don’t know what the Noladmet are and I don’t know what Loç is beyond the fact that they are Caelesti, by our definition. All I know is that I, we time magicians have seen a future where existence continues and, in that future, the Noladmet are gone.]

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Silence followed Sagathon’s words, and Tybo broke it by loudly proclaiming something after he finished eating.

[Hehe, he says thanks for the food. Now, we should probably get going.]

Luno nodded before spreading his arms, prompting everyone to gather around him.

He then teleported them halfway across Edenton to an entirely separate continent.

Everyone gasped as they beheld a megalopolis that stretched out for as far as they could see.

At its centre were tall buildings and near the city’s coast was a monument that consisted of seven statues of what appeared to be sages or priests.

Astír’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the city which was gently lit by the rising sun but before she could focus on any of the city’s finer details several men appeared around the group.

They wore dark uniforms that bore the crest of seven swords which were arranged circularly. They all held dark batons and stood atop similarly invisible platforms.

One of the men walked forward and his dark gaze landed on Luno after looking everyone over.

“I’m assuming you’ve all come from Lanceberg?” The man asked.

[Well, yes and no. Everyone other than him, her and me are from Spearberg.] Sagathon said with a light chuckle.

The man in uniform nodded before gesturing toward what appeared to be a park in the distance.

“Please, go there so that you can be processed. An official will speak with you shortly after.”

Luno turned to Sagathon who nodded.

“Alright,” Luno said before teleporting everyone to the park.

Several armed men quickly gathered around the park but Sagathon and Na-Ahn simply lounged on the fresh green grass.

Tybo said something gathering everyone’s attention.

[He says that he’s really happy to be here but he fears that he’ll freeze this world over with his powers.] Sagathon said before placing his hand over Tybo.

Several strings of white light fell out from Sagathon’s hand and they formed strange glyphs that gathered above Tybo’s head.

“Loçian Runes?” Luno asked.

[Yep.] Sagathon said as a strange shape appeared at the centre of the runes.

[TURN NULL.] He said.

Tybo momentarily lost his balance and even had to hold onto Gregar’s arm.

“What didst thee do?” Luno asked as Tybo found his balance.

He then raised his hands and although his eyes glowed brightly blue, the air’s temperature remained the same.

Tybo exclaimed joyfully before running to Sagathon’s side.

[Aww… come here.]

Everyone watched as Sagathon gently wrapped his arm around Tybo. Na-Ahn joined the two in a big long hug.

Tybo then began whispering something.

[He says that his powers are what caused the death of everyone in his home world. He froze the entire planet over without even realizing what he was doing since magicians were almost non-existent.] Sagathon said.

“How art thou able to understand him? Art thou able to read thoughts?” Luno asked as he created an invisible platform for him and his knights to sit on.

[No, unfortunately. I studied his language and the languages of every host beforehand.] Sagathon said while Tybo climbed onto his back along with Na’an.

“I… do not understand. You learnt eight languages?” Luno asked with a frown.

[Thousands. And as for what I did, I simply prevented his core from releasing any cold.] Sagathon yawned.

He then turned his attention to the south prompting everyone else to do the same.

Approaching them was a formally dressed man who was escorted by a trio of armed guards.

The man was fairly short, had short dark hair and equally dark eyes which had bags beneath them.

“Greetings. My name is Eag and I am the governor of this city, Gauteng, capital of the seven united provinces of Quitania.” The man said while walking up to Luno who stood up to greet Eag.

“Greetings. My name is Luno, King of Lanceberg.”

“Pardon my frankness but I must ask: what brings you here?”

[We are here for the Host of Life. I’m sure you’ve come across them by now.] Sagathon said but Eag’s eyes narrowed.

“What is your business with them?”

Sagathon sighed before detailing everything regarding the last collision.

Eag nodded in understanding.

“We will bring her here but I cannot guarantee whether or not she will comply with any of your requests. Also, when your business is concluded, I will have to ask that you leave this country.” Eag said with his gaze locked on Luno.

[Understood.]

Eag nodded before leaving the park with his guards in tow.

Luno glanced at Sagathon and saw that frost was forming on the scales that Tybo was sitting on.

“Did your spell not fully suppress his powers?”

[It did. What you’re seeing is Tybo’s natural absorption and manipulation of cold. He can’t help it.] Sagathon explained.

Luno nodded before glancing at Na-Ahn who was braiding Tybo’s strange hair.

She noticed that Luno was staring at her so she tilted her head slightly in a questioning gesture.

“Pardon my staring. I was just wondering how thee and Sagathon met.”

Na-Ahn's eyes brightened.

[Oh, it’s quite a simple story. After you drove our kind to the brink, we fled Therand. However, I wasn’t content with simply running. I wanted to know why we had to suffer the way we did, why suffering even exists in the first place and so I searched for the heart of the cosmos by tossing myself across space. I eventually came across a broken world and it’s there that I rested after years of finding nothing in the infinite void of space. What I didn’t know was that of the many floating structures that floated about, one of them was a library that belonged to a certain lizard.] Na-Ahn said making Sagathon scoff.

[He found me as I rested and after a little friendly tussle, he took me back to his place-]

[Friendly tussle? You almost took my head!] Sagathon cried but Na-Ahn simply gave him a few pats on the back.

[Anyway, we then spent the following centuries studying, waiting and just being.]

Luno nodded before turning to the south as several guards brought a woman who was dressed in formal, almost militaristic clothing. Dark brown pants and blazer which were covered in all manner of badges and medals.

She had bright red skin and near pitch black hair that matched her near-black eyes.

Adorning her face was a heavy frown but she didn’t look particularly angry.

The guards backed away after leading her to Luno and the others and she promptly looked everyone over.

[Hello.] Sagathon said before explaining everything.

The woman crossed her arms and said several things but Sagathon dismissively waved his hands.

[Hehe, don’t worry. We are all hosts and yes, we have all seen her. Actually… Luno, why don’t you take us there?]

“All of us?” Luno asked.

[Yep.]

Luno nodded before raising his hands and squeezing them into fists.

The space around the group then distorted so extremely that no light touched the group and they were soon engulfed by unending darkness.

What sounded like a million screams filled the air and the darkness was quickly replaced by what looked like an endless vista of dark twisted matter that convulsed and glowed dimly.

Floating above the ocean of matter and energy was a naked woman only she had a wound beneath her left breast.

Standing around the wound, lit only by the dim light from the flesh, were eight dark beings.

[And there they are. The Noladmet.]