Moyo awoke on the soft black ashy sands of a mountain range with billowing smoke filling the night air, it took a moment for him to come to terms with what he was seeing. The soft winds blew at his dark skin as his bale purple eyes stared at the horizon, he was dead, that he knew,
But dead men weren’t meant to be alive,
Or probably this was the afterlife?, some version of it anyways, he was just glad it was a peaceful one. He grew up in a straight Christian home, where the notion of hell was a significant part of his everyday sermon in the morning. Even when he grew up into adulthood and left the home for his time in the university, the ingrained motion etched into his mind and soul remained. The coming of the archailect had driven such notion however temporarily from his train of thoughts, Afterall in some worlds he would had been considered a godlike being.
Death however had brought back the realization of hell and he was pretty sure he hadn’t lived a just and pious lifestyle. If this was his reward for the life he lived, he wouldn’t complain, it might not be heaven but it sure wasn’t hell and he was grateful to whatever powerful being snatched his soul to this place. It dawned on him after a few minutes that it was an exact replica of his core realm, down to the raging seas and the mountain spewing lava,
“Are you going to sit down there all day?” a female voice he recognized said behind him, Moyo freezing,
Slowly he turned, eyes wide as he gazed into the fair female face with a smile on it,
“mother” he croaked,
Body petrified, mind blank and short of words, Moyosore stared at his mother and knew why this was his hell. His mother had retained the same youthful look when she died, her lush hair with lines of grey, her pearl white teeth he always crooned about and her glowing skin that was a source of pride to him. He felt his cheeks wet, touching it to come away with a salty liquid,
He was crying,
The titan blade was crying,
His mother seemed puzzled,
“Moyo?” she asked,
“I’m sorry” he said, voice breaking,
“I’m so so sorry” he continued as he felt his shoulders shaking, tears dropping down his cheeks,
On his knees as he cried, pouring out his heart, his regrets as he clenched the ashy sands between his fists, shoulders shaking terribly in anguish. He felt his mother draw him close, not even aware of the moment she crossed the distance between them to gather him in her arms. He could smell the soft perfume she used that smelt of strawberries and the sweet aloe vera perfume she had on. She hushed him as the sobs continued,
“It was not your fault” she said,
“I was too late, I could had been home” he replied as she helped him to his feet,
“Then you’d be dead like your father and I” she said,
“I am now anyways”
“Are you?” she asked, one eyebrow raised,
He stared at her uncomprehendingly, she laughed and dragged him by the hand,
“Come, your father’s been waiting to see you” she said,
His feet grounded to a halt, eyes wide,
“Dad?” he asked,
“Yes, good lord, you didn’t think I’d be all alone in this boring dreadful place now did you?” she said with a laugh as she tugged on his hand,
They moved when a loud boom resounded around them, a large force of air billowing at them, Moyo shielded his mother with his body and glanced at the direction from which the wave emanated from. In the distance, floating above the sea was a large shining spot that he couldn’t see through,
“Oh dear, that seems to be getting worse” she said,
“what’s that?” he asked,
“Nothing you can deal with for now love, come, we have limited time” she said,
“Limited time?’ he asked again,
“Honestly if you keep repeating everything I tell you, we’d be here all day now move” she ordered, dragging him straight for the large mountain in front of them.
Moyo trudged steadily behind his mum on bare feet, his mum humming quietly as she walked ahead, he glanced around. Atop the mountain was smoke, billowing plumes of black ashy smoke that turned purple the moment they came in contact with the skies above. He glanced down at the trails of lava that turned purple also the moment that came in contact with the ashy soil, the veins of titan aspect missing from the landscape.
She led him through the crusty sands that didn’t seem to increase in temperature, like the lava and mountain itself was just a representation bearing no tangible physical properties. Soon enough they got to the large stone doors he had been expecting, the intricate designs that once adorned his vault walls missing from this blank one. His mum touched the doors as they groaned open sluggishly, like they were slowly losing power. The insides were built also in the same fashion as his vault was before the introduction of his throne, bare concrete floor that led up to a forge area where a hammer and a forge table lay cold.
Sitting near the forge table and wrapped in a thick lining of wool was his father, Moyo paused unsure of what to do as his father glanced up at him from where he sat. a smile adorned the face of the man,
“What?, no hugs for me?” he asked,
“Hi dad” he croaked,
“that’s no way for a titan to talk now, would it?” his father replied,
Moyo felt his legs moving till he was hugging his father fiercely, reveling in the feeling of that moment,
“I’m sorry” he mumbled, fighting back tears,
“I’m sure your mother told you this, but it wasn’t your fault” his father said,
“he’s as stubborn as you, wouldn’t believe it even if I opened his skull and dropped the same words within” his mother said laughing,
Moyo and his dad separated,
“it’s nice to see you son, although I do not like the circumstances” his dad said,
Moyo glanced around tentatively before looking back at his dad,
“Am I dead, is this the afterlife?” he asked,
“Death is a relative term son, let’s call it…ah…the in-between, limbo, the waiting room, something like that” his dad said,
“What matters right now is that you’re here and we can resolve whatever’s bothering you from taking the next step” his mum said,
“Next step?” he asked, dreading the answer,
Moving on, death, heaven or hell, whatever it was that awaited him on the other side of the in-between. His mum read his expression as she laughed,
“Sonola” his mum said, calling his dad by his name,
“Your son thinks you’re talking about moving on to the afterlife” she said laughing,
Moyo glanced at his father who chuckled,
“No son, moving back to reality, becoming a master” he said,
Moyo dropped his fathers’ hands as he stepped backwards,
“how do you know about that?, about anything for that matter?, what is this place?” he asked warily as he stepped backwards,
“Take a look around you son, where do you think we are?” his mum asked,
He glanced at the cold forge table, the sandy beach outside and the thick walls,
“My core realm, we’re inside me” Moyo whispered,
“Close son, we’re in your throne realm and you have a lot of things to do to escape this place” his father said,
***********************
Master Ashira chimera stood before the rulers, hands digging into the metal hand holder of the chair she sat on as she eyed them. For the first time in as long as she could remember, her father had left their galaxy to venture into another and interfered in issues there,
He never did that for as long as she remembered,
Not when the Grim had ran rampant, not during the great black war, not when the frontlines where broken. Typhon Kairos, lord and keeper of monsters, lord warden of the great chasm and sole protector of the realms of Tartarus never moved, not for little issues, but here he was. Most would think he was here for her, but Ashira wasn’t fooled, while she didn’t doubt his love for her, Ashira knew better than to think she was the sole reason the great maw as he was called by those who venerated him had come.
The second reason she could had guessed had died and she was here, about to listen to something akin to him being alive.
Her attention was drawn to ruler Zane true blade,
“What do you know of thrones?’ he asked,
Ashira raised an eyebrow,
“Thrones?’ she asked,
“we’re not in a habit of repeating ourselves master Ashira chimera” Xerxes rumbled, eyes ablaze,
“Careful there young one” Kairos replied, a soft smile on his face that drew every attention in the room to him,
“An insult to her is an insult to me”
Xerxes stared hard at Kairos,
“Like I said, we’re not in a habit of repeating ourselves, irrespective of her affiliations” he said,
Zane true blade sighed,
“We do not have time for this, Tania thousand whips, explain to the young master” he said,
Tania nodded from her seat next to Xerxes and spoke,
“a throne, is what happens when you attain the rank of ruler and eventually cross over into a stage beyond ruler, a state of ascension that surpassed the usual ranking” she explained,
“there’s a stage after ruler?” she asked astonished,
Glancing at her father who nodded, this was news to her, Ashira thought rulers grew exponentially stronger the more they were in that stage, but a stage higher than that?, why wasn’t this public news?. She glanced at Tania who nodded,
“Bear in note that whatever we say within these walls cannot leave here, you’re a master now, we expect a level of discretion from you” Zane said,
Ashira understood at that point, they all knew, masters and above, of these secret stages of ascension, the question was why they didn’t let the archailect know. She nodded quietly and Tania continued,
“This throne serves as our link to the aethereal, the realm of aether where every soul goes to contribute to the archailect by strengthening the ties of aether with reality itself” she said,
“So a sort of limbo?” she asked,
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“Of sorts, only souls who have touched their aspects have a remote chance of attaining that realm” Xerxes replied,
“Then what happens to those who haven’t touched their aspects, where do the souls of mortal ascenders go?” she asked,
“oblivion” Kairos replied,
“They cease to exist” Tania agreed nodding,
Ashira shuddered at the thought, a fate she wouldn’t wish on anyone, nevertheless she let her step sister continue,
“This throne has the ability of drawing back ascenders to the physical realm, the stronger you are as a ruler and above, the easier it is” she said,
Ashira wondered why they were telling her all this when they were there to discuss about Moyo when it clicked,
“No way” she whispered,
Her father nodded, Ashira chuckled, leading to uncontrolled fits of giggles and then laughter as tears poured down her cheeks,
“Something funny ascender Ashira?” Xerxes asked,
‘Xerxes, I won’t warn you a third time” her father said and this time all traces of mirth had left his face,
Ashira could feel it in the air, the subtle power of an unexplainable source that tapped into more than simple aether or any of its aspects. Xerxes grounded his jaw,
“it’s alright dad” she whispered as Kairos whipped his head to her in surprise,
“it’s alright” she repeated as Kairos gave a hard nod and the pressure settled,
Xerxes flicked his hand as the runes already forming behind him fizzled out of existence, Ashira had felt the power of those runes though, each carving holding enough power to rival a literal sun. she took in a deep breath, running her hand through her hair before speaking,
“You asked me why I laughed” she said, turning to Xerxes,
‘I laughed because it was something I can totally see Moyo doing”
“Oh?, explain” Altair finally said, speaking from her fathers’ side,
She glanced at him, seeing he had a stoic look, Ashira had no idea what games were afoot here, but she didn’t like it one bit. Nevertheless, she spoke,
“Ever since I knew him, the titan blade was always known for one thing, surpassing his limits, breaking barriers previously thought impossible” she started,
“I met him as a silver and he a lowly iron, I watched him gain an inspiration to bronze, acquire a core manifestation and blitz his way from bronze to gold on a single planet in a space of weeks” she said,
Glancing at the eyes that bored into her,
“I’m from a great house, where all the resources available for ascension were possible and even I wouldn’t be stupid enough to take the risks he did” she continued,
“But yet you did, our records indicated you entered a diamond dungeon as a gold and silver respectively, suicidal if you ask us” Xerxes said,
“My point exactly, there was something about Moyo that urged you to push your limits to take that risk and fight tooth and nail for that sweet feeling of ascending” she explained, eyes alight,
“and the best part?, he’d actually put himself in harms way before making someone else take the risk. Half the time in that diamond dungeon, Moyo was taking the risks a silver had no place taking, growing blind at one point, but still we persevered, Moyo pulling out insane tricks and abilities from nowhere, grabbing us from the jaws of death at the last minute” she said,
“Tricks such as?” Zane asked,
“a core forge” Altair said,
Ashira whipped her head to him, eyes alight,
“That was not your secret to give out ruler Altair” she growled,
Xerxes raised his eyes at the blatant disregard for a ruler that could end her existence in the blink of an eye, Tania stared at her with pity in her eyes, but the thousand blades smiled as he shook his head,
“Quite the contrary lady Ashira, you see we face a dilemma right here and now, we’re a month away from calling a war council with all the houses and here we face the fact that we somehow have to explain the existence of an ascender that defies all reason” he said,
“What do you mean?” she asked warily,
“What we mean is the fact that for the first time in the history of the archailect, we have a diamond primordial, two words and positions that have no reason being in the same sentence” Xerxes said,
“Lady Ashira, I’m not sure if your father informed you, but there are bigger forces in the archailect apart from rulers, beings as old as time itself, whose followers lay in silence and whose powers extend to the far reaches of the archailect. We call them primordials, you father is a part, same as your mother and we harbingers” Xerxes explained,
“This club is meant for a select few, not even ancients like the scorching claw would dare antagonize these beings, for while they hold little to no territory, they have enough power to bring down a house as mighty as Dracon, let that sink in” he finished,
“And these beings would turn their eyes on Moyo?” she asked,
“Without a doubt” her father replied,
“it has been long since they found anything of note to stir them, not even the threat of the abyss moves these old beings, perhaps when all the archailect comes under attack then maybe, just maybe we see them, but a diamond primordial?, yes, they will move” he explained,
“The slumbering sands, the first shadow, the cosmic wyrm, the true eye and the wanderer to name a few more” Xerxes said,
“All existences that defy comprehension for your mind to phantom, all beings we prefer asleep, until of course we need them to handle abyssal threats” he finished,
“I get your point, what exactly do you want to know?’ she asked wearily,
“How did a diamond get a throne?” Xerxes asked,
Ashira sighed as she shrugged, a tired smile on her face,
“Because that’s who he is, he’s the titan blade” she said,
*******************
Moyo stared at the embers of coal where his father had previously sat down,
“So you’re saying you’re just figments of my imagination?” he asked,
“Again son, does that really matter?” his father asked,
“I suppose not” he answered with a sigh, running a hand through his hair,
“What do I have to do?’ he asked,
“Good, the cub of a lion is still a lion” his father said with a smile as his Moyo squeezed his hand tight, a smile on her face,
“Sit with me son” his father asked him as they did,
“Tell me what is missing here, right now, in this very room” his father asked him,
Moyo squeezed his eyes,
“My intent, my aura, my mantle, my Ashe, my aspect” he replied,
His father nodded,
“Indeed son, now that shining thing in the middle of the sea is your throne, the gateway back to the land of the living, and every minute we tarry, the more it weakens in power, why?” his father asked again,
Moyo thought back to what he understood about the throne,
“Because it can’t feed on my aspect and grows weaker by the minute” he replied, realization dawning on his face as he bolted up,
He ran towards where the large crystal gates that held back his aspect was situated, coming to a stop when he saw a dry dusty crystal gate with nothing behind it,
“My aspect” he asked silently,
“Locked away from you, your access cut off by reality itself” his mother replied,
“How do we get it back?” he asked desperately,
“How you get it back” his father corrected,
“We can no more aid you in battle than we can here and now” his mother said,
“Then please, guide me as you have done from when I was but a child” he pleaded,
“Hear that shola?” his father said with a smile,
“Our son requires our help; the great titan requires our help”
His mother gripped his father’s hands,
“that’s what parents are for, to lead the way for our children, listen well son, to a tale you have heard countless times” she said,
“Grab a few of those coals and listen” his father commanded,
Moyo hurried to the dying coals and picked them up, feeling the warmth emanating from them, he stepped up to his parents,
“It is said, that Esu, messenger of Olorun, the creator of heaven and earth was tasked with delivering the sands of creation to Obatala, master sculptor and forger” his father started,
“The journey was perilous, evil entities accosted him along the way to the abode of Obatala and his brother Oduduwa. Still Esu persevered, for he knew the weight of responsibility he carried, the weight of creation, the weight to protect what would become the foundations of creation and protect it he did fiercely”
Moyo felt the coals begin to burn hotter, glancing at it and then back at his father who continued,
“You my son, bear the responsibilities of countless lives, it is not a fate you chose, nor one I would wish on you, but destiny decides what path each soul on Olorun’s earth would tread. Do you my son accept this burden irrevocably?, in the name of Olorun who guides your realm and in whose fashion you realm exists?” his father asked,
“I do, I Moyosore titan blade will lift this burden for it is mine and mine alone to shoulder, I will guide my people with no doubts, I will break the backs of those who would dare rise against my people, this I swear by Olorun, first of the orishas, deities of life and supreme deity above all” he replied,
His mother smiled and spoke,
“do you swear to unleash the wrath of Oya, lady of the oceans and seas as a rushing tsunami on your foes?, to sweep your enemies and those of your people in a viciousness so great your name would be a curse on their lips?” she asked,
“I do, may wrath of Oya heal me and guide me as I exact vengeance on those who threaten me and my people, this I swear on Oya, deity of the seas and prosperity” he said,
The rocks were glowing now, burning blistering rocks that seemed not to hurt him as they turned purple,
“Those rocks represent your Ashe, locked away with your aspect in the in-between, starving your throne from bringing you back to the land of the living, go forth son and unleash it all, trust in yourself to withstand the torrent” his father said,
A drum began to beat all around him, the rhythm familiar as he remembered the source, Jide, the man who originally taught him the dance of Ijakadi. He glanced back and saw a bonfire where his parents previously stood alone, and dancing with them round the flames were beings he hadn’t seen before but recognized,
Of fire and lightning, Sango, lord of thunderstorms and fire,
Of flowing blue robes and a braided hair, Oya lady of the sea and bride to Sango,
Of flowing palm fonds and white deceptive smile, Esu, messenger of the orishas,
Of metal attire and hounds at his feet, Ogun, lord hunter and primordial forger,
Of red robes and red eyes, Oshosi, master avenger and deity of warriors,
Of white hair and dark skin, Olorun, first of the orishas and deity supreme,
They all danced, glancing at him and egging him on, urging him to unleash his destiny. Moyo gathered his thoughts and stepped towards the crystal gates, the gates humming as he stepped closer,
“Long have I denied it” he started as he felt the coals now burning a bright purple flame,
“Long have I fought with who I am, but not anymore, I am Moyosore titan blade, lord, protector and patriarch of clan titan blade and all its holdings”
He got to the crystal gates and pressed the coals to it as he felt the gates give a loud gong like sound,
“I am the titan, the wall and the blade, the defender and protector, the first to battle and the last to retreat, the protector and avenger. I will no longer run from my fate, no excuses will be given, I wholly accept the path of the titan blade, I accept my identity as the titan, by the blessings of Olorun and all the orishas, by the blessings of my roots that have never guided me wrong, by the blessings of my parents, by the trust of my people, I speak the words” he ordered,
The drums were loud now, crashing as the very mountains echoed and vibrated to the rhythm,
“DA PA DA” he ordered,
To return or in this case to bring back,
The gates hummed blue as Moyo felt his titan aspect return back in full force, crashing against the very gates that groaned under the force of the power. He glanced back at his parents and orishas who all smiled at him, nodding together as one, he nodded back and spoke, his second edict coming to life,
“SHI”
To open,
The gates swung open and his aspect intermingled with his Ashe crashed upon him like a flood and parted ways, going by his sides as they flooded the entire mountain before flowing outside into the ashy landscape and the sea that turned purple immediately. He had nothing to fear from the flood, Afterall he was the titan blade,
What was to fear from his own aspect?,
The throne on the middle of his sea of Ashe hummed,
“son” his father said,
He glanced at him, seeing the orishas had vanished,
“It is time” his mother said with a smile,
Moyo nodded and began walking back towards the ocean, power in every step as he walked determinedly towards the throne, it was his, there would be no denial of that power, not now. He felt his forge blaze to life, titan aspect snaking up all around the insides of his cave.
******************
The rulers all paused the moment they felt it, their realms slamming in place to block out any other power from sensing what they just did, Kairos grinned,
“I claim his protection” he said,
“He represents my house” Altair said,
“Try protecting him from the first shadow or the slumbering wraith” Kairos replied,
“The brigade needs him” Xerxes argued,
“Alastor wants him” Zane retorted,
Kairos snorted,
“Like we care what one supreme being wants, he could get in line”
Ashira glanced around, feeling the power that made her smile,
“see what I mean?, where is he?” she asked, heart pounding,
Zane waved his hand as a small orb appeared in the air,
“Within this pocket realm, apparently dragging his consciousness back from limbo, remarkable” he said, barely able to hide his awe,
“then we are in accordance?, house Kairos would see to his protection, not that he’d be needing it, true monster that he is, I approve of your union daughter, no doubt your mother will also when she hears of this” Kairos said,
“Father!” Ashira sputtered, even as she smiled and tears dropped from her face,
“We cannot tarry, for this cannot leave this room, his aspect is staggeringly powerful for master rank” Xerxes said,
“Master rank?” Ashira asked,
“You really didn’t think he’d come back a diamond, did you?” her father asked with amusement in his voice,
“He just joined the ranks of masters without borrowed aspects, a true monster indeed, we’ll be keeping our eyes on this one” Xerxes said,
“Fine by me, quickly Ashira, we have no time to waste” Tania said,
Zane snapped his fingers as a pathway opened right there and then, a large blue planet appearing in the distance,
“that’s his planet, C-102., formerly known as earth and just renamed into Gaia by its inhabitants” Xerxes said,
“Stay there till I send the chimera and the titans’ defiance, watch over him, the world will be sealed off till he awakens, Goodluck my little monster” Kairos said,
Ashira grabbed the orb, nodded at the rulers and passed through, the pathway closing behind her.
****************
Moyo sat on his throne and felt the power course through him, he was complete, he was fulfilled and it was time to model it to his satisfaction. With that thought he spread his aura through his realm, feeling the intent running through the air as he started,
The chained essence of all the draconic species he had absorbed from had broken through its chains, roaring in defiance, he crushed it, the titan took no defiance to his will. It dissolved into motes of light that properly merged with his realm, sinking into it completely.
He moved on to his realm entirely, no opposition to his will remained. Bit by bit he forged the world of the titan, a core, a realm and a domain in one, etched with runes that jumped to his mind out of nowhere, he began the intricate process. It would consume time, but with his throne now back to full capacity, he had all the time in existence and he would build something unassailable.
*********************************
Ashira landed on Asa, in Bastion proper, where the air brimmed with experts of all calibers, the strongest being the bronze experts that floated in the air close to her. Ashira recognized them even as she smiled,
“You are on the domain of clan titan blade, domain of the diamond ranker, lord titan blade, state your intentions!’ the female who with a bit of trepidation she realized was Annika storm bringer,
“Please!, I’m a friend” she shouted,
“That remains to be seen, who are you?” the muscular man she knew to be Idris said,
She took great care not to release her power, lest she wiped them all out, fragile experts that they are,
“My name is Ashira chimera Kairos, master of house Kairos, ally of house thousand blades and…friend of Moyosore titan blade” she completed,
Murmurs ran through the air at the name of the titan, an elderly woman who looked young for her age raised her hands as silence prevailed,
“So you say, what is your evidence?” she asked,
Ashira produced the orb as she felt the shield encompassing Gaia, not that the experts would feel it, not until diamond at least, but she did and she understood. The orb cracked and shattered as a large diamond cocoon of purple color hummed and beat with the sounds of a heart.
The power was unmistakable, for they all felt it as all experts apart from the bronze dropped to the ground and knelt,
“Here is the titan blade” Ashira said,
The six bronze experts stared in awe,
“Moyo?’ Annika whispered,
“Evolving, in the cocoon, into a master” Ashira replied softly,
“Master?’ the woman who she knew as Mrs. Martha asked,
Ashira grinned,
“Yes, Moyo is coming, the titan is coming” Ashira said as roars echoed through Bastion,
The titan had returned.