Ajax awoke with a splitting headache, body cold and fingers numb, grasping incoherently for Voidbringer. The noise of scuttling woke him completely to his situation, eyes wide as he bit back an agonizing groan from the gesture, he spotted a figure crouched over a black flame that somehow illuminated the greater darkness around them to reveal baleful grey looking eyes that stared at them from the impenetrable darkness.
His voice ceased to exist as he stared at the figure right in front of him, the cropped black and white hair, the pale white skin, white eyebrows and crinkle of a mischievous smile at the edge of his lips,
“Took you long enough” Garda grim said,
Ajax trembled, unable to speak, unable to move, simply staring at the man from his childhood memories,
“father” he said softly and with a tremble so deep,
The grim gave a pained smile,
“How much you’ve grown son” he said softly,
Ajax lunged, hugging his father with all the strength he had, ruler rank and more strength holding him tight as tears poured from his eyes, sobs in his throat,
“father” he repeated,
“you’ve done me proud Ajax” grim said softly again, his voice hitching,
Ajax took a deep breath and released his father, staring into the eyes of the man who had once been the scourge of the archailect, gathering his thoughts before attempting to speak. Garda raised one hand, stalling him,
“I know you have a lot of questions” he started,
“But you’ll need to hold them till we get away from this place, this…. existence bears so many otherworldly existences” Garda said glancing at the eyes staring at them,
“Where exactly are we?” Ajax asked,
He oddly felt at peace, his aspect resonating with their current position as he felt no malicious intentions from the creatures staring at them, not to him anyways. Garda picked up Voidbringer, Ajax unconsciously lurching for the blade before catching himself,
It was the blade of his father,
“I see you took real care of Krial, or is it Voidbringer now?” Garda said, glancing from the blade to Ajax,
“I did what I had to do to survive” Ajax said, going on the defensive,
“And I applaud you for that” Garda said,
Ajax stared at his dad, nodding once in understanding,
“This is a place outside of existence itself, not the archailect, not the abyss, nor the Nethervoid” Garda said,
“To put it simply, we’re in non-existence itself” he continued,
“Oblivion?” Ajax said with alarm in his voice,
The word itself resonated with his path, connecting with something deep within him, the creatures in the inky darkness stirring at the word. Garda glanced at his son, and then back at the creatures,
“You really did it, didn’t you?, become one with the true power” Garda said,
“True power?, no, no I did everything I did to get closer to you, I didn’t want it this way, or have you failed to understand everything I’ve been saying?” Ajax asked,
Garda gave a light chuckle,
“I hear you loud and clear Chaosborne, chosen of Apophis” he replied,
“Apophis?” Ajax asked,
The very name caused the infinite darkness to resonate with it, the creatures shimmering even within the darkness, Ajax stood up slowly, staring at his father,
“The name of the true creature of existence, the one before the supreme beings were even a thought” Garda said,
Ajax stared hard at the man, his father, and then spoke,
“So, it was all true?” he asked softly,
“What?” Garda asked,
“That you contracted yourself to that…creature, not the abyss, that thing” he said softly,
Garda snorted,
“You say it like you don’t wield the power it bestowed upon you, the power to go toe to toe with even the harbingers of those false beings themselves” he said,
Ajax thought for a brief flash of a second there, he had seen his father stare at him with what he could only describe as jealousy and bitterness, but it was done in a flash, leaving him doubting his thoughts. Ajax felt something begin to creep in from a deep part of his mind, like the trickle of frost, try as he might to deny it,
Doubt,
Something about his father wasn’t right, he could see the grim in front of him, the same looks, the hair, the body, the way he carried himself, they were all the same thing, so why didn’t it just feel right?. He pondered, had his incarceration affected him deeply?,
“What happened to you through those years?’ he asked his father,
The look of the grim began deathly pale with pure anger and anguish, it seized Ajax in an invisible grip, Garda drawing himself to his full height, Voidbringer grasped in his hand,
“For centuries I languished in that jail, subject to the whims and sadistic tendencies of those bastard serpents” he started,
“Tell me, son of mine, do you know what it feels like to have hot liquid mithril injected unto your skull through your eyes, just to test your threshold for pain tolerance, hmm?
Garda asked,
Ajax stared on as his father continued,
“Or do you know what it feels like to have your very bones broken over and over just for the crude enjoyment of bastards?” Garda said, breathing hard, wisps of dark chaos energy emanating from his body,
Ajax kept quiet, assessing his father who breathed in deeply, the creatures in the inky darkness settling, their creepy but baleful eyes ever vigilant, Ajax couldn’t shake off the feeling that they weren’t there to attack but to observe, to see who was stronger,
And then pounce,
Evidently his father came to the same conclusion, settling back, watching the dark flames burn,
“I did what I had to do to liberate our people” he said,
“And look where it landed us, the clan destroyed, thousands upon thousands lost to the whims of the evils of the archailect, countless millions dead” Ajax said,
“And now I find out that the lore really weas true, you willingly became whatever it is you are right now” he spat out,
Where was his bitterness coming from?,
What was happening?,
Grim stared at his son with cold efficiency,
“I am exactly what you are right now” he replied,
“Tell me, do you know the true plans of the supreme beings for every living soul in the archailect?” Garda asked,
Ajax paused,
“What plans?” he asked,
Garda smiled, a loathsome thing to behold in itself,
“You think all those venerations are for nothing?, it’s always been about the venerations” he replied,
“Venerations?, can you at least stop speaking like some decrepit old being?’ Ajax said, irritation in his voice,
Garda pointed at him,
“See that?, it’s the essence of chaos riling you, embrace its power child, bend it to your will, not the other way around” Garda replied,
“I asked you about the venerations, stop changing the topic” Ajax snarled, hand grasping incoherently for Voidbringer,
Garda smiled again,
“They want not just our worship, because let’s face it, that’s what your venerations are, that, and a little piece of our souls” he replied,
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“Our souls?, venerations take nothing but pure energy, donated to them’ Ajax argued,
“Even now you’re still blind to their machinations” Garda sneered,
“True, they seem all powerful, and the archailect itself is a system that draws power from the universe and reality itself, but that’s just the prop up the system, they can’t process the raw power they wield, each of them are simply laws personified, the laws with which the archailect itself exists” Garda explained,
“So, you’re saying what?, Lotes doesn’t actually wield aether herself?” Ajax asked,
“No, she is aether, but the conduit with which she can bring her full might to bear on the archailect itself are the pieces of existences within the archailect, don’t you understand child?” Garda replied,
“you’re saying they have the raw power, but they need our essences to mold those powers?” Ajax said, a cold feeling sinking into his gut,
Garda snapped his fingers,
“you’re getting there, think harder, why do they need the harbingers, why need anyone to act as they vessels?, why the prime messengers?” Garda goaded,
Ajax felt a bit of revulsion from looking at the maniacal grin on his fathers’ face, slowly realizing that this was not the father he remembered, not the kind and calm man who fought for justice. All those years stuck within the grasp of the dragons had warped him into some bitter existence, but could he blame him for that?.
Centuries stuck as the playthings of those you hated the most, it was bound to turn anyone mad in itself, he pushed those from his mind, calmly assessing the issue. If the supreme beings couldn’t actually bring their full might to bear on the archailect, their aspects itself holding the framework of the archailect, then what little brutal but overwhelming power they had. If they needed venerations, and the harbingers were their presences in the archailect as well as generating more venerations for them, that meant,
His eyes went wide, Garda nodding,
“The harbingers wield the venerations of the supreme beings?’ he said, unwilling, praying that wasn’t the answer,
“It is as you feared, they wield the power and venerations of these so called supreme beings” Garda started,
“Countless billions upon billions of venerations, meant for the safety and upliftment of the countless worlds of the archailect itself. hundreds upon thousands of worlds, unknowing souls who have not a single idea of existences known as ruler or master rank, much less a supreme being, all sworn to fealty by these harbingers through proxies of slavering ascenders who rule those worlds, all to bolster the power and reach of these supreme beings” Garda continued,
Ajax sat back down, shock running through his body,
“They need our worship, they need our lives, it’s why some worlds matter to them than others, some of us are disposable, others, they can’t do without, but what if I tell you that is just the beginning of their plans?’ Garda said,
Ajax looked up, shock running through his features,
“Oh no, now walk with me here, what if they find a way to tune the venerations directly to themselves?, what happens if each and every veneration has been transformed into their very aspects?, countless billions of worlds all knowing nothing but their will and power?” Garda asked, crouching in front of Ajax,
“Then they’d have their own domains in the archailect itself” he breathed,
“Exactly!” Garda cried out in triumph, eyes alight,
“Untold billions, straight out worshiping their very existences and sycophants, your precious paths now tuned to one particular aspect while you slave away under their rules, subject to their very whims!, I found this out, I found out the true power and they wanted me out of the way for that” Garda said,
“So why not kill you?” Ajax asked,
“Why keep you alive for centuries?” he said,
It made no sense, not if you looked at it from all sides, why keep a person that knew about the truth of their plans and wasn’t an ally alive with the risk of escaping such as he did?,
“They couldn’t risk it, not with the power I wielded” Garda replied,
“The power of chaos?” Ajax asked,
“Of the avatar of chaos, see chaos isn’t what they’d have you believe Ajax, you can feel it, does it feel wrong to you?, limitless potential to do whatever we want?, not beholden to any of their so called laws?” Garda asked,
Ajax stared at his father in silence,
“You feel it don’t you., the freedom bequeathed to us?, I was once known as the pinnacle of Apophis's power, the avatar of chaos, I was the wrath of the true supreme being’s wrath” Garda said,
“You keep talking about this being, the being I met, the one I saw wasn’t anything near benevolent as you make it, whatever that creature is, it is nothing but malevolent” Ajax replied,
“No, no you’re having it all wrong son, that wasn’t Apophis, that was a piece of it, something as vast as Apophis, the being whose power the supreme being snatched to create the archailect is bigger than what our minds can encompass, if it was malevolent, you’d be dead right now child” Garda argued,
“Unless it wants us alive for a reason” Ajax thought,
“don’t call me that, child, I’ve seen things, experienced things you cannot begin to fathom” Ajax said softly,
In that moment, Ajax saw a piece of his father, Garda nodded,
“I apologize, but I stand by my point, all Apophis wants is to restart reality, scrub away this corruption of an existence, create something new” Garda said,
“This power doesn’t feel like creation, it wipes away, that’s all” Ajax replied,
“Creation was what they stole from Apophis, and it wants it back” Garda replied,
“don’t you see?, we could all have the lives we want, no useless deaths, no battles for power, Apophis could give us all that” Garda said,
“And all we have to do is lay waste to have the universe if not more” Ajax replied,
“You can’t remake a universe without breaking a few hundred galaxies” Garda said with a shrug,
“You my son, represent the first of a new reality, the Chaosborne, you are the hope of what’s to come” Garda said,
Ajax stared at his father, and then he stood, walking close to him,
“I can hear it in your voice you know” he said softly,
The grim raised an eyebrow,
“Hear what?” he asked,
“The lie, there’s something you aren’t telling me, I know enough of the abyss to know it is simply another part of chaos, but something about this doesn’t feel right” Ajax continued,
“that’s simply your reluctance to do what is right” Garda replied,
Ajax gave a soft smile, moving backwards,
‘I have my own plans, I intend to tear down the powers of the archailect, giving those within the archailect a taste of freedom, you want to tear down the archailect itself?, do that after I’m done” Ajax said,
Turning to his father, he stretched his hand out and bent his entire aspect to his will, the grim grunted, Voidbringer peeling away from his grasp and into Ajax’s,
“You get in my way Garda grim, and I won’t face you as a father faces a son, you’ll be facing Ajax Chaosborne, and believe me, he’s more than enough to put you down, avatar of chaos or not” Ajax finished,
Garda chuckled,
“The child of a beast is still a beast after all” he replied,
Ajax sheathed Voidbringer in tendrils of darkness, glancing around the beasts,
“How do we get out of here?” he asked,
“Our first order of mission, ironically enough, is to help the forces of the archailect” Garda said with distaste,
“In what manner?” Ajax asked mildly,
“Those inferior beings of the abyss intend to create a mass slaughtering, an offering to revive what they once called a prime lord of the abyss, simply a creature with the taste of the powers chaos has to offer” Garda replied,
“And that’s bad how?” Ajax said,
“They need the aspect rune of all four lords to do so, and if my predictions are correct, the lords aren’t even aware of this, one of them is pulling the strings” Garda said thoughtfully,
“Rohan?, your disciple, or so I heard” Ajax spat out,
Garda gave a light smile,
“That child always did try to overreach” he replied,
“didn’t he reach your cell?, why didn’t he release you?, or were the rumors false?’ Ajax asked lightly,
“I hear suspicion in your voice Ajax” Garda said with a chuckle,
Ajax shrugged,
“The dots simply aren’t connecting” he replied,
“He wants the position of the avatar of chaos for himself, if he is indeed in league with the lords of the abyss, then he has done a fine job pulling them along” Garda replied,
“So we get the runes, then what?” Ajax asked,
“Then we assault the last fortress” Garda replied,
“The last fortress?” Ajax asked,
“All in due time Ajax, all in due time, first of all, I’ll need Voidbringer to get us out of this realm” Garda said, hand extended to Ajax,
The Chaosborne unsheathed Voidbringer, raised it up, and brought it down in a slash, tearing through the realm like cloth, Garda staring at him,
“Perhaps you have it in you after all” he said softly,
The realm of pure darkness parted, the creatures in the infinite dark scuttling away from the light as it parted to reveal a desolate world,
One Ajax recognized,
“How?” he breathed,
“The will of Apophis, now come, we have work to do” Garda said as he stepped through,
Ajax stared at his father for a brief second before moving through as well.
∞
Moyo shot straight at the creature, Gegun and dominion cradled in both hands as he swung both, his realm expanded. He felt the presence of Malgrakor in his mind like a stain, a revulsion, and its roots were embedded deep within the planet itself, dominion parrying one fleshy tentacle, he dodged another and swiped at it with Gegun, the blade acting like acid on its skin as it screeched in anger, the shockwaves blasting around. Thunder rumbled from above as lance after lance of lightning struck its body in a barrage, burning through skin that healed rapidly, Idris was at his side, his broadsword swinging with the aspect of the titan blazing on it in purple flames.
Moyo couldn’t look behind, couldn’t see if his Shieldborne were still holding the line, but he felt his other realm still protecting the ancients and he had faith. To see the day where mere masters and diamonds would protect ancients would had been unheard off, but here it was, happening before his very eyes. Dodging another tentacle, he summoned his spiritual form, the giant replica of himself striding forwards, blade raised before bringing it crashing down on the nightmare of a head the creature had.
It screeched again, buffeting them with waves of mind inducing terror, his champion and vassal holding on as he felt his realm waver, his entire kingdom to have an actual primordial here with him. Eyes blazing, he spoke,
“HOLD!” reality shivered despite the overwhelming presence of the energies of the abyss around, hardening as it blocked off the power of Malgrakor,
“Impressive, would be primordial” a voice boomed,
The entire planet paused, terror and bloodlust filling the air, Moyo realizing the voice came from the creature itself,
It was sentient,
“You think to bring me down through sheer will, but I have existed for time immemorial, my existence is rooted in the abyss itself, I have fed on powerful primordials than you, let us see you dodge this” it said and Moyo for the first time felt dread on a level he couldn’t quantify,
“To me!” he shouted,
Idris and Annika needed no other questions, zipping to him, he grabbed them both, blasting backwards, entering the realm with the ancients and masters as he bent his entire willpower and authority into the realm, solidifying it in reality itself,
“That realm won’t save you!” Malgrakor said,
And then it opened its jaw, a wave of power bathing the area, blasting everything in site, its main aim, the realm of Moyo. The force crashed into it and Moyo went to his knees, grunting as he pushed everything into it, veneration, aura, aspect, Ashe, all intertwined as the power assaulted him. When it cleared, the planet was almost sheared in half, the realm of the titan had withheld it, but Moyo panted, eyes glowing as his core kept churning more aspect.
He stood up, the creature roaring in anger,
“My turn” he replied,
Ogun’s step took him above the creature in a flash, dominion and Gegun raised,
“DESTROY” he commanded,
And then he swung the blades,
Reality splintered and reforged together in an instant, Malgrakor let out a scream of pure pain and agony, echoing through reality itself as its form exploded before reforming back, slightly smaller. It gave a chuckle,
“See?, your weapons are useless!” it crowed,
“Oh, I wasn’t going for you” Moyo replied,
Then the skies parted, the energies of the abyss wiped away and from a giant ship made of tendrils of some planet sized creature came reinforcements, pouring down,
“Miss me?” a female voice shouted,
Moyo smiled as she raised a bow, a giant feline creature appearing with pure aspect behind her,
“PIERCE!” she shouted,
The arrow glowed with pure arcane energy before tearing into Malgrakor, the creature roaring in pain, the female figure appeared next to Moyo, green glowing eyes staring at him as she switched the bow for her signature blade,
Ashira Chimera had arrived, and with her, the hosts of house Kairos itself.