Beauty and ruin trailed the landscape of Ibere, even with the sun setting and the landscape thrown into a hue of an old painting of the Renaissance, the darkened atmosphere filled the planet. The bunkers were thrown open, millions upon millions coming back up to the devastation around them, eyes wide as they could only imagine the horrors that had taken place around them. Few buildings were left intact around the palace, and even those were cordoned off by the legion and order, the palace itself with few lights lit within it.

Most cast furtive glances at the large structure, whispers running around even as relief supplies came in through the hidden spatial vaults that kept dislodging item after item. The house, along with all its vassals had taken use of the barely functioning Archailect system to buy out every valuable item needed.

They had merely placed a dent in the reservoirs of the Archailect, but on a scale of things, even houses didn’t buy with the way they did, the Archailect holdings, run by the mercantile houses led by the creatures who for no other terms could be classified as dwarves leading the charge.

It had been enough even as planets struggled through the pathways kept open by the primordials around Ibere, huge ships, and flagships of the primordials and ancients ringed the planet, as if in solidarity. The vassal planets of the house played host to multitudes of refugees as well, vast swathes of landscapes filled with carrier ships in their thousands as they descended from the main ships that were filled to the brim with living souls.

All combined, were less than ten percent of the Archailect, but it was something, and the hope of the planets somehow kept alive by the masters and collections of diamonds that had fought on, most dying was a welcomed sight.

It was the single, greatest blow to the Archailect in its existence, more than half its reach, gone in a blink as chaos cut a swathe through them without the powers of the Archailect to truly protect them. It pushed the reality that this system, almost filled, with planets that were soon growing into their hundreds, was truly the last bastion of civilization in Archailect space. There was no denying that other planets could be out there, that had managed to survive the onslaught, but were cut off from the touch of the Archailect or aether as well as cast into perpetual darkness, their survival was already in doubt.

On the planet itself, numerous camps set up around the continents, the powers, golds, diamonds, and a few masters here and there tried sorting their forces, to know what was left, and what could be rallied for the true final battle, if it came anyways. Within the palace itself, in the throne room where the broken dome stared down on them as day became night, figures could be seen standing in silence, staring at the bodies that lined the ground, covered with golden-weaved clothes. The Shieldborne, those diamonds that had given their lives for the titan lay on the ground, arranged in a line as Josh, Valoris of the Shieldborne stood directly in front of them in silence.

The masters and vassals of house titan blade, all stood behind their patriarch where he sat, staring at the body wrapped up in silence. Samantha. Silently casting runes as the Hexenblades, surrounded her as they worked unknown scripts into the walls and air around them. Moyo crouched to one knee, body trembling as Samantha spoke, waving her hand as the air shimmered, Idris appearing. The champion of the titan looked deathly pale, eyes flicking to Moyo as he nodded slowly, Moyo nodding back as he shut his eyes tightly, a hand on his shoulder. Ashira at his side, eyes glowing.

“It was impossible” Moyo muttered, keeping his mouth shut.

All eyes flicked to him as he stood straight.

“where’s Ahib?” he whispered.

“dead” a voice answered from his side.

Ajax, his former master, now one-handed, sat on a piece of rock as he stared at them.

“He died when the reaper struck” he added softly.

Moyo turned back, his rage and pain biting deep into his chest.

“We should have killed him when we had the chance,” Annika said, tears in her eyes.

“We should have ripped his head off his shoulders, burnt his body” she added.

“It was what she wanted,” Moyo said, turning to the body lying at the foot of his throne.

He raised his hand to the throne, and with the bunching of his hand into a fist, the throne crumbled to dust, leaving nothing on the raised platform.

“Moyo- “

“She resisted me coming down when I felt discrepancies,” Moyo said, cutting in as Ashira made to talk.

“We always followed her plan,” Ayo said softly.

Moyo shook his head, walking closer to the body as he knelt next to it.

“Look where it led her,” he said softly, drawing the cloth off the face to reveal the cold dead eyes of Martha Shadowweaver.

“Look where it led our Martha” he finished.

“She always had a reason,” Boyle said, the Forgelord standing with them, eyes red.

“True, but please,” Moyo said as he raised himself to his feet.

“Do you see a reason here?, what have we won except for dead comrades and family?” he asked.

He realized the wet liquid on his face was his tears, silently dripping down without his knowledge. Wiping his face, he turned to Idris.

“Tell me what happened” he ordered.

“She made me swear an oath to follow her every command, and I did, it was Martha” Idris started as Moyo stared with a cold detached look.

“She created duplicates, linked to our life force nonetheless, so weaved in illusions that I doubted my own existence,” he said.

“except for herself, she forged none for herself, did she?” Moyo asked softly, Idris shaking his head.

“No, she said it had to be real, that one had to be in place to at least deceive the reaper” Idris replied.

“And when the reaper came, after-” Idris said pausing, eyes shut.

“After he killed Matthew, our duplicates fell as well as we did, Martha assumed not even his attacks could kill both duplicate and original, that his half-strength would simply kill the duplicate and let us live” Idris continued, a haunted look in his eyes.

“We were mistaken, deceived, the reaper had been hiding his true strength,” Idris said.

“We were all deceived” Ashira replied softly.

“From the beginning,” Moyo said as all eyes turned to him.

“From the moment I met him in the galaxy of the construct empire, he had been deceiving me” he continued.

“Always making me think he was somewhat weak, always fleeing with the use of substitutes, always cursing and threatening, ensuring I thought he was running," he said as he gave a sad chuckle.

“Even when he attacked us here, at the heart of our power, he deceived even the primordials, we all underestimated him,” Moyo said, choking a sob.

Ajax struggled to his feet, falling to his knees as he bent his neck.

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“I unleashed this evil on the Archailect, this, all this is all my fault,” he said.

Moyo noticed his tears falling to the ground, his face hidden, the titan simply shook his head.

“you’ve paid your debt, not in full, but you have” he replied softly.

The skies darkened as rain began to fall, softly as the titan waved his hand, a barrier dome covering the entire throne room, protecting the bodies of the fallen. he took a shuddering breath.

“Martha wouldn’t do anything without another angle, she couldn’t, I mean, she wouldn’t,” he said as he turned his gaze skywards.

Boyle turned, walking to a corner as he sat on a broken column, his shoulders shuddering softly. Moyo knew the Forgelord wept, and watched as the pillars of house titan blade wavered. He wiped his eyes, walking closer to Martha as he placed a hand on her head, and he bent, kissing the cold flesh for a few seconds. The air shimmered around the body, the body rising before being encapsulated in a cocoon of Aserite, the other bodies following suit, all eyes turning to him.

“No one enters this throne room except us, we will give our family a befitting burial, just not with an enemy intent on ending us,” he said.

Annika walked close to him, staring into his eyes for a brief second before nodding and stepping back.

“I will follow you into the jaws of death, you have the conviction, I see it,” she said.

Moyo raised his eyebrow.

“You doubted I did?” he asked.

“We need strength, we need to lock our rage into a finely honed weapon, you are the titan blade, but now’s the time we need the blade more than the titan” she replied.

“Meaning?” Moyo asked, his voice a deadly edge as all eyes turned to him, the Valoris moving from where he stood.

“Meaning no more trying to protect us, that was the titan part of you, the protector, now see where it’s left us?” she replied.

Ashira was in her front in a flash, aspect bristling as raw anger clashed with cold rage.

“Take that back” she whispered.

Annika raised her eyebrow.

“Oh?” she answered.

Josh and Samantha were in their middle immediately, arcane sigils wrapping them all as Ayo burned with pure intent. Moyo waved his hand, his masters moving apart by his mere will, walking slowly to Annikas’ front. Eyes staring at her, no move was made, but the pressure grew heavier and heavier even as he spoke.

“Do you all feel this way?” he asked.

He glanced around; all eyes averted from his. He gave a nod, stepping back as the pressure canceled. Turning from them, he began walking out of the room as all eyes watched him, Ashira staring at Annika with such primal fury.

“Ashira” he called out, the Chimera turning to him.

“she’s right” he finished as a pathway opened in front of him, the titan passing through as he disappeared into the cold night.

*******************************

Ashira turned to Annika, both ladies staring at each other.

“he’s in pure pain,” she said, her lips trembling.

“I know” Annika replied.

“Then why?” Ashira asked, her aspect blossoming.

“Because someone needed to tell him the truth, or we’d lose him too” Annika answered.

Ashira paused at the reply.

“Go to him,” Ayo said, Ashira turning to her.

“He needs you, we don’t have time, we-” Ayo said, pausing.

Samantha was there, wrapping her hands around the crimson eye, nodding to Ashira who walked outwards as pathways opened and ascenders dressed in the colors of house Kairos appeared, kneeling as they spoke softly to her. Ashira bristled, nodding as she followed them through the pathway, leaving the destroyed palace and its masters in place.

*********************************

Ajax left the palace after a while, his exit unnoticed as he made his way to one of the camps outside of the palace grounds, effectively making him cross over to the next continent where gold and diamond rankers bowed to him, trying to place him in control of the current camp he had appeared on. He simply waved his hand, informing them to carry on and he’d simply oversee, his mere presence enough to keep whatever master or ruler around in line.

He constantly stared at the stump at his shoulders, watching as nothing he used worked. Elixirs, potions, even legendary ranked healing runes, nothing. It spoke of the finality of the power of Azael, the true power of chaos itself, and it was a sobering thought.

To realize that if the citadel fell, all those who were here, wouldn’t matter, not if the entire cosmos was cast into the seas of oblivion, every light extinguished. He drew his mind away from it, feeling a pathway open up as presences he was familiar with stepped through, Ajax turning to them.

They made their way through the destroyed arches that spoke of some large building around them, destroyed in a battle Ajax realized was that of Azael against the herald of the titan. Killian, Duval, Skatha, and Fiona, watching as they sat next to him in silence, another pathway opening up, diamonds and golds walking out with larger supplies for the burgeoning crowd that swarmed them. One pulse of power from Ajax had them freezing up, order returned as they slunk away, casting furtive glances at him.

Fiona was in his front, a soft flame in her hand as she pressed it to his stomp, Ajax hissing in pain. The aspect of the phoenix burnt something within the stump, perhaps the remnant of the attack of Azael, but it hurt like crazy.

“weak” Fiona muttered, glancing at him.

Killian handed him a container filled with some liquid, Ajax collecting it silently, the lightning lunar ruler sharing others with the assembled powers.

“How is he?” Duval asked.

“broken” Ajax replied.

“Where is he?” Killian asked.

Ajax shrugged,

“Who knows?, he owns the whole system, he could literally be on another planet” he replied.

“He has never experienced such hurt in a long while,” Skatha said as Ajax glanced at her in shock.

“My oath to my clan is completed, I am free,” she said, answering his question.

Ajax nodded and relapsed into silence.

“I fear for him,” he said as all eyes turned to him.

“She was a mother to him; she was the wall even the titan would fall back to when in doubt. With her gone, well” Ajax said, wincing.

“You expect him to do something rash, like challenge Azael by himself” Duval answered.

“More or less,” Ajax said.

Killian sighed.

“Too bad his master can’t stop him, seeing as they’re both the same,” Killian said.

Ajax gave no response, nodding in silence, guilt wracking him. Fiona gripped his jaw, raising his head to stare him in the eyes.

“you’re an idiot,” she said.

“a big one” Ajax replied.

“selfish” Killian added.

“That also” Ajax replied.

“impulsive,” Skatha said.

Ajax nodded, a soft smile on his face.

“a bully, a big one, the biggest one in the Archailect” Duval completed.

“You all planned this, didn’t you?” Ajax asked.

Fiona raised an eyebrow at him as the weather grew a few degrees hotter.

“Apologies, I’m sorry for putting you all through what I did, words cannot convey how sorry I am, please, I’m sorry” Ajax replied as if practiced.

Killian turned to Fiona.

“Whatever you did to him, you have my undying appreciation,” he said as everyone chuckled.

They stared as twilight became night, lights burning around.

“what’s the plan?” Ajax asked.

“The primordials want to push to the citadel, however, not even Kairos knows the route, and Ernesh, the damned former harbinger seems sworn to an oath not to reveal the path to the citadel” Duval growled.

“Meaning we’re stuck here,” Ajax said softly.

“Not necessarily,” Killian said as Ajax turned to him.

“They say if there’s anyone that can do it, it’s Moyo, he’s, well, something different from us all, even the primordials, a transcendent, or at least, that’s what father calls him” Killian added.

Ajax sighed, massaging his stump.

“that’s too much load on the kid,” he said.

“We know,” Duval said.

“And knowing him, he’d want to carry the weight alone, he might say he’d accept help, but I know him, he’d- “Ajax said stopping, realization dawning on him as all eyes were on him.

“Finally,” Killian said.

“It finally dawns on the idiot,” Skatha said as they chuckled.

“I really messed up, didn’t I?” Ajax asked.

“You did, monumentally” Fiona replied.

Ajax stood up, stretching.

“I better go find my disciple, enough moping around,” Ajax said.

“We have a child” Fiona blurted out.

Ajax froze, confusion on his gaze as he turned to Fiona, glancing at the other rulers who stared at him, a soft smile on their faces. He turned back to her.

“What?” he said, lips trembling.

“We have a child” Fiona repeated, eyes wet.

Ajax paused.

“Where?, how?” he asked.

“How?” Ajax asked.

“How?, oh my, were you that bad?” Skatha prodded as they laughed.

Fiona wiped her eyes.

“a while back, when you were raving mad across the Archailect” she bit back.

Ajax nodded, eyes wide, a smile on his face as he watched Fiona rolling her eyes, a pathway opening up to a ship where a Raye, matriarch of house Garuda sat with her husband Thorian, both smiling at a child. A young boy, milky skin with a man and woman who stood at the side, staring at the child, black-haired with the red eyes of his mother, his soft childlike palm outstretched with a look of concentration in his eyes.

Flames sputtered in his palm as Raye gleefully clapped, eyes wide, Thorian grinning. They all turned their eyes to the pathway, smiles turning to pure cold lethal looks at the presence of Ajax. Thorian moved, Raye putting one hand on her partner’s shoulder, holding back, the child looking between them with confusion, sensing the tension. His eyes went to his mother Fiona, a smile on his face as he waved.

“Mother,” he said as Fiona waved back gently.

“who’s the one-armed man?” he asked pointing at Ajax as Killian burst out in laughter, he and Duval giggled like kids as Skatha hid her face, her shoulder shaking.

“I’m your father,” Ajax said softly.

“You have one hand, you can’t be” the child replied immediately.

Even Thorian cracked a smile at that.

“What?” Ajax asked affronted.

The child folded his hands, quite hilarious as Ajax realized.

“Prove it,” the child asked.

“Prove that I’m your father?” Ajax asked again.

“Yes, Grandma Raye is a giant fire bird, powerful, Grandpa Thorian is super strong, mother has fire and powerful, what are you?” the child asked.

Ajax turned to Fiona.

“How old’s the brat?” he asked as she narrowed her eyes.

Killian tumbled to the corner, gripping his belly.

“He has the bloodline of a phoenix, our ages are relevant to our thinking” she replied with a roll of her eyes.

Ajax turned back to the child.

“Come here,” he said with a smile.

“no” the child bluntly replied as Killian roared in laughter again.

“Fiona” Ajax turned helplessly to her.

She shrugged, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips.

“he’s your child,” she said.

Ajax sighed helplessly as he began bickering with the child.