When the darkness next cleared, Gaius found himself standing under a blazing sun. Standing on a narrow strip of land, he could make out a large mass of people charging towards a set of fortifications. A storm of qi projectiles was sweeping the land bridge, turning whoever was currently at the front into minced meat a moment later.
Hundreds of what probably were demons fell in mere seconds, but in this scenario where both a beastfolk and human army would have broken ranks to flee, the incoming demons continued to charge the defence lines. Making use of the fallen and anyone in front of them as a shield, the demons flooded into the fortifications and began to bring them down.
His viewpoint shifted, to one high in the sky. Nine lights, each of them bearing a golden tint, were standing together with twenty-odd Paragons of the Five Lands, staring down their opposite number from the demon forces. The demons looked very much like humans, save for a third eye and red, throbbing veins that ran through their entire body. Their eyes were bloodshot and throbbing, the very picture of madness and insanity.
The memory turned monochrome, and everything came to a halt.
“This was before the Demon Sovereign’s birth,” a voice echoed in Gaius’ head. “On the third day the Great Divide fell, a deadly trap was sprung, and over half of the Constellation Heroes were captured.”
At these words, the memory resumed again, and the Paragons from both sides dispersed, engaging their own opponents.
Massive shockwaves cleaved the ground and crushed the foot soldiers, stray attacks causing massive casualties wherever any landed. This was the first time Gaius had seen so many Paragons in action, and moments after the opening strike, the demon forces had been partially wiped out. Most of the fortifications were also crumbling, with any wall directly attacked erased from the defence line.
With the battle now well underway, a few maddened Paragons called upon their Dominions. Almost immediately, the pace of battle slowed to a crawl as Paragons of both sides were caught up in this indiscriminate attack. The sudden slowness lasted for mere seconds, before the murky spheres that had enveloped everyone came apart. The demon Paragons reeled, the cue for the Constellations to charge forward. Breaking away from their allies, the nine lights weaved and bobbed through the enemy Paragons, striking down those who had been affected by their Dominions’ destruction.
At first glance, the battle was going well, but for Gaius and presumably everyone else who was watching this memory, he finally knew where the trap was. A wall of black light fell from the skies as the Constellations struck down yet another opponent, enclosing the ones who were at the very front and trapping them.
The slower Constellations slammed into the barrier a moment later, bouncing off it. All eyes turned to the trapped Constellations, and a figure covered in mist. Gaius couldn’t tell who that person was, but if he was right, that demon was probably a familiar spirit of the Demon God.
The Demigods of the Five Lands were probably racing towards this location, but he didn’t need to guess at whether the demons were successful in their gambit or not. Black lightning flooded the skies, withdrawing a few seconds later to leave behind an expanse of empty space.
“The Demon God sacrificed most of his Exemplars — the Five Lands’ equivalent of Paragons — in exchange for five Constellations. They were never seen again.”
Everything faded to black, replaced by a new memory moments later. “The demons are immortal, undying. The loss of so many Exemplars by the demon forces weren’t permanent, and within a month, all of them returned. But a new person had joined them.”
A single star, one that alternated between black and gold every half-second, looked down on the battlefield, and a chilling voice began to speak. “Let my name be the final words you hear. I am Demon Sovereign Asteria, and this…is our vengeance.”
The figure raised its right hand, creating a lance of black and gold energy that stretched to the horizon and beyond. The world seemed to freeze for a moment as the air around the lance warped and twisted madly. In response, a coruscating circle of light appeared above the armies of the Five Lands, pulsating with the combined might of every Paragon and Demigod assembled at the defence lines.
For a moment, Gaius anticipated a long, drawn out clash as the Demon Sovereign brought down the black-gold pillar, but the defences of the Five Lands crumbled before the falling lance without any resistance whatsoever. A ball of gold-black light bloomed a moment later, engulfing everything in its wake.
Darkness fell once more. The memory had ended — and Gaius didn’t need to think too hard to know why. When his vision next cleared, he was once again sitting at the table, but everyone’s faces were now drained of blood. The chamber was in utter silence, with only the sounds of ragged breathing left.
“July 31st, year 100013.” Xanadu’s voice was calm, but her words were anything but that. “The defence line at the Great Divide was destroyed, with a hundred percent casualties. Within a week, the Southern Continent was overrun. The Mortal Light Dynasty put up a good fight, resisting the demons for three months, but like every other nation, it was destroyed when the Demon Sovereign entered the field.”
She looked at everyone, surveying the assembled top brass of the Five Lands. “The memories I’ve shown are drawn from my stagnant reincarnation cycle of the future. Once the mortals of the Five Lands were driven to extinction, the Demon Sovereign turned to the great gods of Orb, laying siege to their Divine Kingdoms, which were crushed over the next decade. There are virtually no memories of this event, but I believe my words are more than enough now.”
She sat down on her seat and sipped from her cup. The nervousness that she had been exhibiting earlier on was now gone, replaced by a confidence that looked like it was born from having one secret less.
“Did…” Pinnacle Kolya glanced at the radiant shadow that was the Eternal Cadence. “Did you get that?”
It nodded, a very human-like expression.
“I suppose we should archive that, but that’s one of the reasons behind this whole conference to begin with,” said Kolya. His facial expressions weren’t exactly a mask now, like everyone sitting in the same table as him. “To prevent such a thing from ever happening again, we therefore ask of you, the Human God, to not grant anyone your divine blessing. As foolish as it sounds, that’s the only way.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Had I not seen this, I might say no,” replied the Human God. “But now that I’ve viewed this memory, I cannot go against my nature. Very well. I agree.”
“Thank you.” He shook his head. “To be honest, I was expecting a drawn-out debate over this issue, but I didn’t expect that it would go this quickly.”
“Quickly?” The Breath-Maker chuckled, along with the other great gods. “You might want to take a look outside.”
Heads turned, and Gaius hissed lightly.
The orange light of the setting sun greeted them; just viewing that memory alone had taken far more time than Gaius experienced.
“In that case, the first day of the conference will end now,” said Kolya, his words slow and measured. “I suppose this is a good time to end it anyway, so that everyone can digest what they heard and saw. Most of you should be feeling numb, but that's expected. Tomorrow, we’ll dedicate some time to asking Xanadu about her future. Send in your questions; she’ll answer whatever she can.”
He paused. “Anyone asking personal questions will be thrown out.”
The joke fell flat, with no one responding to it, but he didn’t mind. “We’ll be checking out that place later tonight, so anyone who is a candidate, please meet back here at nine.”
The sounds of people getting up filled the hall, and along with the others from the North, Gaius filed out of the chamber.
“That was easier than I thought,” Kolya mused out loud, once everyone was gathered around a stand of drinks. “To be honest, I half-expected lots of arguments, but I suppose even the great gods don’t like the prospect of the Demon Sovereign Asteria showing up.”
“We’re talking about the end of the world,” Xanadu replied. Gaius wasn’t too sure how to describe it, but it was the look he would probably have if he’d tossed away most of his burdens into the sea. Of course, since Nakama was too important, she wasn’t considered a burden whatsoever; the boy was referencing some bygone age when he, on Earth, probably had more burdens that he cared to remember.
“True. It’ll be out-of-character if the great gods were too blasé about it,” the Pinnacle replied. He picked up a delicate glass filled with purple juice, and glanced at it curiously. After taking a few experimental sniffs, he downed it, smacking his lips. “Not bad. A bit fruity, and goes down the throat smoothly.”
Gaius pricked his ears up. Fruity alcoholic drinks had been his favourite back on Earth, but before he could reach for one of those glasses, Galina had smacked his hand away. “You’re a child. Don’t even think of sneaking one past me.”
“What?” The boy blinked twice. “You’re making me go without a drink?”
“There’s some milk,” Kolya said. “It’s high quality and chilled.”
“It’s Paterserrie-brand milk,” the Oracle added on. “It’s a luxury drink for most kids; don’t look at it that way.”
Gaius opened his mouth, and then closed it a moment later. Picking up the glass of milk, he downed it with a single gulp and returned it to the table. His spine tingled somewhat as a sweetness that just hit the spot flooded his tastebuds, and he couldn’t help but make some odd sound.
“Have you been watching old people drink?” Kolya looked at him, amused. “You look like a middle-aged man who took a nice long draught after a long day of work.”
“Sure looks like you, dear.”
“Are you saying that I’m a middle-aged geezer?”
“Of course not. Never.” She grinned, and the Pinnacle gave her the stink-eye before clearing his throat. The other members of the State Council — they didn’t introduce them to Gaius, and the boy was too busy thinking about artefacts to remember names — stopped their questioning of Xanadu and turned to him.
“Alright. We’ll be going down to the vault later,” he said. “Everyone here seems to want their Squire-ranked kids to die, so don’t blame me when that really happens. Do tell them to not do anything stupid before they face that test, though. I don’t want the other continents to think the brats of the North are spoilt kids.”
The way the other members reacted were somewhat odd, though. The Pinnacle’s words were brusque, overbearing, but none of them seemed to take any offence whatsoever.
“Is it alright to be this…rude?” He glanced at Galina, who smiled in reply.
Her voice whispered in his ear. “The Pinnacle didn’t know how to treat people all that well, at the start. By the time he learnt basic courtesy, his ministers had long grown to prefer his…rough style. Unfortunately, this adaptation was also brought over to their romantic preferences. Marks and bruises are one indication that they were fulfilled by their spouses.”
Gaius glanced at the mix of men and women who were standing up straight, drinking up everything their boss hurled at them without complaint, and felt the respect he had for them drain off. From the little twitches the others had, they were clearly enjoying Kolya’s veiled abuse. Sure, Gaius didn’t consciously discriminate against many things, but there was a time and place for everything.
“Everyone?” Gaius asked.
“Almost everyone,” she replied. “A small portion recognised that this was Kolya’s way of showing his affection.”
She shrugged.
The boy shook his head and wandered over to a rectangular table, where all kinds of dishes were laid out. After making sure that no one was going to chase him away, he ladled a whole assortment of fancy dishes onto a disposable plate and began to eat.
He was quite curious about this vault they mentioned. It was clearly intended for the elites of the Holy Temple, which meant that they had to be good things inside. The only thing that bummed him out — correction, the two things that bummed him out — were that he wasn’t probably going to be the first person to look through the vault, and he could only choose one item.
The sun began to set, and as the moon continued to ascend, more and more people began to show up. Most of them were clustered into their own factions, the division obvious even though they were sticking with people from their own nation.
His eyes narrowed as he spotted Paragon Shizo. The man hadn’t been sitting in the central table earlier, but Gaius knew, from the reports the Information Brokers had been sending him regularly, that he had been playing puppetmaster over whatever remained of the East. Of the four nations here, the East was clearly the weakest one; only three Paragons had come for the Conference of the Four.
Gaius touched the gold and silver ring on his hand, his desire to end the man violently rising. He hadn’t forgotten what Shizo did; in a way, he was the true killer of Paragon Saito. A small cloud left his nostrils as he breathed out heavily, the Custodian capable of manifesting with a single touch.
He would fire three times, and then blink over to end it with a single stab. Right now, the Paragon was unguarded, his eyes focused on the rising moon. This was his weakest moment; the time when a single strike could end the treasure-seeking fool.
“Wait for him to bring it out first,” a voice whispered in his ear. He turned his head slowly to see Oracle Galina’s lips move. “I know. I’ve been following you since you appeared in the East. I know what he did. You will have your revenge.”
The tension building up in Gaius dissipated, and his hands returned to his side.
Pinnacle Kolya, who had been watching the two of them, clapped his hands, turning everyone’s attention to him. “Ladies, gentlemen, the Holy Temple’s treasure awaits. Follow me.”
Within moments, everyone was now lined up behind him, forming a line three people long. Gaius didn’t know how such a miracle was possible, but this silent communication could only be a good thing.
In silence, the Pinnacle led them into a room inside the Octagon, where a long, winding staircase greeted them. Without a word, he began to descend slowly. The stairwell was unremarkable, save for some gold paint slathered on the wall messily. Gaius didn’t waste any time looking at them, and chose to follow closely, behind the Oracle.
For the second time in a day, Gaius let out a hiss.
At the bottom of the stairwell was a door of gold and gems, a structure that dazzled him no matter how he looked at it.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” Pinnacle Kolya turned to them. “The wealth of the Holy Temple.”
He smirked. “Don’t die for it.”