There was nothing. Infinite brightness was all I knew, just warmth and light, stretching on into eternity. Where was I? Who was I? Was I even alive? Answers were not forthcoming. They lay just out of reach among the vast emptiness surrounding me. I could barely string together two words, much less engage in rational thought.
I have no idea how long I persisted in that state. For all I know, I could have experienced the heat death of the universe multiple times over. What I do know is that a sudden urge to breathe shook the foundations of the white void. I became aware of my body enough to open my mouth and take in what I thought was a deep breath of air. That’s when it started.
SEQUENCE START
TARGET: ISHUNE | POS: 0.1066.8, -00202.1
BEGINNING NEGOTIATION
A swirling vortex of kaleidoscopic energy opened before me. I reached out for it, and when my hand made contact I felt a jolt of energy course through me. The colors shifted and sharpened until I was looking at a mirrored version of myself through the portal.
“Who… are…?” I asked, my voice both inaudible and louder than any supernova.
[Correlation: I am YOU,] answered my duplicate, though her voice wasn’t quite the same. It was as if someone had taken my tone and added both gravitas and reverb.
ACCESS PERMISSION GRANTED
STARTING TELEPRESENCE INTERPRETER//ADAPTIVE OPTIMIZATION
CONNECTION LOCKED
Unknown symbols began to dance around the edge of the portal, rapidly changing form, size, number, and shape until all of them settled on five glyphs I did recognize: Κιαρα. That was Kiara’s holy name in the old texts. I only knew that because I once stole a book from the restricted shelves of the church. I returned it once I was done, of course, but I’m getting off topic. What mattered in this moment was that I realized who I was seeing, who I would become.
CAUTION: MAXIMUM GAIN THRESHOLD REACHED
MATRIX TRANSFER INITIATED
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD
OPENING GATE
The barrier keeping our two hands from touching shattered like glass. An explosion of Big Bang proportions occurred as we touched, sending matter and energy rocketing throughout the dimensional pocket. In one moment, I was still Ishune. The next, I was still Ishune, but also someone and something far greater.
My body was flooded with the energy of the cosmos, and my mind was sharper than an obsidian scalpel. Yet I did not have an opportunity to truly process or explore this new state. No sooner than I blinked did I return to the interior of Firegate Outpost.
The first thing that leaped out at me was a demon who had squeezed through the cracks in the door and avoided the barrage of plasma fire. I caught the hellspawn by the throat with the effort and ease one uses to bat away a fly. In doing so I realized that my hand was ensconced within a gauntlet designed to accommodate my claws. In fact my entire body save my head was now protected by armor made of pearlescent white accented by golden patterns and iconography.
Silence fell over the church as both inside and outside parties stopped to stare at me. Between the passive sunlight-like aura I emitted and the six feathered wings that sprouted from my back, I could not blame anyone, demon, human, or otherwise, for pausing to consider my majesty. Those truly faithful to Kiara, such as Ginan, genuflected and crossed themselves. The individuals that only paid Kiara lip-service like the Matron simply remained dumbstruck. But it was the demons of Ozul that had the strongest reaction.
Where once there was bloodthirsty malice and perverse glee now was uncertainty and doubt. The crowd at the door recoiled with wide eyes and hisses of warning while the demon in my grip flailed wildly in an attempt to break free. They knew who I was, what I had become. And that made the beings from beyond experience a truly mortal emotion: Fear.
I tightened my grip. The demon’s eyes began bulging as lines of purifying light began to tear and rip apart its otherwise black and crimson hide. It screamed in terror as those lines reached its head and turned both eye and mouth alike into shining beacons. Then the creature burst into a shower of profane ash that burned away into nothingness. No sign of it remained. And though I didn’t know how I knew, I understood that I had completely erased the demon from existence. It would never return to darken the doorsteps of anyone on Erebus.
That display caused the monsters outside to stagger back, screeching as they fell over one another in their attempts to flee. I raised my vibro-knife with the intent of hunting the fiends down, only to realize that my lifeline had changed as well. It was no longer a two inch blade meant for carving or slicing food. Instead, my weapon had become a grand sword. The pommel was designed much like Kiara’s symbol, with six wings splayed out around a center containing another jewel of brilliant gold. The blade itself was longer than Ginan was tall, wreathed in holy, cleansing flames.
“I have but one word for you, minions of Ozul,” I said, my voice now similar to my doppelganger’s in that pocket dimension .”Run.”
And run they did. I raised my sword high then slashed laterally in the space before me. An ephemeral lance of light soared outwards, destroying what remained of the chapel’s doors and slicing through the demons beyond. The beam pierced through demonhide and carved a corridor that stretched towards the horizon. Those caught in the attack met the same fate as the one I had crushed. Those lucky enough to avoid my assault redoubled their efforts to flee as fast as their various limbs would carry them.
Satisfied that I had bought the people of Firegate time to escape, I turned and started to assure them that everything would be fine. Yet not a single word left my lips before all strength left my body. My vision swirled to inky blackness as I fainted forward on the spot.
My consciousness returned to the void where my transformation had taken place. There was no sign of my duplicate. Had I died for real this time? Did one of the demons slay me when I turned my back?
To my surprise, an answer came in the form of an orb of light no bigger than my hands forming before me. The sphere pulsated, speaking in Kiara’s voice, “No, my child. Your body simply reached the limits of what it could handle after your apotheosis. The manner in which you became divine was one of the harshest. Had you not been a mutant and already accepting of me, I… We would have been unable to accomplish it.”
“Funny that you would frame my mutation in a positive light,” I retorted. “I’ve been shunned and spat upon my whole life, called the bastard child of a town drunk who screwed a cat spirit. All because my ears, tail, fangs, claws, and abnormal pupils marked me as someone different than everyone else on Erebus. It never mattered what I said or did, but–”
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“But you remained hopeful that, one day, those that spurned you would come to accept you,” interrupted Kiara. “That one day mutations wouldn’t be viled and humans could finally learn to accept neighbors who were different from them. That is one of my core teachings, though those that follow it like yourself are rare in number. The hope of the masses has been twisted and subverted over the course of the War in Heaven.”
I couldn’t help but ask, “Speaking of, does this all mean that Light failed against the Dark? Is Ozul going to win? I know you mentioned something about him returning.”
Though it lacked anything resembling a face, the way in which Kiara’s mystical ball bounced in the air seemed hesitant. “I slew Ozul with the same sword you now carry. However, he mortally wounded me in the process. The actual conflict in Heaven has ended. Yet as we just experienced, Ozul’s minions are still corrupting and destroying all that is good on Erebus. There is a chance they might find a way to resurrect Ozul in a manner similar to the one I used. If that happens then the War will begin again in earnest.”
“I guess that means I need to figure out this divinity thing and prevent that from happening,” I said, looking down at my body. I was no longer clad in Hope’s Armor, instead back in my beige robes. My wings were gone as well. “What caused me to pass out? Did I do something wrong?”
Kiara’s sphere twinkled as it began to orbit around me. “Not at all. Your body and spirit simply have not yet become accustomed to the newfound power you possess. For now, you are only able to maintain an avatar state for a few minutes a day. That time limit will increase over time and as you practice, potentially disappearing all together one day.”
She stopped and floated at eye-level, continuing in a serious inflection, “You must be careful. Like a vehicle, you consume energy, or fuel, in order to persist in the avatar state. If you stop before your reserves, your fuel tank, runs dry, then you will maintain awareness and control. If you do not…”
“...Then I end up collapsing and becoming supremely vulnerable,” I summarized. “Is there a faster way to increase my endurance besides experience? I worry I won’t be able to carry out your request as I am now.”
“Our request,” Kiara corrected, orb bobbing left and right rhythmically. “We are now one, much as I was one with the Hope that came before me. To answer your questions, yes. There is one method I am aware of, but you will require assistance to accomplish it. Are you familiar with the legend of the Tree of Light?”
“Of course! It’s a part of your, er, our story. A nibble of the fruits from the Tree of Light is how Hope granted humanity intelligence and the drive to seek a better tomorrow.”
Kiara chuckled lyrically, “Correct, though the full story has become muddled over the years. We created that tree with the assistance of Udis.”
I cocked my head to the side, flickering my ears at hearing this revelation. “Udis? The God of War and Progress?”
“Indeed, though at the time Udis wasn’t acting in his capacity as War. It was only after humanity started warring amongst itself that Udis truly became War, but that is a story for another time. What matters now is that eating a full fruit from the Tree of Light will suffuse your body with the might to better control your divinity. The only problem is I do not know where the Tree is currently. Once humanity left the garden world I in turn left the care and safekeeping of the Tree with Udis to ensure no others would abuse its power.”
“Alright, so we have to get Udis to help us,” I concluded.
“Yes. There’s just a tiny problem: Udis is dead. I saw him skewered to his throne shortly before my battle with Ozul,” sighed Kiara.
“Then how are we to find the Tree of Light?” I questioned.
“Before our rebirth, I was able to sense that a single daughter of Udis had survived the purging of his realm. Where she is now I cannot say for certain. Your senses have not yet been properly opened to divinity. Nor is your mind ready to access the full stores of knowledge we possess. However, I can at least say that Udis’ daughter is somewhere on Erebus near the front lines.”
“Hopefully on this side of the ring,” I exhaled. “Otherwise it’s going to be one hell of a trip to get to the other side of Erebus since mutants aren’t allowed on intra-ring transports.”
“That I do not know,” Kiara admitted. “Though she will be easy enough to track down on appearance alone. The warriors of Udis are rather distinctive, even if they haven’t been seen on Erebus for millennia based on what I can glean from your memories. We need only ask about a red-skinned demon that fights her own kind.”
I nodded, committing that to memory. “Simple enough. Find this warrior-daughter, get the fruit, grow stronger, and spread Hope along the way. I can do that. Though I have to wake up first. I’m going to assume the fact we’re still talking in this space means that someone’s been taking care of my real body.”
“You would assume correctly. Allow me to assist you.”
Kiara’s bubble flashed bright enough to white-out everything in the dimensional pocket. As the brightness subsided, I saw and felt that I was lying on my back on a cot in a room barely bigger than a walk-in pantry. The constructionary materials were more modern metals and masonry than the stone-metal and marble used in Firegate’s church. A dimmed light shone from overhead in the center of the ceiling, and a single wooden door without a window provided the only exit.
I sat up, groaning as I gave myself a once over. Just like in the dimensional pocket, I had neither Hope’s Armor nor wings. My prior clothing was long gone. My modesty was preserved by a thin bed sheet that felt more like a napkin than a blanket. I could tell someone had been washing my formerly-grimy body both by smell and the damp towels on a tray I spotted on the floor next to the cot. Regular bathing was a luxury mutants were not afforded, though for what reason I never understood. You’d think having us not smell would be desirable to the alternative. Or maybe being able to smell a mutant nearby was the point?
Anyways, I was actually presentable for the first time in years. Whomever had been attending to me had done a thorough and diligent job. I wanted to thank them personally, and fate provided. My keen ears picked up footsteps approaching the other side of the door. A nun barely older than me bearing a tray of fresh towels and a basin of water was framed by light when the door opened. She took one look at me, froze, then dropped the platter to prostrate herself before me.
“You must forgive me!” said the nun vehemently. “I only wished to ensure you were more presentable when the Archbishop arrived!”
Clutching the bedsheet to my chest, I shook my head and told her in my normal voice, “I’m not mad. If anything, I feel like I owe you something for giving me a bath.”
This did not have my intended effect of getting the nun to stop hiding her face. Instead, she kept her head down and nervously replied, “T-There is no need for that, your Grace.”
Sighing, I decided to learn what I could about my surroundings and how I’d ended up there. “Where am I, anyways? The last thing I knew I was in Firegate Outpost.”
“You are at the Church of the Second Sun,” responded the nun. “Though I was not among those granted the joy of seeing your divinity directly, those parishioners that were brought you here once you collapsed.”
I had to think about that for a moment. “The Church of the Second Sun? That’s nearly two week’s of travel on the ground in a vehicle from Firegate. How long have I been out?”
“Only a day and a half, your Grace. An aerial transport came to collect survivors from Firegate a few hours after the other defenders signaled an all-clear. Several of them have been guarding you without pause this entire time, though only I have been in or out of this room since laying you here. I apologize profusely that this does not fit your importance.”
Despite her not being able to see it, I still waved off that notion. “Don’t sweat it. What matters is you’ve kept me safe. What’s your name?”
Finally, the nun made eye contact, albeit hesitantly. “Vahdat, your Grace.”
“Well, Vahdat, I have two questions. First, is there a shorter redhead among those that are standing watch?”
“There is, yes. She has been very adamant and vocal about protecting you.”
I cracked a smile. “Yeah, that sounds like Ginan. Second question: When is the Archbishop expected?”
Vahdat grimaced as if experiencing gastric distress. “He is expected within two hours, your Grace. Though if I may be so bold, I do not think his visit will be pleasant.”
Raising an eyebrow, I asked, “How do you mean? Has the Church of the Second Sun been neglecting cleaning or something?”
“N-No. It’s just…” She fell silent, eyes refusing to meet mine. I knew that kind of look - the kind where you’re ashamed or scared of speaking your mind for fear of reprisal. Usually that expression was one I wore or saw on others. Never before had such a thing been directed at me.
“You can speak your mind, Vahdat,” I assured her. “Please, enlighten me.”
Still not meeting my gaze, she timidly offered, “It’s just that… He put out a gag order the moment he found out about you, your Grace. There was all sorts of footage from inside Firegate when you ascended. I know because I saw all of it. But instead of those videos spreading like wildfire on the intra-ring network, all copies that I’m aware of have either been erased or locked down on the Archbishop’s decree. That’s not the worst part though. All mention of Firegate even existing has been scrubbed from the net!”
“That is odd,” I said, frowning and furrowing my brow. “I can understand wanting to control the flow of information for an event like this, but to go so far as erasing the recordings and Firegate? You’re right, that doesn’t sound good.”
“Exactly!” exclaimed Vahdat. “This is meant to be a momentous occasion worthy of celebration throughout the ring! Why would he want to deprive people of their Hope?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out. Let’s make extra sure I’m ready for the Archbishop. Can you direct me to a proper shower and some clothes?”