The command bridge of Telos’ light-forged space vessel had four individuals sitting in awkward silence, taste testing trays of appetizers. Well, Arkaziel, in the form of a dark skinned humanoid with cat ears, tasted the appetizers. Every few seconds he’d toss a new one into his mouth and groan happily, all while Bobbi rolled her eyes at the antics of her fellow StarMane. Across from them, Siegfried and his second in command, Fafnir, sat rigid. Bobbi could tell that the dragon in human form desperately wanted to eat, but the disapproval of Siegfried kept Fafnir back.
A wall suddenly opened into a portal through which Telos and Kallos entered. That Kallos had ascended to Sovereignty didn’t shock the StarManes, they had felt it through the intertwined soulbonds that connected all four of them to one another. Siegfried’s stoic expression softened, while Fafnir nearly drooled on himself, his dark eyes full of baked goodness.
“Congratulations,” Siegfried nodded his head to the woman who, theoretically, was now his equal. Yet the events of the Tower of Oizys had proven both women were already his superiors.
“Thanks for waiting, while Kallos ascended I finished coordinating the evacuation of the living souls from the Tower. They’ll trickle to other worlds through the Towers, and those who had no corporeal form will re-enter the Great Cycle. They’re next incarnation should be much more positive than suffering through existence at the cruel whims of Oizys.” Telos dropped into a loveseat that rose from the floor in the nick of time, then Kallos settled in next to Telos.
“The Overgod already gathers his forces and dispatched the Greater Archon Horaeus to bring us to the Seven Heavens for judgement,” Telos rolled her eyes, while Arkaziel guffawed, Kallos shook her head, and Bobbi added a plate of cream puffs to the table.
“The Overgod? Are we capable of defeating him?” Siegfried asked with hesitation. “Without the Anti-Divinity Canon…”
“Arkaziel! Didn’t you tell Siegfried I recovered all their ships from the Tower?” Telos tsked at the human looking man.
“I got distracted by Bobbi’s cooking, she put out these skewers of Teriyaki Phoenix that were unbelievable. Blue saved your ships.” Arkaziel guiltlessly informed Siegfried between bites of fresh pastry.
“Ark… Anyway, we’ve got all your ships. You and your men can evacuate before Horaeus gets here. Your weapons aren’t going to do it against a Greater Archon who rules over the First Heaven, let alone the Overgod. We can handle them without problem, but the other gods are going to be up to you, and the generations who come after. Some might fade away, or depart for other dimensions, but there’s no doubt just as many will fight for what they’ve come to see as theirs.”
Fafnir and Siegfried looked at one another.
“I will remain with you, and Fafnir will lead the Celestial Wardens in my absence.” Siegfried declared with absolute certainty. Then his light blue eyes met Telos’ gaze, all three eyes stared into his soul. The light of the Origin which shone through her red eye cascaded through Siegfried’s soul and reminded him of his place in the scale of existence, the aqua eye pulled him through the cold depths of the Void, filled his mind with the untapped potential of Creation, before brushing his core with the infinite chill of Nothing, and finally the Third Eye of Ein Sof seared his soul of impurities, and the dark tentacles that Oizys had placed there.
“Do you still want to come with?” Kallos asked with a slightly amused tone, as Siegfried’s soul was tempered and purified by the simple act of Telos looking at him.
Siegfried nodded, though his expression had gone a bit pale. Telos casual display of her cosmic power left him intrigued.
“I didn’t even know there was a trap left behind inside of me by Oizys, how did you?” Siegfried asked once he had gathered his courage.
“Never bet against Blue,” Arkaziel chimed in, as if it were the oldest wisdom of the universe.
“I felt nothing amiss with your mind, Master,” Fafnir complained, and looked confused at the sudden shift in the direction. The dragon in human from had not experienced Telos’ gaze for himself.
“When I gazed into the eyes of Lady Telos, my soul went on a fantastic voyage. I saw the red light of the Origin, from which all energy trickles down into reality, the unlimited possibility of the Void, and then a divine light coursed through me and removed impurities. The resentment I felt building, the jealousy of a woman not even of my own rank with such power, it all faded away as something dark and twisted burned as if in holy fire, and the cleansing light left me at peace.” For a man who had spent his lifetime opposing gods, Siegfried’s summary sounded an awful lot to Telos like someone who had just had a revelation.
Ugh, he’d better not start worshipping me.
“It might be best if you stay with your men, Siegfried. There are other forces than Archons at play, and your presence could save them significant losses.” Telos suggested gently.
“I still wish to accompany you,” Siegfried’s resolve hardened. “Your journey to the Heavens will change everything, and I wish to witness it.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“That’s fine, I guess,” Telos said with a light smile. Inwardly though, she felt disappointed a Sovereign failed to see through her politeness and realize she didn’t particularly want him along.
“What should I do with the men, sir?” Fafnir asked, a look of a lost puppy crossing his features. Telos could only assume that after so long of being second in command, the dragon had lost much of its initiative.
“Rally at the Observatory, and activate all of our agents. The spark we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. May I send my men off, Lady Telos?” Siegfried deferred to her judgement with a subservience that turned Telos’ stomach, but one that Arkaziel and Bobbi nodded at, as if it were only right and just.
“Yep, sure. I’m moving your vessels into a holding area now, and… there. Your men are there, too.” Telos shrugged her shoulders, while Fafnir and Siegfried watched her with a look of awe. Neither were capable of sensing the power she’d used to do those things, so no doubt they were caught up in the idea she could conceal her abilities, when the truth was they just lacked the sensory abilities to see the truth.
“Go say your good-byes, and once your men have departed I will allow the Archon to approach and take us to the First Heaven.”
“Why don’t we simply pre-empt them and go on the offensive?” Siegfried asked, showing no sign of moving to see off his men.
“I want to see the Heavens as they’ve been, and are, before I destroy and re-weave them,” Telos said with a touch of hesitation. I get to do some sight-seeing now and then, for Pete’s sake. It’d be nice to see places before they’re on fire or half destroyed.
Blank expressions met her admission, followed by laughter.
In short order the men and women of the Celestial Wardens boarded their vessels. Telos then formed portals under each vessel, transferring them to a location in space with a proximity close to their Observatory, but not so close that it would put the organization into high alert. Fafnir seemed bent on giving Siegfried a Minnesota good-bye, but Telos glared at the dragon until he scampered into the last ship, and went through a portal like all the rest. She didn’t feel like dealing with a long good-bye.
“Horaeus is almost upon us,” Kallos warned moments before the icy vessel shook.
“He can’t break it, don’t worry. He’s affixing chains to the hull, and plans to drag us to the first layer of Heaven.” Telos grinned, and the ship around them reshaped itself. No longer did they require a vessel with an interior large enough to accommodate the Wardens and their vessels. The Lightships internal dimensions reformed around them to a comfortable bridge with viewing windows.
“How can you tell what he intends?” Siegfried asked with a frown.
“Greater Archons stand out in the Cosmic Song. All that he is lay exposed for those who can perceive the Cosmic Song. Someone plucked his string to make him do something as foolish as bring us to their vaunted Heaven.” Telos bit her lower lip, slightly. Not in worry, but in annoyance, that she couldn’t tell who had plucked the weaves of existence to the parties benefit, but took seemingly extreme measures to hide themselves.
“Someone? Who could do that?” Bobbi asked, even as four large white chains bound the vessel of light, and a gateway of blue energy opened above the vessel, and the large luminous figure of the Greater Archon who held the chains.
“An Aeon, Azathoth if he were to wake up, and perhaps Yog-Sothoth. I could do it, but didn’t,” Telos shrugged off the admission of herself. No one but Siegfried even gave it a second thought to question that Telos could manipulate Greater Archons, as if it were just expected at this point.
“If you have so much power, why are we assaulting Heaven at all? Couldn’t you destroy it and be done?” Siegfried didn’t bother to conceal his skepticism, but the part of him that had seen Telos perform the impossible already had a bone caught in its maw, and his posture showed indignation.
“Do you know how much damage could spill across multiple realities if I obliterated Heaven with overwhelming force? The Seals on Azathoth would come off, the Gates would no longer barr Yog-Sothoth from crossing each and everyone. A million other horrors birthed by the souls who reject reality and descended the Qlippoth are out there, waiting. Demons, Devils, Dark Gods, Outsiders. Those who have become something other, who yearn for true release, would be free to wreak havoc upon this reality and countless others. To say nothing of the truly malevolent beings who yearn for far worse than mere inexistence.”
“You’re coming with us to witness this with your own eyes. That’s fine. But I don’t need your help to overthrow the Overgod. I’ve already declared the age of gods to be over, that’s fixed into reality. The Cosmic Song will change over the next millennia even if we all sat back and did nothing, for the Song exceeds the limitations of Ialdaboath and the reflections, fragments, mirages, and imitations you call gods.”
Siegfried’s lips turned into a thin line, and his eyes darkened, but Telos met his look evenly and with a grin.
“Enjoy the show, you’ll never get another chance to see something like this.” Telos pointed to the viewing windows. The vessel drifted through the space between dimensions, and the Seven Heavens of Ialdaboath were amongst the highest of dimensions in the material planes. Outside their vessel were glimpses of geodesic runes that contained entire realities, Divine Forges upon which reality had been hammered together, and a glimpse of the farthest lights of Pleroma, beyond touch of the material planes.
In a flare of light so bright it hurt even Telos’ eyes, the view outside of their vessel turned into a world of beautiful gardens floating in a sea of clouds. Horaeus set their vessel upon a very large area, across which the Hosts of Heaven had gathered, and a shimmering figure of incredible power stood before all other Archons.
“I thought Ialdaboath would be taller,” Arkaziel grunted. Whether the Overgod heard the cat, or it was coincidental timing, the Overgod lifted a replica scepter of the one Telos had in storage, and beams of light melted the vessel around them.
“Aetheria and conspirators, repent and I shall make your deaths swift. Struggle, and you will spend eternity regretting your foolish choices.” Ialdaboath spoke from a position of extreme authority, no god or cultivator could dare oppose his will. So when Telos laughed and took a single step forward, none of the Archons could truly process what was happening.
“Ialdaboath, I challenge you and all of your Archons for the role of Overgod, and ownership of the Material Plane,” Telos didn’t bother to yell, but her voice echoed everywhere in all of the Heavens. The Cosmic Song picked up tempo in her ears, and the bass of its beats shook her insides.
Telos didn’t have to glare at Arkaziel. His indignation at not being the one to own the material realm spiked, but he didn’t make any comments, but she knew the moment Ialdaboath was dead, Arkaziel would have something to say about the distribution of loot. He’s learned restraint!