Originally uploaded Apr 4, 2023

Neoth Pov

I strode along the white marble path. The meticulously crafted pathway flanked on each side by numerous exhibits. Some of priceless artifacts or relics from races lost to time. Some were living legends and myths, creature and people only whispered about in stories, all frozen in time.

Some of my larger exhibits housed entire battlefields frozen in a single moment. Swords raised, ready to strike down their opponent, spells manifesting in the material world, all of it perfectly displayed for my viewing.

My galleries have grown far larger than I had originally planned, I doubt even the most long living asuras could explore my galleries in its entirety in their life time. Well that is if they could handle all the information and horrors I have gathered before they go insane.

It was a work of beauty, my realm. A enclosed world within what lessers nowadays called the Relictombs, quiet a fitting name in actuality, I have modified for my purposes. Just a shame that so many of our kin have emerged from their stasis with their minds lost, I fear there might not be enough like-minded people to share my work with in the future.

I eventually arrived at the display I was searching for. A painfully curated recreation of my old museum, filled with old totems, books, and other ancient works of literature. And in the center of it was a stone statue, fashioned in a way that resembled a frail old man, me.

The statue's neck was craned downward, caused by years peering over old relics. Not much has changed since then, I still donned my emerald cloak, each scale of the cloak a crystalized fragment of time itself.

The same memories replay within my memory banks every now and then. Back when are race were a bunch of peaceful hippies. Always going on and on about diplomacy and agreements. It was a miracle we survived for as long as we did.

I reach out for the small orb placed in front of the gallery of my old museum. While I would indeed like to indulge in giving a detailed tour of everything within my realm myself, I knew that would be a gross waste of my time. In preparations for such guests I have prepared aetheric orbs containing a detail description or sometimes stored memories.

Touch the smooth white surface of the orb it sprang to life at my touch. Small intricate gold and purple runes began pulsing, creating a steady glowing hum.

And I was brought into the old memory.

***

I appeared as I had been displayed in my galleries. A old weak body, with no aetheric augmentations. My skinny neck craned over a pile of old documents.

Despite it being just an old memory of mine replaying I can still vividly remember it all. The smell of old parchment paper, the feeling of the ink and paper in my hands. It really did put things into perspective.

"Permission to speak my lord?" A small frail voice called out to me.

I turned my head, a movement that wasn't pleasant. I opened my mouth to speak, my lips parched and cracked, my voice came out weak, as if I hadn't spoken in several years.

"Speak."

"Lord Vago has arrived to convene with you my lord." A servant quickly answered, not wanting to take away any precious time from me.

Several images and thoughts played in my mind as soon as I heard that name.

The enemy, aevum, the chronomancer, the general's right hand, an old friend.

Summoning my staff and using it as additional support I made my way out of my old wooden chair. My legs wobbled and creaked with each step.

I clicked my the end of my staff on the ground as several golden engravings on the staff's surface began to glow. The maws of a portal opened up in front of me, and without hesitation I stepped in. Appearing instantly at my destination, no feeling of nauseousness or delay.

And there was Vago, his old frame hunched over as he gripped his staff with both hands. Wearing a deep forest green hooded clock with a golden headdress denoting his high statues.

"You know old friend, for a chronomancer you seem to never come at a good time." I joked as I lightly chuckled at my own joke. It felt as if there was dust in my lungs as I did so.

Vago only looked at me with an displeased look as he spoke.

"Things are more dire than you know."

"Oh, I'm sure of it. I have recently found some interesting documents. They might even date back to before our race even existed." I answered, mostly to annoy him.

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"Your hoarding habits will be the death of you." Vago said as he shook his head.

"Hoarding? Oh no my good friend I do believe that you are mistaken. I am collecting and documenting things within in our reality for future generations to see and study. Quiet the noble deed don't you agree?"

"All you do is sulk about in the past, when we have the ability to so much more." Vago answered with a sigh.

"And where did that bring you?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. Vago indeed was one of most prominent chronomancer is our history. Yet him here to ask for my assistance only made his statement seem vain.

Vago only gave me a threatening look before he cleared his throat. This indeed more entertaining than looking over old documentations.

"I have been sent to deliver an important message." He announced as he straightened his stance and readjusted his robes.

"Let me guess, you're here to recruit me?" I cut him off, an action I know ticks him off to no end.

"If you have gathered so much I presume that you already have an answer?" Vago questioned, trying to not let his annoyance show on his face.

I sighed as I looked back at my old colleague. We went back a fair bit. Having first met at the academy. While our interests and area of study were different, we still acknowledged each other's skills.

But he always was a sharp thorn in my side. With his time manipulation skill, always meddling in my affairs to further his own goals. And he comes to me now for assistance for his little rebellion?

"Lord Vago, you are a chronomancer, yes?" I asked.

"What are you getting at." Vago asked his eyebrow furrowed in annoyance.

"Can you not see the end result of your futile struggle?" I questioned as I thrummed my fragile fingers on my staff. Trying to further annoy him but to seek if he knows of both of our fate.

"Studying aevum is not fortune telling. It is more complicated than just merely reading the future." he spat every word full of venom.

"Shame. You and I both know this was a complete waste of both of our precious time." I replied as I turned to head back into my study.

"Truly a disappointment, with your talent in vivum and soul manipulation you could have been so much more." Vago whispered just loud enough for me to hear him as he conjured a portal.

I swiftly turned on my heel just as Vago was stepping into the portal. I contemplated whether I could try to forcibly close his way of exit while he was midway through. But decided against it, I didn't need his warlord he worships to go for my head.

Instead I spoke my last words before the purge. A old Djinn saying, a reminder that no matter what actions we take we are always on a predestined path. That everything in the end is meaningless and already chosen by our fate.

"May fate always loom over us all."

Aldir Pov

I stood at the very peak of the highest tower. Looking down of the scenery. The levitating fortress first constructed by the Djinns, now the main base of operations for Dicathen. How the poetic

I have no first-hand experience with that ancient race. I wasn't even born when they were erased from history. With the very limited information I could find out they seemed to be a peaceful race. Mostly dealing with their differences with diplomacy.

Which does beg the question as to why they would construct such weapons of war like this fortress. Xyrus city was just a large landmass brought up into the heavens, but this castle wasn't so simple.

Despite its size it contained a space far large then its outside size would indicate. No doubt some sort of aether arts. The council only discovered it through happenstance and sheer luck.

The vast greenery of the beast glades spread out before me. A untamed nature that even gave pause to all but the most accomplished asuras. Many of its mysteries still shrouded in darkness. Perhaps there was some unknown race or civilization flourishing far away from any of our prying eyes.

My eyes shifted, sensing the fluctuation of mana levels. Turning my head I am met by my colleague, Windsom. He was wearing what he always wore. A dark navy military style suit with gold markings indicating his ties to the Indrath clan. His platinum hair cut short and swept to one side.

His eyes that resembled the night sky met mine. He bowed in curtsy as he joined me.

"Lord Aldir."

"Windsom." We both acknowledged each other as I continued to stare out below.

Their was an awkward moment of silence, the only sounds were the wind that felt like a whip on my skin. It was a while until I spoke again.

"Has Lord Indrath grown impatient with my progress and sent you?" I tried to not make it come out as annoyance, the last thing I needed was Kezess breathing down my neck.

"I am merely here to visit an old friend." Windsom stated as he readjusted his clothes.

'Merely visiting? Somehow I doubt that but I'll play along.'

"Do you know the history of his floating castle?" I threw him a random question.

WIndsom took a deep breath before answering. "A remnant of a dead race." He coldly said without a hint of remorse in his voice but not uttering their name.

"Don't you find it amusing? The fortress that holds the Dicathen council is merely a leftover sign of a bygone species." I mused, feeling the wind run through my long white hair.

Windsom only silently stared at me, his star-like eyes seemingly boring holes into me.

"Have you dragons not felt something?" I questioned, truly curious. The members of the Indrath clan all do have a special connection to reality and aether that the rest of us asuras don't.

"What are you saying?" Windsom asked genuinely. Alas it was useless asking him. If Kezess had also sensed it I doubt he would inform a mere messenger like Windsom.

"Has your race's connection to the immatuerium told you nothing? The disturbances of cosmic forces?" I probed the young dragon for more answers.

Windsom seemingly growing impatient only heaved a sigh as he answered my questions with one of his own. "Have you, lord Aldir?"

I searched through my mind. While I couldn't directly see or influence aether myself, I could still sense it. The unimaginable power that binds our world together, the very building blocks of reality.

But I very clearly sensed it. I couldn't properly describe it into words. Aether was never a easily explained topic.

But I felt it, a scream under the skin of reality. As if it was a living animal that was dealt a fatal wound. It roared through me mind like a tidal wave, but was fleeting in the end. A blink and miss it moment but it felt so real, as if I was the one being stabbed.

Whatever or whoever caused such a ripple would be a being I couldn't even fathom. What it merely a wrong feeling or cause of the stress I was under?

But one thing I felt was certain, this upcoming war will not be a small or easy matter. I couldn't describe the feeling exactly but it all feels to familiar, as if I had experienced all of this before.

And all of my instincts now were telling me that the world will go through a tectonic shift in this war.

I turned my attention back to Windsom, realizing I have been deep in thought for too long. I lightened my facial expressions as I turned back to return to the council chambers as I spoke.

"Nothing, my dear comrade. Come now, we have things to prepare for."