Oliurk POV

Sweat ran down my forehead as I readjusted my weapon in my hands. That small adjustment almost cost my life as the Custodian lunged forward. I didn’t even have time to think as I parried and dodged out of pure instinct.

Without a single wasted moment the Custodian drew his secondary short sword from his waist and slashed for my throat. The runes that decorated my wrists and forearm glowed warm as aether crystalized in a shield as I guarded my neck.

The Custodian’s blade clashed with my shield and shattered it as the aether dissipated into the air, pushing my back from the impact. I could feel warm blood running down my hand but that was the least of my problems.

Kicking my own glaive back up into a defensive position my prized glaive clashed with the Custodian’s halberd. As it did, sparks of aetheric lighting flew as both of our weapons buckled under the pressure. So much so that the blade of my glaive was slowly turning red from the heat, and I knew I couldn’t hold this for long.

I raised my leg to deliver a swift kick to make some distance but the Custodian dropped his short sword and caught my leg mid-kick. Before dragging me towards him. I lost balance and hit the ground hard.

Looking up I saw the Custodian’s fist coming down like a hammer. Channeling mana to my limbs I quickly rolled as the Custodian’s fist struck the hard stone floor, cracking it like it was made of plywood.

I quickly regained my footing as I called my glaive back to my hand.

“You’ve grown rusty, Highlord Oliurk.” Helios spoke, not a hint of exhaustion in his voice.

“Yeah, age seems to do that.” I said between pants as we both prepared to go at it again.

I was aware of my waning physical abilities, especially after witnessing Grey fight and Demeptah. I could feel like I was comparing myself to these youngsters and feeling inadequate. And felt that training with the Custodians would be a good change of pace. And the Custodians themselves seemed to agree, I could only imagine what it would feel like to be them. Having only each other as sufficient enough training partners.

Although I could feel that Helios was going easy on me right now. Even our exchange just now there were at least four separate moments where he could have easily killed me if that was his goal.

This time I attacked first. My glaive crackled with purple lightning as I leapt forward. Letting the mana carry me at incredible speeds I became a living bullet. But Helios only braced himself as he brought his halberd into a defensive position.

But just before we clashed my pushed upon the air with mana as I changed directions. As I passed just a couple of meters to the Custodian’s side I made a sweeping motion with my weapon as aetheric lighting arced in a violent motion.

But Helios reacted in movements I couldn’t even see as he kicked himself off the ground and lunged towards me. Protective runes glowed like wild fireflies on my skin as I willed mana to evade the attack but the Custodian’s actions were too fast. And before I knew it I was leaning against the wall. Feeling aching pains on my back and chest.

Helios came up to me with his helmet removed and offered me a hand. “You seem used to having the overwhelming advantage in fights, Oliurk.”

I grabbed his hand as he pulled me back to my feet. Turning back I saw the large crater my impact had caused on the wall as the training grounds were already automatically repairing the damage caused by our duel.

“And you still seem to be going easy on me.” I commented as I stretched my sore and aching body. I could already feel my runes and mana working to heal and mend ripped muscle tissue and broken bones.

“You’d rather be a splatter on the wall?” Helios said with his eyebrows slightly raised in what I could only assume was an attempt at humor. But with none of the proper vocal tones or facial expressions.

Whenever conversing with these Custodians it is unsettling. Just how human they look under that helmet yet are probably the furthest thing removed from normal lessers. Being handmade by the Emperor himself it is said only the Emperor and only him alone know the secrets of their creation.

And these practice duels have only given credence to that. From the way their bodies moved to the almost non-existence of mana or aether I felt from their movements, these were no ordinary soldiers. There were even rumors that each Custodian was wrought from the Emperor as a genetic template and carries a spark of the Emperor’s soul and divinity.

Lord Grey had only taken half of the remaining Custodians with him, and even that seemed like overkill in dealing with those mutant lessers those Alacryans used as war hounds.

That was another problem with our new so-called “Lord Commander.” While he carried some Djinn blood within him he was still born a lesser. His mind is still very limited in such aspects and deems winning this war against the Alacryans as a bigger problem then the rest of the Djinn empire. It won’t be long before many of the citizens voice their frustrations against the new acting-emperor.

And that is ignoring the problem with Demeptah. While the still intact parts of the empire’s military will keep him at bay for now it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he is going around conquering unawakened realms to add to his own.

Soon enough we may be well outmatched by him by sheer numbers if we don’t deal with him. I held out my hand as my glaive flew back into my grasp. With a small gesture the weapon disappeared into my dimensional storage.

“A good weapon.” Helios nodded with approval.

“You should have seen how I wielded it back when I was younger.” I added as I walked towards the training rooms control panel. With a couple of presses the room powered down as the hum of aether and mana subsided.

“How about yours?” I asked as I took a couple of seconds to catch my breath. It wasn’t everyday you had the chance to make small talk with a Custodian.

Helios held his halberd in his two hands as he stared down at it. His face never seemed to change from his usual scowl, but as he stared down at his battle companion I could tell from the small light in his eyes that he was reminiscing.

“Each Custodian is gifted a weapon personally crafted by the Emperor himself.” He began, clearly feeling great pride in such words.

“While they may all look the same, the weight and small flourishes are all unique to each Custodian. No two of our weapons are exactly alike. Each designed with the small changes in fighting style and personal preference in mind.”

As he spoke I tried to remember back to when I had first met the Emperor. He had appeared at my forge, dressed like a random passerby. He stood by and watched me work until eventually he asked to use my workshop for his own purposes. I hesitated at first, having never seen his man in my life but he paid me handsomely so I complied.

And after working for several hours he had produced a simple blade. Its construction, at least from the outside, didn't seem very special. But as I held it in my own hands it felt like a breath of fresh air. The blade felt nature in my hands, as if it was merely an extension of my own limb. It hummed with aether and mana as it welcomed my touch and my own mana.

That was my first impression of him. Perhaps he was using my own craft to gain respect from me, which totally worked. While my history as a Highlord wasn’t the cleanest record I still greatly respected hard work in metalworking and smithing. So it made sense that he would have crafted and gifted personal weapons to His own bodyguards.

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Still, there was much we didn’t know about our ruler. For many he appeared out of nowhere, promising to lead us from our extinction. Holding great knowledge and power in not only mana and aether, but also about the asuras and about reality. He was like a perfect character who had come to life from a fairytale.

“What was He like? The Emperor?” I asked, curious as to how the Custodians viewed Him.

“The Emperor?” Helios said as he stared back up at me. His hair cropped short and pale skin that contrasted his amber eyes that stared back at me. Staring directly at him gave me a sense of uneasiness. His face was clearly human, but there was something offly eerie about that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

After a moment to collect his thoughts Helios spoke.

“He is our creator. Apart from Demeptah, we are the closest things to be called son to Him. He gathered us when we were orphans and molded us into what we are now. For that, we owe Him our lives and devotion.”

“Yes, I understand that. But what do you personally feel about Him as a person?”

“As a person?” Helios asked with confusion in his voice. Then he seemed to fall into deep contemplation about my question.

“We are only doing what is expected of us. We deem the Emperor to be the one who is capable of leading us to salvation, and as his creations it is our duty to follow him to the end.” Helios spoke after a few moments, but I could still hear the hint of confusion in his voice. As if he was perplexed as to why I would entertain such questions.

There were jokes and rumors that the Custodians had little to no free will, that they were created to only heed the Emperor’s commands and nothing more. And while I don’t think that is the whole story, the way Helios seemed confused by my question only seemed to confirm a bit of that rumor.

It would be a shame really. Such a proficient fighter and warrior, stripped of what makes them truly alive.

“My lord” A voice echoed in my ears.

“Go ahead.” I replied.

“Highlord Vago is asking for your presence.” The voice said and ended communications.

Helios, seeing I was needed elsewhere, nodded at me as he returned to the training room’s control panel and began preparing the room for his own personal training.

Turning to leave the room I considered changing back into my more formal robes but decided against it. Even amongst the Highiord council I never truly cared about my appearance. And at the end of the day I was a general of war, not some pompous noble.

A wave of my glaive and certain runes lit up in succession as aether pulled me across space and placed me right before the main throneroom of the Imperial palace. Vago stood there, his hooded robe pair with him leaning on his own staff for support gave him the appearance of a lost old man. He liked showing off such a deceptive appearance for whatever reason.

“Vago. You called for me?” I asked, electing to waste no time.

The old chronomancer looked me up and down and gave me a small look of disgust but did not voice his complaints.

“In a rush are we?” He asked as he leaned more on his staff. What utter bullshit, Vago may be old but he is far from disabled by age. THe dishonesty felt a sour taste in my mouth as I turned to leave.

“If you don’t have anything important-”

“Oh, I believe you’ll want to hear what I have to say.” Vago interrupted, and when I turned to look over my shoulder I saw a creepy smile on his wrinkled face.

“Where is Neoth?” I asked, ignoring that look on Vago’s face. He was the acting-Emperor Grey’s right-hand after all. And if what Vago had to say was so important then why. I understood there was a preexisting history between the two that only seemed to have grown as Neoth was elevated above Vago.

“Something about the Emperor.” Vago spoke.

“Lord Grey?” I asked.

Vago gently shook his head. “Our true Emperor. The rightful leader of our race, not some dragon hybrid who doesn’t even understand our past and struggles.” Vago said, each word about Grey laced with venom.

I turned as I gave my full attention to Vago. “Speak.”

But Vago only laughed. “You think I rose to my position by being a fool? No, your allegiance is still a concern.”

I couldn’t help but scoff. “You know I greatly respect our Emperor, not only as a leader but as a warrior. That was the reason why I pledged myself to his cause.” I sternly said.

“So, you don’t fully support our new Lord Grey?” Vago asked, and as he did so I could feel his mana condensing. He was clearly prepared for the worst.

I considered it for a moment. The Custodians and Lord Grey himself stated that our Emperor gave him his authority as our ruler. And going against him would be going against the decisions of our Emperor. But even so, Grey was the only one who entered that throneroom we stand before now. No one truly knows what happened on that day.

Some of the Custodians, mainly Helios, floated the idea that perhaps it was the Emperor testing our resolve and loyalty. While others truly believed Grey was the answer to our problems. As for me, well. From what little I have seen of Grey fighting he seems able to go toe-to-toe with multiple Custodians. And his aetheric arts while basic were much more powerful than any Djinn arts, and from the way he acts I would’;t doubt if he had some cards he he still had hidden

“He is our acting-Emperor. Even you bent the knee.” I said, trying to stir Vago up a bit.

Vago scowled in return. “Yes, the raw power he commands can’t be ignored. But he isn’t our true leader now is he?”

“As well as his prescient abilities our Emperor gave him.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that one Oliurk.” Vago cut me off.

“Prescience is not a very well understood topic even among our brightest scholars. Having prescient abilities will only get you so far.” Vago clarified.

“Just get to the point.” I interrupted.

Vago feigned annoyance before he finally answered. “I am proposing that we go ahead with our phoenixes.”

“The phoenixes? Has Varactor made a breakthrough? And what would the Custodians think when they get wind of this plan? I doubt they would stand still while we-”

“Helios is already making moves to turn as many of his brothers to our side.” Vago added.

“Helios?” I muttered under my breath.

“You seem to forget. The Custodians are loyal to only the Emperor himself.”

“You are proposing a plan that could create a massive rift in our already fractured race? Many Djinn will deny our plan for using asuras.” I challenged Vago’s idea.

Originally we had captured the phoenixes alive in order to research their rebirthing abilities as well as possibly using their lifeforce to rejuvenate the Emperor. There were many issues with this plan of course, but before Grey had shown up we didn’t have many other options in resurrecting our leader.

“Grey has made it clear that he doesn’t prioritize our people. Don’t you believe then we should take our destiny into our own hands?” Vago said as he took a step closer.

Still, it was a risky move. There was no guarantee that Helios could move any of his brothers. Even if we did, I'm sure there are still numerous Djinn forces who will willingly side with Grey, which would lead to an all out civil war. A war we couldn’t afford with our already reduced numbers.

But Grey has also been clear that his main focus is with Dicathen and not with our race. He wasn’t even a full Djinn born, in fact his bond was a dragon and he possessed a draconic body. It was only a matter of time before Demeptah eclipses our forces in sheer numbers and comes knocking at our door.

Either way we were in a rough spot. Even if we made a surprise attack on Ephetous we lacked critical information about the asuras and how they have changed throughout these years we were in stasis. It would be akin to running blindly into a fight, and there was no guarantee that we would even win. Our empire lacked good central leadership as of now. And trying to bring back the Emperor was a tempting offer, even considering the risks.

“Have your visions revealed anything?” I asked Vago cautiously.

“Seeing the future is not as easy as you think. Countless pathways are visible to me, each of them ever changing. But yes, there is a way for us to achieve victory and take back what is rightfully ours. So, are you in or are you out?”

“If I was out, would you silence me?” I asked a valid question in my opinion. I could very easily let this information slip to the rest of the Custodians or even Neoth or Lord Grey himself and Vago would have had his plans throttled for the time being, if not fully investigated and trialed.

“Perhaps, but something tells me you won’t,” Vago said with a smile beginning to appear on his face. And it was for this reason why I never liked conversing with Vago. Being a master chronomancer he understands the flow of time better than any of us. Pair with his seer abilities every complex conversation seems all like a mere ploy to get to where he wants. But if he had predicted this outcome perhaps he is right about that one pathway for our race.

After thinking for a few more seconds I finally answered, knowing that there was no way back from this decision. But risking my life for the future of our people seems like a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

“And how correct you are. Count me in.”