SEVENTH INTERLUDE

From the perspective of one who sought Ascension

In a fit of righteous Rage, I did the unthinkable.

I consumed the souls of everyone on Terra Para.

Except those who the Dragonslayer saved, by shielding them from my Grasp with the Power of the Stars.

As I realized my plan had failed, the Fury inside me broke free. Blinded for consequence, I unleashed ultimate Destruction across the planet, reaving the Essence of Everyone and Everything I could Reach. I swelled enormously with Power, Tall, Undefeatable, Implacable before my Enemies. I was ready to crush the Radiant Knights, to grip them in my Fist, and will them to Reveal where they kept Veralla, while I robbed the Dragonslayer of his Starblade.

Yet they fled once more, narrowly escaping my Wrath.

Fools! They could not fathom the Might that was now inside me! The Forces I could wield now! It was the closest I have ever felt to a be like a god Myself, with command over Reality itself! I needed Not a Benediction anymore to spark my Dream! And so I went in the blink of an instant to the Shard, ready to cast down the Gate that barred the Way to the Temple and...

No, no, no! THIS CANNOT BE! How did I lose so Much, so Fast?? Why my Life drained away so swiftly??

The Vortex. It was so vast, so peerless in its intensity. It seeped away my Light, like a hungry Beast beyond Space and Time, immortal and indiscriminate. During my Period of Weakness the Vortex had grown Without Restraint, and now even I was Subject to its limitless Desire for Termination. Now, It had Recurred me once more into Normality, revoking my Supreme Vitality.

I needed to renew my Essence. I needed... souls.

Then I realized my mistake.

In one decisive, overreaching Strike on my part, the Stars had Turned. I was left without ways to replenish my Power. I ended the War for Ascension, yet I was not its Victor. Without further Opposition before me I would perish and die, alone and forever cursed, with Time as my inevitable Judge. Those who rallied against my Crusade needed only to wait.

In that moment, I could have left Terra Para and tried to raise the entire galaxy to aid me; I could have conquered other worlds as easily as I did this. Yet I would always have been on Edge, always fearful of the possibility of creating another fatal Mistake, always glancing to see the Judge looming behind, with Verdict ready in hand. And Terra Para itself was at the mercy of Temporality, for I myself had created the Blight that now devoured its barren landscapes and the Prize that lay among them. To leave now would be to spell doom for the Universe.

Without realizing it, the Knights and the Dragonslayer have won.

They have won, because I overplayed my Action and now I was to be eternally a Monster, the Villain That Good Defeated.

No! I refuse to accept that Narrative! There must be another Way!

I dismissed all of my Revenant, for They had No One to fight now. I shored up my waning Light, applying all effort to keep the Flame of my Soul last as long as possible. Then I desperately Searched, Contemplated, Looked, Cogitated for a Solution to my Utter Predicament.

Where the Radiant Knights had gone? I have explored the deepest reaches of Terra Para, have traversed the endless layers of the local manifold, and have not found even the merest Thread that would point to their Location. Impossibility – for I was in complete control of every part of this immediate Cosmos, down to the very Laws of Physics, as I had demonstrated with the Reality Vortex. How can Anyone hide their Presence from me??

Unless...

Of course.

The vessels of their souls were safely shielded from Detection, yet their very Essences were wide open, interconnected with the Universe as always. It was so Simple! How have I not become Enlightened to this Idea sooner? I extended my Perception and in an instant, I Beheld Them All – The Knights, the Dragonslayer, even Veralla. She was so Close...

Now my Crusade shall finally be completed! I needed merely to reach out, and apply my Will... yet something prevented me from asserting Supremacy. Some sort of field. A lifeform? How inspiringly unusual.

No matter. I still had Access, for this Defence was no Shield of paramount Aegis. There were other Methods I could use to achieve my Aim.

I stood a few moments, studying the soul that was Veralla. She was so vast, and yet so pure. Without the merest shadow of doubt remaining, I was certain she was a Primordial, a god among mortals, a benevolent deity that was a blessing to us all... like her mother had been...

I watched her peaceful sleep and dared not disturb it. I dared not to see her horror of me again. I chose to keep this perfect image of her oneiric tranquility that made her so beautiful. Veralla, the daughter of my soulkin...

With Reluctance, I tore my Awareness away from Her. Then I focused my metaphysical Gaze on the one person who was responsible for All This – Airo.

I found him standing atop the Ramparts of High Peak, the one place of the Radiant Order that had escaped my Notice. Now it made Sense. I should have realized it earlier – for that was where the Knights hid, yet the particulars of Where still remained obfuscated. Ah, but Digression.

I appeared before the Dragonslayer, an Avatar of scorn and mockery. I cursed his efforts and the memories of his Loved One. I tried to goad him into action, to force him into seeking me again, so that I could Win This Time Around.

Yet my Efforts were in vain, for the Dragonslayer responded with Kindness. He pierced Through my Manipulation and saw the True Reason for my holy Crusade – my Grief. His Words echoed with Remorse and Verity. He, Airo the Dragonslayer, spoke with Candor, his Heart Wide Open. Even... even if he had killed Kalessia – Kalessia who had Survived my Greatest Mistake – he no longer had the spirit of a Scourge. He was no longer Dragonslayer – he was simply Airo, one who had found the Light again, even when he had Chosen an Ultimate Fate.

If even the Soulless could find Salvation, then I was Right In The End – We could All be Saved and brought together in Eternal Harmony. Even Airo proved himself deserving of Ascension.

Yet he could not See the Divinity that was my Grand Vision. He appealed to me, argued with me, tried to mirror me. He spoke of the Way, and of Beauty. I spoke back, bringing forth my Pain as Absolution, and the goal of Total Unity as my Merit. In the end, be it Philosophy, be it Passion, be it Perspective, I could not endue Airo with Understanding and neither he tarnished the Monument of my Conviction. Time Went On, so I Parted Ways, and left with Promise in lieu of Farewell.

Once again, I was Bereft of Avenue. I had to draw the Radiant Knights Away from their Sanctuary, for they kept the Keys to the Temple. Brooding, I wandered their secret haven, glancing inside their hearts and minds. Therein were Lylana and Glawlrhain, the only survivors from the Old Guard. There was Magus, wise, sagacious, and distant as ever, yet his faith was Broken, his power Crippled, and his days Numbered. None of this halcyon trio was vulnerable to any Influence – and none of the others had any Authority to warrant interference on my part.

Except.

There was her mind: Mentoria Astarte. She was Ancient, like Magus, yet her power was Pristine. And yet she harbored deep, forlorn Turmoil. It was like a disease in her Soul, eating, consuming, twisting, making her Hollow yet hungry, oh so hungry, hungry for power. Power to control, to rule, to determine. Power to Ascend.

Yes. I could work with That.

I found her alone, raging and desperate against the Fate that I had decreed to All, and thus vulnerable to Subterfuge. I made an Appearance within the mirror of her Perception, and Offered the Knowledge to make her Ambition True. Her reaction was predictable: scorn, refusal, even open hostility. However, my word was Reason and she had long sought fervently for Answers. The way she had set up her Abode within High Peak was a Sign enough.

"You do not even know what I want," she said haughtily, her curvaceous figure drawn in a stance of contempt and wariness.

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"To the contrary," I replied with Nonchalance that bordered on Ennui. I cast my glance around, noting the surroundings. Aethertech. Trinary datacenters. Quantum-field emitters. Sophisticated infrastructure even for the standards of the Order – oh, yes, and the origin place of these strange lifeforms... Sentient? No, sapient energy fields, able to exert dominance upon Resonance itself.

I focused my Intent upon Mentoria – the defense of her mind was spectacular, and not easily Breachable. Yet I had no Need – her Inner Desire was plainly visible for anyone to see in the spatial history of her Domain, and that was something she had no way of hiding.

"Stalling," she stated rather than ask. "You have always been poor at subversion, Ferrtau." Despite her bravado, my Presence unsettled her. I knew Why – she Wondered how could I have gotten Within this Sanctuary.

I conveyed a thin-lipped smile. "You seek to become a dragon," I said, Plain and To The Point. "A true dragon to be exact; an Avatar with Perfect Form."

Her silence was Proof Enough.

"I know your path," I continued. "I sense your frustrations. I see your efforts. The experiments you have prepared. The failures you had endured. I cannot be fooled – this place here, this very research complex is an heir to Project Ascension. And I worked on that project. So I truly know what you seek, Mentoria Astarte. You seek to become one of Them. You seek the godhood that is dragonkind. It is a Secret many have coveted and yearned to attain."

"And I can tell you how to achieve it," I added.

"What?" Mentoria blurted, bereft of Word despite her immortal Grace.

"Even better," I said, feigning blindness to her alarm, "I can entrust you with insight of how to become the truest of Watchers – a Primordial Dragon."

Had I blasted her with a supernova, I could have scarcely approximated the Might of the Blow I delivered to her. Yet she was Ancient, and she knew my Agenda. She and I were Enemies, and she knew what that Meant.

She refused. But her Choice was already Made. She merely postponed the Inevitable. For to have a True Desire was to have a Paramount Readiness to pay a Price in exchange for Satisfaction.

I goaded her. I appealed to her sense of superiority. I danced with and around her psyche, until everything came down to the one Question I wanted from her, the one Result I was after.

"What do you want in exchange?" Mentoria Asked.

"I want you to bring me Veralla," I said. "You will need her anyway, for she is the Way to your Ascension."

I recalled the vast Understanding I had gained during the immeasurable time I had spent Between The Stars, the one enigmatic realm to be known in the future as Null Space. Sifting Through those Endless Oceans of Knowledge was a difficult and consuming task. Yet I had an Anchor, guiding me through the Primal Chaos, a Light of Intimacy, and that Enlightened me to the necessary Details.

"If you agree to bring her to me once your transformation is complete, I will impart you with the wisdom you seek," I told Mentoria, waiting, yet knowing her Ultimate Reply.

"I see," she said after a long pause, her expression Neutrality itself. "Sentimental. Just like your mentor. You want her because she is your soulkin's daughter?"

"Yes. I want to hold her in my arms and have her remind me of her mother."

"What about your ambition? What point there is for me to do anything, if you seek to destroy everything?"

"Because I lost. I made a grave error, and now my powers are waning. I do not have long left. So I want one last happy moment, before my End comes. Thus, I am willing to trade, for I will not have a care what happens to this reality once I depart it."

"How can I know this is not a trick to enter my mind?"

I pointed at her armada of synthetic machinery. "I can merely put the data there. Review it at your leisure."

She dwelled on my Reply, yet it was all Theatrics.

"I agree. Give me the knowledge to finish Project Ascension – to become a Primordial, and you shall have the fledgling."

***

And so I Left, with a New Plan in Motion.

Not for an Instant I believed she would Uphold her Agreement. She would use the Sacred Wisdom to Augment herself unto Divinity, and then she would fly Against me, for my Crusade would unite All in Eden, be they mortal or god. Believing herself Greater than I, the Ascended Mentoria Astarte would issue a Challenge, seeking to Halt me in the Ultimate Manner.

That was exactly what I expected her to do.

Her Attempt was doomed to Failure. Two linear decades ago, before I was Exiled from my own Home, before the End of the War that Blazed the Stars Themselves, I had taken an Unique Gift from a Primeval Enemy – the ability of complete Dominion over Dragonkind.

This Gift still resonated in my soul, still resided in my mind, ready to be Summoned At Will. It was this horrific Boon that enabled me to commit Kalessia to my Greatest Sin, and gave me the means to overpower the Radiant Knights so easily. This Gift would be the downfall of Mentoria.

And then she would become the Key to finally open the Gates to the Temple and make my Crusade Complete.

I needed a Second Starblade no more. I needed not Veralla, no matter my faded heart. One Key was as good as Another, and what only mattered now was to Fulfill my Dream. Because... because...

Cold wind howled across the ether. The Shard towered, a cerulean titan besieged in darkness. Warpstorms raged, hurling snow and ice in surreal patterns. The Vortex cascaded in unraveling tendrils, its blinding phallus piercing the heavens. I stood at the heart of this apocalyptic world, lulled into waiting. With nothing else to do besides anticipating, I fell into the abyss of self-reflection.

Why did it come to all this? Why did I have to destroy so much and kill so many people? When did I start down on this dark path? I wanted to promote peace. I was a protector. I had sworn myself a Radiant Knight, and my duty was to save others. And I failed, time and again, to uphold my vow; no matter my efforts, the galaxy always fell into darkness, centuries among the stars marred by conflict and misery. People knew sorrow better than love, celebrated death moreso than life. The light had come and gone, and then gone again.

Was I to accept this and do nothing? Was it right to stand by when I had a duty to uphold? What example would that be from one who was considered a paragon of virtue?

That is why I wanted to enact change. I wanted to end the suffering. I wanted to create a lasting legacy, one which would bring happiness to us all, a gift worthy of the Fire Eternal Itself.

Instead, I was shunned. My dream was declared apostasy and my ideas were considered atrocity. My own companions exiled me, renouncing their support. Stripped of rank, bereft of light, abandoned by kin, I was left alone in my quest for Awakening.

Pushed to desperation, perhaps it was then I took the first step that would lead to this tortured struggle for eternal paradise. I was ready to do anything to bring lasting prosperity to the galaxy. No idea was too vile, if it meant the joy of all people.

And with this perspective in mind, I turned to the one person who had chosen to stand by my side, my dearest, my deepest love, my soulkin – Kalessia. I used her and deceived her, and in the end I pushed too far, blinded by my ambition – and because of that, I lost her. And in the process, I unleashed a terrible evil upon the world and had to defile an entire Shard to postpone my error.

Which left me without choice, but to do exactly what I was doing now. The only way to contain a great threat was to wrap it into an even greater salvation.

I quivered, weakened, as tears streaked down my eyes. Forgive me, Kalessia. If only I had listened to you... You were always the voice of reason, my dearest, sincerest, loving guardian angel. If I had listened, things could have been so much easier... and so less painful. Without destruction, without death, without anguish. We would have been together, and we had so many ages left. I could have waited. I could have continued to search for a proper way. Why was I so foolish? I had lived for centuries, and yet in the end I still acted rashly, without foresight, like a mayfly over the river of reality... And because of that I had lost you, Kalessia.

Now I truly stood alone on the Way.

Like in that tale, told to me so long ago.

Long, long ago, there existed an order of knights, mighty and powerful beyond peer, for they carried the greatest weapons and armors in the world, and they had dragons at their side as their faithful companions. The knights were Conquerors, able to vanquish any foe and invade any land, no matter how dangerous they were. Thus the knights raided and destroyed for untold time, unchallenged and undefeated, terrors upon the world who everyone cursed, yet none could resist.

In time, however, the knights became tired from their constant conquest, for there was no prospect in destruction, and there was no trial anymore in annihilation. The knights decided to become Protectors, to keep harmony within the world instead of sowing discord, in order to challenge themselves with new quests in new fields. Thus the knights warded and guarded everyone, be it commoner or saint, keeping the lands free and just, and within these tasks they found the secret of Enlightenment.

Seeing the beauty of Harmony and feeling the love of Kindness, the knights kindled Compassion in their hearts, and saw in this spiritual mirror the woe that their nature was, with all their weapons, armors, and dragons. Aligning themselves more with their new ideals, the knights relinquished their ruinous weapons, keeping with themselves only their swords, a symbol to be raised in defence of others. Thus peace flourished across the lands, and the world became a brighter, more honest place.

The knights, however, were still dissatisfied with the state of their new existence, wanting to shine light further into the souls of the people. To bring an example of this, they shed their mighty armors, embracing the protection of their ideals instead. Thus love unfurled around the world, bringing people together and uniting communities under one sky.

With time, violence and cruelty disappeared from the world, and the knights did not need to protect the people and the lands anymore, whether from the outside or the inside. The knights cast away their swords, for their symbol now was Enlightenment itself and their only duty was to sing its symphony so it resonated everlasting within the souls of their sisters and brothers. Thus Awakening came from the skies and bloomed within spirits, bringing forth the long-lost paradise of Eternity.

And so the ages came and went, and the knights were needed no more, for their work was complete. The knights gathered one last time and abandoned their most closest companions, their dragons, because where they went after, their dearest could not follow. This last meeting concluded with sorrow, and yet also with great joy, for this was not a farewell, but a continuation of a journey that never ended.

Finally, the knights stood alone, ascending to the stars, where they discovered the ending of the Way, the last, greatest, infinite shore that led to a magnificent flame which burned with eternal light. There, the knights were embraced with unconditional love, free of any sin, any burden, any sorrow, their souls cleansed with pure joy – for they had at last, returned home.

I lowered my head, and wept.

For me there was nothing left, but to try and return home. To return all of us home. To brings us together in joy and love, and to burn away all the sins everyone had ever committed.

I focused my Power and relocated atop the Shard, in the Heart Of Darkness that was my own making, and willed the Reality Vortex to bend one last time to my Bidding. Therein I stood, and waited, knowing my Crusade could only end in one of two ways: Absolute Damnation, or Divine Ascension.