Summer, 615 CA
The Far Realm
In a realm far removed from the joy and suffering of Ferrum was an infinite plane of dead gray dust under a cruel white star. Nothing could grow in this realm, and few creatures could survive the killing gaze of that fell star for more than a few minutes. This realm was just one of infinite worlds that could not sustain life. For every lush, green world teeming with vibrant life, there were nine like this one that would never see a single weed sprout on its surface.
Sitting upon this infinite surface of dead soil was a massive white marble structure that gleamed in defiance of the entropy surrounding it. The structure was little more than a massive stone roof held up by more than a hundred marble columns all of which were supported by a heavy marble foundation. The columns were arranged so close together on the outside that someone standing outside the structure could not see what was hidden within.
This structure was known as the Sefirot, the meeting place of the gods.
Hidden within the forest of columns was a large marble table with ten marble thrones arranged around it. The table was rectangular, and the seats were arranged such that eight would sit at the sides of the table and two would sit at the heads of the table. Standing next to the table such that one sitting at the head of the table would have his back to it was a large stone monolith that measured five meters tall and three meters wide. To a layman, the face of the monolith was painted a darker color than the rest of the stone, but further inspection would reveal that the stone was marked with millions of lines of millimeter-tall letters.
At the head of the table opposite the monolith was a man dressed in the regalia of an ancient Roman Senator. He wore a white toga upon his body and a golden laurel upon his head. The man’s ageless face was tightened in a scowl as he peered imperiously at an illusory replica of the world of Ferrum that floated silently in his hand.
The globe shifted and transformed into an image of an emaciated man languishing on the side of a busy road. Hundreds of people passed him by without a word as his eyes closed for the final time and his head fell to the cold ground beneath.
The image shifted again to one of a massive, dead tree with dozens of twisting branches. Though the tree did not have leaves, it was decorated with human bodies hanging from the branches by their necks like so many Christmas ornaments. A woman screamed as a squad of soldiers dressed in Etronian livery wrapped a noose around her neck and threw the other end of the rope over one of the branches. The soldiers laughed as the woman was raised high up in the air.
The image shifted to a family of three standing in a shallow pit. They were surrounded by an angry mob of vengeful townspeople. Each person in the mob - every man, woman, and child - took a rock in their hand, and cast it at the young family. One rock by itself did little to the terrified family, but hundreds of small, sharp projectiles eventually completed their grim purpose.
The image shifted.
The image shifted.
The image shifted.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Tragedy upon tragedy unfolded in front of the judging god’s eyes. With each sin witnessed, the god’s scowl deepened imperceptibly. Hours, days, weeks passed where the god would not budge from his marble throne. The sins accumulated slowly but surely to the point where even a god could be swayed.
The god’s vigil was finally broken by the sound of thick leather soles slapping against the marble floor. A normal woman in a modest outfit with features that would quickly get lost in a crowd appeared from behind a pillar.
“I see you’re still cooped up in here, Lothar,” the woman chastised.
The scene of a dozen captured prisoners impaled on long spears disappeared from the God of Judgment’s vision, and he said, “What else is there to do, Nyx? The population is self-sufficient and self-propagating. All that’s left to do now is wait and see if your little project can fix this world in a decade. Let’s just say that I doubt it.”
“Why not work to prevent those tragedies you’re so fond of watching?” Nyx asked, taking a seat at one side of the table.
“I can only be in eight places at once, Nyx,” Lothar said with a completely serious expression. “Plus, we decided to be more hands-off this time, remember?”
Nyx sighed and said, “Yeah, I know, but you could act more subtly like me. Just whisper something like ‘Lothar commands you to be a good person’ into the ears of criminals.”
“Why should I bother?” Lothar said, leaning back into his marble throne. “They’re all gonna be dead in ten years, anyway.”
“Hey!” Nyx interjected. “We agreed to give them a chance this time.”
“I’m keeping an open mind,” Lothar said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “That doesn’t mean they’ll pass. As they are right now, we can’t afford to let their society fester for much longer. It’s only a matter of time before some omnicidal warlord [Ascends] and we’ve got a wannabe god-killer on our hands.”
“Well, I have a good feeling about this one,” Nyx said with a smile.
“Why?” Lothar asked with genuine confusion. “Everything looks exactly the same to me as every other loop.”
“I’m talking about the Reincarnates. Most of them just became adults, and I think they’ll really surprise you.”
“What could twelve people possibly do to make this world worthy in a decade?” Lothar said, gesturing to an illusory globe that just appeared in front of him.
“Turn your [Eye of Judgment] toward the City of Etron if you don’t believe me.”
Wordlessly, Lothar gestured with his hand, causing the image to switch to an aerial shot of Etron. Lothar saw the walls sectioning the city off based on economic class, and his frown deepened. Much more stone had been used protecting nobles from peasants than was used to defend the city from invasion.
“Zoom in on the South Gate. Run it back an hour.” Nyx guided Lothar to the scene she had in mind. “There.”
The image swiftly resolved into one depicting the crowd of people fleeing from Etron. A shadowed mage dressed in a blue robe stood floating above the crowd, and dozens of faces turned toward the mage in shock.
“I see it. What does it mean?” Lothar said, thoroughly unimpressed.
“Don’t you recognize them? Reincarnates two, five, and six are together in this crowd.”
“Uh huh.”
“One of the Reincarnates has reached the second tier, and the other has reached the fourth tier.”
“Really?” Lothar asked with surprise coloring his expression. “He did that in just fifteen years?”
“Yes. I always knew the creators would be the key to breaking the loop.”
Lothar moved time within his [Eye of Judgment] forward, and saw events that meaningfully diverged from the previous timeline unfold in front of him. Lothar and Nyx watched with rapt attention as the Battle of Etron unfolded in front of them.