Part 1
In a dimly lit room stood three figures. A woman, who had just barely opened her eyes, found herself before them.
The groaning sounds on her left and right sides prompted her to observe that her allies were in a similar position as herself.
Hurt and restrained.
“Welcome to the waking world. I am Ngazi. The leader of this band of heroes sent to subjugate you.”
As soon as she heard those words, her lips curled in frustration.
She tried to muster even a small burst of strength but all she felt was a numb sensation running across her forearm.
“It’s useless. Those bindings prevent any auras from channeling through you. You can’t make use of any spiritual force, demonic or otherwise, to come to your aid.”
The tallest of these figures was the first to speak and gave some rather interesting remarks.
“Demonic or otherwise?”
“Yes. Even divine force won’t break you free. Be it Shindo’s or anyone else’s.”
“Anyone else’s, eh?”
The Chief Bandit’s words confirmed Latisha’s suspicions.
“I see. Then I assume you have some questions.”
“Hmm. I suppose so and it’ll be better for all of us if you help out.”
Matuzo’s remarks only inspired the opposite.
“I have nothing to tell you.”
“You don’t have to tell me anything. I’ll do the talking.”
“…?”
“To begin with, your cult came here to secure a base of operations in preparation for something.”
“Preparation?”
“Indeed. The power that behemoth exhibited and the power that your attacks possessed. It was fairly well hidden but I noticed a fragment of something that no witch should possess. Divinity.”
“..!!!”
“What?!”
Rena couldn’t believe the madness Matuzo was spouting.
Matuzo continued to spout more of it.
“A witch is someone that gains power outside the sanctions of divinity. They reject the spirit arts administered by Mawazo and tend to frown upon Shindo’s prowess. To a witch of Vutenia, divinity is like a poison.”
“…”
Latisha couldn’t help but smile at that assertion.
“They would much rather draw on people’s fears and superstitions than submit to divine power. So, why would Latisha of 100 demons have traces of both demonic and divine?”
“What would that have to do with them preparing for something?"
“Because of the timing…”
The one to speak on this was Ngazi.
“You had already made your way to this place long before the demonic beast invasion could commence. It was far too coincidental.”
“Which naturally leads to us suspecting that you had been forewarned or were actively involved in it.”
Matuzo gave his conclusion.
The room was silent; pondering the weight of such implications.
Latisha tried to keep a calm face but malice was written all over it.
“Even if what you’re saying were true. It’s not like you’d get anything out of us. We’d rather die than give you filthy traitors any leads.”
“The witches selling this land to a foreign power now wish to call us traitors? How comical.”
Matuzo rebutted.
“Oh Please. What allies do we have in this wretched cradle of the gods? We both know that it is Vutenia who betrayed us. The shamans may have forgotten the true nature of the Nine Tribes but we have not!!!”
Rena was confused.
“What does she mean?”
This question was addressed to Matuzo who was slightly unamused.
“The young lady seems unaware. Much like most youngsters these days.”
Matuzo replied with an unbothered face, “They have little incentive to study such a history these days.”
“Enough vagueness. Tell me."
Matuzo answered Rena’s frustrated pleas.
“Ages ago. The word shaman referred to any that communed with the spiritual. Regardless of whether these spirits were divine or demonic.”
“Then…”
“Yes. Shamans were both revered and feared by the populace. They would be called witches by any who randomly saw their power as demonic. This led to persecution and false accusations. Soon these superstitions and hatred would corrupt many spiritually adept.”
“The result was cults like ours. But the true tragedy lay elsewhere. Recognizing the value of our power, many of the Nine Tribes would seek our strength during the pointless battles they waged. And yet the moment they established order, they would shun us just as cruelly as they used us. All for the sake of the more orderly power of so-called divine vessels.”
“That was 200 years ago. The scars of the past are not an excuse to terrorize the innocent.”
Ngazi gave his own two cents.
“Innocent!? Ahahahaha!!! Tell that to the villagers!!!”
The laughter of the Chief Bandit was alarming.
“Tell me. Who do you think made it so easy for us to invade this place in the first place?”
“It was the very people sworn to protect this village. All for the sake of petty greed and pleasure.”
She stared daggers at Matuzo before continuing. Latisha wished to hurt him most of all.
“Tell me. If these people cannot be loyal to themselves then why should we be any different to them? Why should you feel any different for them?”
“It is my duty.”
“The biggest of traitors spouts on about duty. I see the power you hide, shaman. Spirit Arts users are all hypocrites but you must be their biggest one. That traitorous blood of yours reeks like foul sewage to me.”
“…”
None could speak.
“Why so silent? I see. So, all of you know and yet you pretend to admonish me when the man in front of you wields none other than the Book of a Thousand Curses. His blood is our own and yet he pretends to be different.”
“Unlike you, Latisha. The nature of my blood does not define the path that I walk. I am not a slave to my ancestors’ past. Can the same be said of you?”
“...You shamans are such fools…”
“If shamans are fools, then what about a monster like you? You couldn’t even award mercy to a child.”
“Mercy?”
Something inside her snapped as soon as she heard that. It was one thing for her to be admonished by her brethren, but her enemies were a different matter. Regardless of her opinion on the carnage she and the others wrought, intentional or otherwise, she could not forgive them for seeking such a thing from her.
“Where was our mercy when the Nine Houses betrayed us and cast us to the shadows for our powers being ‘too dark’? Where was our mercy when the very people you protect cursed us with this fate of being convenient scapegoats.”
“Even now children from the Northern deserts find themselves awakening to their power only to be seen as cursed demons and witch spawns. They either die on the stake or become unstable threats that can no longer be saved. Ironically, it’s only then that the noble warriors of Vutenia come to save the day!!!”
A painful silence followed those words. Not a single one of them could bring themselves to deny that truth.
“The only mercy we’ll award you is a quick death should you fail to submit to us. A new age is coming. This “Age of Miracles’ you all strive to protect shall soon have a different face to it. The darkness you chose to stifle shall burn brighter than the brightest flame!!!"
It was clear to all that nothing would be gained from any further discourse. Matuzo left Latisha and her allies in the room. Carefully monitored and guarded by Rena and the other elite warriors of the Odd Jobs Guild.
“We got some decent clues from her outburst, but it seems we’ll need more time to get any real information from them.”
They now knew that it was not simple annihilation that was headed their way but subjugation.
The bigger question was by what power and where.
“If only you could use your clairvoyance on them.”
Matuzo and Ngazi discussed their current predicament as they headed for the common area where the villagers were being treated.
“Hmm. Sadly, I can’t. Them rather dying than giving us anything isn’t hyperbole. Their anti-clairvoyant curse would burn them to ashes before I could get anything of use.”
“Even with the restraints on.”
“The restraints have their hands full just repressing their power. They can’t handle this level of curse.”
“I see. I’ll talk to the Village elder and see what he can tell me about their activities here.”
“I have a few patients I’d like to check on.”
“That friend of yours?”
“He’s one of them...”
Matuzo suddenly stopped walking.
"Hmm?"
“What is it?
“Where’s the kid that almost got eaten by that Demonic Beast?”
Matuzo's eyes darted around searching for his first person of interest.
He soon spotted the boy headed in the direction of the resting place for the bedridden. His frail form was struggling along with his crutches.
“Where is he going?”
Part 2
High King Ranga always found the act of true meditation tedious. However, he fully understood its necessity in attaining true communion with the gods themselves.
His meditation chamber was the ideal place to perform this act.
As he entered the grand hall, he looked upon the Sacred Pillar of Vutenia. It was a large, 20-metre-tall cylindrical pillar of white stone. Engraved on it were the crests of every family that had ever called Vutenia their home.
It was an honored tradition that all registered families in the nation would have their crests engraved into this pillar. Surprisingly, it still had plenty of room for twice that amount.
The pillar's bottom-most ring was adorned with special crests belonging to the Triumvirate Houses of the Three Chief Gods and the Nine Houses of the Council.
Ranga’s father had once told him that this pillar housed the Sacred Treasure of Vutenia. The true source of their power.
In this place, primordial chaos was at its most powerful. The line between the physical and spiritual was paper thin.
It made sense that the greatest and most sacred treasure would have this effect.
High King Ranga assumed the position in front of this pillar.
“Lord Vurai. I call on your domain.”
With these words, he cleared his mind of all superfluous thoughts. He allowed the spiritual essence of Lord Vurai to flow into him.
His mind and body felt a strange rush of power. The divine aura pouring into him merged with his spiritual aura in a delicate dance of power as he focused and channelled it.
Their intents would soon become one. The result was his consciousness shifting into a realm beyond the bounds of the material but not truly immaterial either.
The world between worlds. The bridge between the physical and spiritual realms.
The Astral Corridor.
It was in this realm that a mortal could comprehend the incomprehensible.
It was like a lens that gave form to the infinite abstract concepts of creation itself.
Ranga looked below him and saw a large void of the starry night sky encased in a golden rim of what looked like sea foam.
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Naturally, what lay beyond it was a golden sea stretching infinitely in all directions. Primordial chaos as he knew it.
Such a view was rarely seen even during previous ventures into the Astral Corridor.
“This is the Outer Layer. To think you’ve brought me this far into your sanctum…”
“Yes. Beyond this layer lies the truly abstract. A place that no mortal mind can comprehend without experiencing death.”
A thunderous voice confirmed the High King’s observations.
He turned to look at the source of this voice.
What stood before him was a 4-metre-tall behemoth of a man with an impressive headdress and striking tattoos. More impressive than Ranga’s own.
His eyes glowed with thunderous fury.
Lord Vurai had appeared.
The presence of a god was always awe-inspiring yet terrifying to behold. Especially in the Outer Layer.
However, what was truly terrifying was the divine shadow in the distant expanse. It appeared taller than the tallest building and held what could only be described as a lightning bolt in the shape of a spear.
A mere sliver of his true form, hidden beyond the veil. Eyes like two stars were trained at the young king.
Lord Vurai continued with the business at hand.
“I’ve brought you here today at the request of another. It seems a declaration is to be made.”
“What manner of being could request you of such a thing?”
“Ask him yourself.”
It was then that Ranga felt it. A presence as vast as Lord Vurai’s had made itself known to him.
He turned to behold a slender man who wore a wide smile from ear to ear.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, High King of Vutenia.”
His voice felt calm and kind but the dominance in its timbre was infectious.
His skin was as white as salt and his eyes were crimson-red with white rings round their pupils.
He resembled a few rare beings that were victims of witch hunts in the ancient past. They would become demonized entities said to desire vengeance for their wrongful deaths.
“A Zeru? No. The right term would be white-skinned or a child of Abyd but…”
As he thought this, Ranga looked closer and realized how truly artificial the form in front of him felt. It was as if no human life truly dwelled within.
The black, flame-shaped scar cutting across the left side of his face was also a unique feature of his. Yet, it felt strangely familiar.
“Who…? What are you?”
The being in front of him responded still wearing that eerie smile.
“I am Etumwi. I am ‘he who was sent’. I am the God-King of Boroki, the Western Empire.”
Part 3
“And that’s all we got from them.”
“I see…”
The door opened to a room filled with all manner of trinkets and books across the desk and floor.
“You sure have made yourself at home in your guest room.”
A blue scarf-wearing shaman gave voice to his observations.
His spectacles-wearing friend responded accordingly.
“Of course, I have. It’s only natural.”
High Priest Oraki and Matuzo the All-Knowing had just finished discussing the matter of Latisha’s interrogation.
“In any case, the invasion now being confirmed as an act of subjugation on Vutenia as well as Chyulu puts many things in a new perspective.”
“And the traces of divine power mixed in with demonic aura might suggest the involvement of a Demon God or at the very least something like it…”
“You seemed to be very open to that idea. I thought you’d be more against it…”
“On my way to Tana, I encountered a few beasts from the Western Border. When I used Gesa’s Revelation on their corpses, I was forced back by something that felt a lot like what you saw.”
“I see. Interesting. So, do you wish for me to take a look at them?”
“No. I’m here for something else.”
Oraki pulled out a small glass jar from his pouch with a dark crimson liquid and gave it to Matuzo.
“This is?”
“Some kind of cursed poison that the beasts use. Neither Mwana nor I could fully grasp its nature. It needs someone with Universal level clairvoyance like you.”
“I don’t understand. You came here from Gedi City. You could have simply gone over and asked my father to take a look at it.”
Matuzo’s father was the current High Priest of Mawazo. His residence was quite near the Ministry of Knowledge Headquarters.
“I needed to be sure that it could be done. As skilled as your father is, we both know you possess even greater eyes than he does.”
“Hmm. It must be quite urgent if you didn’t see the need to try.”
“It is. Tili was injured by one. There’s only a little over 2 days left…”
“Then there’s no time to waste…”
Matuzo opened a cabinet and pulled out an observation tool. It was a cylindrical contraption with two glass lenses. It was decorated with rings of unique glyphs carved into both ends.
“That’s new.”
“Yes. It’s been specially designed to drastically lower the effort placed in using my eyes.”
As he said this Matuzo poured some of the contents of the small jar into a circular dish and placed it beneath the bottom lens.
He then looked at the sample from the top-most lens. What he saw was a dark, crimson lake but soon he would see much more.
Matuzo’s eyes glowed with thick halo rings of white light.
The halo rings shifted to white spirals with streaking blade-like tails.
Three blade-like streaks had formed on each eye, indicating Matuzo’s transition to his highest form of Final State.
Mawazo’s power to know all things in the heavens and earth was now available to him.
A truly universal clairvoyance.
His vision instantly shifted to the same Inner Sea that Oraki had viewed.
The purple sunflower-like mass of light that Oraki had encountered now stood before him.
As he approached it, a barrier of flames attacked him.
"Mawazo..."
More of Mawazo's power was used to dispel the anti-clairvoyant spell. The immense stress turned Matuzo's eyes into a bloodshot red.
He was on the verge of crying tears of blood but he finally dispelled them and could reach his prize.
As he reached into the mass, Mawazo’s Revelation granted him the truth of its nature.
He saw an evening sky with two red suns. He saw a forest of lilac trees.
It was a scene unlike any other. It was a truth unlike any revealed.
“Huh… Aha…Ahahahaha!!! This is amazing!!!”
“What are you talking about?”
“This has changed so many things. It’s completely not of this land or any land ever seen…”
“What are you trying to say? Is it from a heavenly realm? But it’s still from a land, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Unlike any we’ve ever seen. A land far beyond the light of any star in the night sky.”
“How is that…”
“Don’t you see, Oraki? This is exactly like the theories that my mother had all those years ago.”
“…”
“You’ve heard of floating lands in the Far East. We’ve even heard tales of ancient kingdoms that lived on the moon. They were little more than impossible fantasies to most people but we’re shamans!!! The impossible lives with us every day!!! This is another world in its entirety!!!”
Oraki had never seen Matuzo this excited. It was almost frightening.
“I see...”
For a moment, even the High Priest of Gesa was dumbfounded. Such was the groundbreaking discovery that had been made. Nevertheless, he continued.
“So, have you understood how to deal with the poison?”
His attempts to get Matuzo back on topic were met with unexpected news.
“Ah. Yes. Creating an effective cure might take about a week.”
“A week!? We don’t have that kind of time!!!”
“Unfortunately, the composition of this poison is quite complex. Curing it using normal means won’t be easy."
"But a week!?"
"Simply preparing the ingredients might take three days of foraging and refinery.”
“No…”
All that effort. The tiresome journey he had taken was for naught...
“However, natural means aren’t the only things afforded to us.”
“What are you talking about?”
“A while ago, I was searching for a cure to a particularly tedious ailment that had afflicted a subordinate of mine. During my research, I found an old legend about a creature’s venom that can erase any poison or curse.”
“Creature?”
“An ancient beast from the Primordial Age. Funnily enough, it was said to be a candidate for the title of Demon God before a certain Chief God of Shadowy Death made it into a Divine Beast.”
Hearing mention of this Chief God made Oraki furrow his brow.
“Please don’t say what I think you’re saying…”
“That’s right. The White Serpent’s venom. You have to go to the Underworld and get it.”
“Of course…”
“You seem unwilling.”
“No surprise there. You know who I have to deal with to do this. Why don’t you go and get it? She has a soft spot for you.”
“The serpent?”
“No!!! Lianna!!! She’ll probably lock me up there for all eternity if she thinks it’s funny!!!”
Oraki spoke the name of a woman who was a source of great terror in his heart.
His counterpart and natural enemy. Lianna. The High Priestess of Vuli, the Chief God of the Underworld and Shadowy Death.
“You’re exaggerating. Besides, as I recall she seemed to enjoy spending time with you.”
“You mean torturing me. You’re the one she’s constantly doting over.”
“Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her from denying me access.”
“Huh? Why?”
“According to her, the trial of the White Serpent is something only a vessel of a Chief God could face. Anyone else would simply be lost for all eternity or so she said…”
“…I see…”
“She was incredibly adamant. We even fought about it. Haven’t spoken much since…”
“…If it’s that dangerous then what’s stopping it from taking longer than two days.”
“Nothing. The only thing that determines how long you’ll take to reach that goal is your will and determination.”
Oraki sighed at those words. They were the most basic of truths but they gave the clearest path to salvation for all that he fought for.
“I guess I’ll get going then…”
“Be careful. Try not to get into too much trouble on the way there.”
“This is me we’re talking about. I’m probably the strongest thing I’ll see out there.”
“Bold of you to assume so. You barely make the top 5 when you’re at your best. Even I could probably beat you on a good day.”
“I’m not that careless. Besides, you don’t know how strong I am.”
“You nearly died to that Demon Chief. Ranga would have beaten it much faster.”
“Comparing me to him is unfair. He’s High King.”
“Your father wasn’t but he kept up just fine with the previous High King.”
“You and I both know I can never be like him…”
“Of course not. You can be better. You can be you.”
Oraki gave a gentle smile at Matuzo’s remark.
“…I suppose so. Later.”
“Yeah.”
He bid farewell to Matuzo and headed off on a new journey.
As the door shut. Matuzo looked out the window of his room at the scenery beneath him.
The moon’s radiant brilliance and the cool night breeze made things seem so peaceful.
Yet, this village could easily have been a distant memory if they had failed.
As he thought about this, he pulled out a strange book from his pouch. It was different from the usual one that he carried.
It seemed older. Extremely so.
He also took out a vial of medicine for his eyes.
“Now then. I suppose it’s high time I looked through the Village Elder’s wonderful gift.”
“He certainly seemed shocked that you would deny all the gifts they prepared in exchange for simply looking at an old journal.”
Mawazo, the god of knowledge, suddenly gave his remarks. The journal belonged to an old historian friend of the Village Elder. He had passed away some time ago.
However, it clearly came from a much earlier period in time.
“They didn’t seem to understand the true significance of this journal. It may very well save Vutenia itself.”
“Indeed.”
Before he can focus on reading it, Matuzo hears sudden tremors and looks down at the streets.
He beholds a grown shaman of Gesa getting into a futile argument with a horned beast. A rather nostalgic sight.
“I suppose that old saying’s true.”
He couldn’t help but smile as he once more looked at the clear starry sky before continuing his work.
Part 3
“So. It’s true then.”
“Oh? What exactly do you mean?”
The beings engaged in dialogue floated high above a cosmic expanse littered with countless stars.
Etumwi’s unnerving aura made Ranga certain of one thing.
“The God King of the Western Empire. I had hoped it was impossible but you’re a genuine Demon God.”
“Interesting. You were expecting this?”
“You’re hardly hiding it. The chaotic dance of demonic and divine auras is clear as day and that shadow in the distance…”
The divine shadow had an inhuman form which was hardly new for a divine being. However, the shadow form usually mirrored the lower form which meant…
“Show me the real you…”
Etumwi let out a small laugh.
“Hahahaha!! As expected of a shaman king…”
A wave of red and blue flames married into a purple hurricane and engulfed the God-king.
What rose out of it was a giant even taller than Lord Vurai.
He wore an armor made of a glistening lilac material that reminded him of the hard carapace of a stag beetle. A helmet with two pincer-like horns that curved towards his cheeks.
The previous black scar had turned into a white glowing crack running across his helmet.
The few parts of his face and skin that were visible seemed to have grey scales that looked almost stone-like. Even stranger was the fact that the armor seemed to be growing out of it like some kind of shell.
“I’m a little disappointed. I thought it would be more of a shock.”
“I have no time for games. What do you want?”
“To put it simply. Surrender Vutenia to me.”
“I refuse.”
“Then war it is.”
“I suppose so. Why are you on this mad conquest in the first place?”
“For peace.”
“You’re insane.”
“Many a king has told me that.”
“Then you should try listening. If peace was what you wanted then an alliance would have sufficed.”
“An alliance would yield nothing of substance. An alliance would mean being equals. We are not.”
“Enlighten me, God-king. What makes you so superior that equality offends you.”
“I’m not against equality. I believe all humanity is equal. I am simply not one of them.”
“You’ve let your divinity get to your head.”
“Funny. I once said the same thing.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just reminiscing. In any case, my offer remains. Vutenia and its gods must yield to me and make me their sovereign.”
“Is that what you’re after? To make our gods your vassals? Why?”
"Experience has made me realize that leaving myself vulnerable to divine prowess is unwise. Especially of foreign origin."
" His goal is to have himself possess the highest authority in all pantheons under his rule and absorb all cultures into his. The triumvirate would lose the status of Chief God in the process."
"To be so paranoid..."
It dumbfounded Ranga.
"It's called being prudent young king. Something you'd do well to remember."
"Why now? Why Vutenia?"
"It's not just now. Both Chyulu and Vutenia have been in my sights for some time. You have the most valuable trading routes in the continent's Eastern region. As well as the most effective navy. The northern deserts are far too unstable and the south is too young and underdeveloped."
"If you wish to expand into the seas, we're your best option but why rush things like this? I've barely heard of your empire so it's still fairly new. Yet you take it to war."
"It's because I lack time my young king. Mankind has spread to every corner of this world and adapted to innumerable ways of life. If I try more civil means, it would take centuries to acquire a single continent."
"You're a Demon God. Time hardly matters for you."
"You misunderstand. It is not my time but all of yours."
"What?"
" When I attained apotheosis, many truths were revealed to me. The most important was this world's heralded end and how my choices would determine it."
"What do you mean?"
"I saw a vision. Of this world's end. Of skies raining down a sea of flames and its waters littered bloody red. I saw the great vessel that caused it. One that I knew too well."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Aren't you the one that's trying to end it?!! "
"Have you not been listening? I wish to bring peace to this world as a necessity.”
“...”
"A divided humanity stands no chance of facing this threat. Only when united, can you truly ascend to reach their heights."
"Reach who?"
"My people of course. They who exiled me to your world..."
Etumwi lifted his hand and the expanse beneath them unraveled in a rippling torrent.
"Behold. They who wage wars beyond the bounds of your world's causality. Beyond the farthest stars in Vurai's domain..."
The expanse unraveled into a scene of unparalleled carnage set in an unusual landscape. Horrendous creatures, almost as large and as terrifying as Etumwi ravaged peaceful homes in unrivaled frenzy.
They wielded everything from swords to strange two-handed contraptions that turned their enemies to ash.
Ranga watched in horror as they turned a whole continent into a hellscape in the blink of an eye.
"Mankind may fight for land and water but these beings fight to swallow the stars themselves."
Etumwi's words were filled with dread and melancholy that sent a chill down the High King's spine.
"Is this real?"
"Of course. I have no reason to..."
"Not you, invader!!! "
Ranga turned to face a different giant.
"Lord Vurai. Is any of that real?"
The stoic sky god saw his king's desperation.
He wanted nothing more than for it to be a sham.
Yet the truth remained.
"It is. Everything you saw was real."
"So, there are realms in the heavens beyond even your reach?"
"Thera are. My domain in the physical world is only as large as humanity's perception of it. However, Vutenia has yet to comprehend the truth of creation fully and is still far from it."
"It is for that very reason that time is of the essence. My purpose is to provide order to humanity and help it ascend to a level that can truly defend itself."
"...."
Etumwi stretched his scale-armored hand towards the king.
"This is the only path to salvation, young king. I ask again. Will you cede your country's sovereignty to me?"
Ranga furrowed his brow as a thousand thoughts plagued his mind.
Every strategy he could think of to face this future threat seemed useless.
"Lord Vurai. When will this invasion arrive?"
" Depending on certain actions, the earliest incursion could be in five hundred years."
"Wait. Then there’s still time. We can rally humanity under a coalition. It doesn't need to be all of us but if we unite most of our trading partners with yours, we could..."
"NO!!! NONE OF THAT WILL WORK!!!"
"..."
" This isn’t something I can entrust to a simple coalition. Do you really think the world's leaders would even listen to prophecies of distant peril? Not every nation is led by shamans like yours."
"...That's..."
"Only I can lead humanity to its destiny. For it is my own!!! Only I am the path to salvation. Only I can make them greater than the fools that betrayed me!!!"
"Wait..."
The High King had noticed more than he should.
'He who was sent' had overplayed his hand.
"Greater? Is that what this is about? You're not doing this from some warped sense of altruism. This is about vengeance. It's about your ego."
" Careful what you say..."
" I'm right, aren’t I? You were thrown away by your people and so you try to make this world their replacement. Even deluding yourself into thinking it's your grand destiny. You would make humanity into demons that consume even more than they do!!!"
Etumwi could not help but laugh at the mention of such a notion.
It rattled Ranga’s very spirit.
"You know nothing of my destiny, you little king. Even if what you say were true, it would simply be business as usual."
"What?"
"All mortal lands live on greedy ambition. They kill, betray, and fear themselves to their eventual end. What difference would it make for humanity to follow this path? They would be the same as always."
" No. Even if this demonic invasion from beyond the stars is real. Even if human nature is to follow that path. I refuse to believe that the future of Vutenia lies with someone like you at its helm. Not every person is a monster. Not every person is like the world that betrayed you."
"..."
King Ranga thought of all those who had placed their faith in him. He thought of his plain old friend's mundane reassurance.
A kindness he didn’t need to give but did so regardless.
He thought of the kind mother reassuring her child that they were not abandoned.
He vowed to make sure that was true.
"My answer is no, God King of Boroki."
The resolution in his eyes seemed unwavering.
The disappointment in Etumwi's confirmed as much.
"Very well. Then war it is."
"War it is."
"I shall personally make sure to conquer your little empire as soon as I finish things with your neighbors."
Etumwi turned in preparation for his departure.
" A word of advice before I leave. The line between hope and gullibility is almost non-existent."
"Spare me your ramblings."
" You admonish me for lacking faith in humanity but I see their light as well. It is not enough."
"..."
" One day you will see as I do. How easily ambition, fear, and greed can fuel their treacherous flames into bright fury. I pray that you choose a better path when you do."
With those words, the God-king disappeared in a bright burst of purple flames.
High King Ranga and Lord Vurai were left to each other's counsel.
"What did he mean by that?"
" It is difficult to say. In any case, we have chosen to go to war without consulting the Nine Houses."
" This was hardly something I could put on hold. Besides, my answer wouldn't have changed."
" Then we have much work ahead of us."
" Indeed, we do."
The true weight of Vurai's words was heavier than Ranga could know.