Kade returned to himself with the full weight of another man’s emotions. He could feel the anger, pain, and shame as if it was his own, and he was nearly paralyzed by it. He found that he was sitting on the cold stone floor, the ancient-looking Sorcerer still drawing burning symbols in the air, each of which dutifully drifting over to some pre-ordained spot on the floor, then settling into place.
It took several minutes for Kade to sort through his own feelings after witnessing the vision. So much of what he didn’t know appeared to be answered, and nearly as much that he’d thought he knew was proven wrong. He had questions, but nothing so pressing as why he’d seen himself, dressed in golden armor, and dying for a cause he had no memory of.
He looked up at Sythkara, both desperate to know the truth, and not ready to hear it. The Sorcerer sensed his scrutiny and looked down at Kade, his hands never ceasing their tireless spellcasting. “Ask,” he said.
Kade gathered his courage, and spoke. “I saw a man who looked just like me. He had my name, my face…he even sounded like me. I heard names that weren’t just familiar, they felt like I’d known them all my life, but I just couldn’t hear them right.” Syth looked pained to be reminded of his brothers, though his hands still didn’t slow. Finally Kade came out and asked the question, “Karavash came back, didn’t he? The World Shaper brought him back and…it did the same to me, didn’t it?”
Surprisingly, the question seemed to make the Sorcerer look almost heartbroken, but he answered. “No.” The simple response rocked Kade’s world, and his jaw fell open. A tightness in his chest seemed to loosen somewhat, but not completely as he waited for the old man to gather himself and continue.
“You’re no more the reincarnation of my brother than fire is the reincarnation of wood. Though I admit I am saddened by that fact,” he let out a sigh, as if that admission had been as hard for him as the question had for Kade. “There is much of Kadeus in you, no doubt because his was the greatest power absorbed by the World Shaper. He was the only one…the only one of my brothers still alive when the spell was cast. But you are not him.”
Kade stood up, feeling somewhat relieved, but still struggling to make sense of it all. “What of Lothros? Is he Karavash or not?” Syth considered the question.
“His experience was different from your own in many ways. There are fragments of four powers, and four personalities inside you–five, before Karavash ripped his own from you along with the piece of the Artifact. It appears that the broken World Shaper created you from those fragments when it was reborn on Earth.
“Karavash, however, was more than just fragments. His entire Soul Core was absorbed by the Artifact before it shattered, after being strengthened by the Gods themselves. He is very much himself, to the world’s great peril.”
Kade barely heard the last words, his mouth falling open once more as memories tried and failed to surface. “Earth?” was all he managed to get out. The Sorcerer sighed, shaking his head.
“I’m doing this all wrong, I’m sorry. I wish we were sitting down, somewhere peaceful, with all the time in the world. I was never good with serious emotion in the first place, and these are the worst of circumstances.” Kade didn’t speak, as he tried desperately to remember the place he’d always considered his home. Syth continued.
“I knew of Earth from my youth, but humans could barely be considered intelligent life when I visited hundreds of thousands of years ago. I needed to send the Artifact away, and it needed to be anchored in an energy that it could use. Earth has metals which could act as such, but I had never considered that humans would one day use those metals in such an unconventional way. We don’t have the words, but they refer to it as [nuclear fission].”
The words tickled something in Kade’s scattered mind, “Power plants…bombs?” Sythkara nodded.
“I believe so, but the application was of less interest to me than the fact that the energy’s release had allowed the World Shaper to complete its rebirth. Unfortunately I only discovered this after that damnable bracer surfaced, and convinced a single power hungry man to rip you halfway across our universe. I believe it promised him ‘a power unseen on Iros in generations’, that power destroyed him almost immediately, I understand.” Kade’s eyes widened, and he looked down at the mysterious bracer on his arm, his alarm increasing as he read its latest update.
The Sorcerer noticed his reaction, and let out a small, dry laugh. “And exactly what does that fascinating device wish for you to do now, I wonder?” Kade dropped his hand to his side, as if he could somehow hide the truth from the mage, but Syth only laughed harder. “I promise you’re safe here, and I won’t judge you for what that thing says. Tell me.”
Kade shuffled his feet like a child, he didn’t like discussing the bracer in the best of times, and it had become increasingly disturbing in recent weeks. “It…it says I should kill you, and become the apprentice of Wrayeth. It says it’s my best ‘Path to Power’.” Surprisingly, the Sorcerer nodded in what appeared to be approval.
“It hasn’t gotten as bad as I feared, then. Killing me would gain you nothing; it’s just the bracer trying to keep itself safe from someone it rightly perceives as a threat. However, apprenticing to Wrayeth truly would be one of the greatest ways to improve your powers on Iros, so at least it hasn’t entirely abandoned you for self-interest.”
Kade considered that, then shook his head. “Do you know what it really is, or how I get it off?”
“Only theories. When this is all over you may want to consider a trip to Dalton. I suspect the bracer might even help you with the journey. But we’ve strayed from what truly matters at the moment.” Kade nodded, looking at the runes all around them.
“You sound pleasantly sure that we’re going to survive this,” he said.
“You’re mistaken,” Syth remarked, and Kade suddenly wished the man was more tactful. The Sorcerer smiled at his reaction, “Fear not, I’m confident you will survive this, but I am not meant to. All this,” he gestured at the enormous spellform, “is meant to solve many problems at once. Its complexity is nearly beyond even me, but thankfully I’ve had months to bend the odds in our favor.
“We need to stop Karavash, and there is currently no one on Iros who is capable of that without destroying its people. You also need your Soul Core restored, and your personality to be free of the influence of long dead men, however great they may have been in life.” He paused, looking away and lowering his voice to a whisper. “And I need to die with my brothers, as I should have so long ago.”
The magnitude of those statements hung in the air for a long moment before Kade was willing to break the silence. “And this spell will do all that?” he asked in disbelief.
“Not alone, but I’ve pulled in every favor I’m owed to ensure we’re not alone.” He gestured at the three unconscious bodies, but his gaze rested on Salarus. “My apprentice was instrumental in preparing you for this trial.” Kade’s eyebrows rose; he was starting to get tired of revelations. “Don’t blame him, he truly is your friend, and he was unaware of most of what I used him for. I only hope I can repay his loyalty. He’s a good man and a better Sorcerer, and I was training him long before I knew of your existence.
“Regardless, I needed you prepared for this to have any hope of working. Can you call your companions please?” Kade had an ill feeling, suspecting this man’s manipulations ran deeper than he was prepared for, but he did his best to oblige. Neither Drake nor Alaric had fully recovered, but he sensed they could manifest if he fed them some of his own power.
Kade doubled over in pain as he called to them, the mana barely moving through his body. He sensed that any other ability would have failed entirely, but thankfully his companions had already been summoned, only weakened. A moment later Drake was next to him, though he was barely taller than Kade in his weakened state, and Alaric was nothing but a small, floating ball of energy, there was no sign of the shadowy body.
Sythkara looked at the two with interest, and Kade knew his suspicions were about to be confirmed. “I have pieces of Drakus and Psylaric inside my Soul, a Metallurgist and a master of Oblivion, and these are my companions. Two Aspects that never seemed to match my Paths. This is your doing somehow, isn’t it?” The Sorcerer nodded without taking his eyes from the two beings.
“Granting abilities is trivial, and all the more so when a Soul is so perfectly suited to them–albeit in an unusual way. Salarus passed on the spell to make these two miraculous creatures possible when you entered the Trial of Karthas together. They were necessary, as your soul needed an outlet for the power within you,” he turned to focus on a particularly elaborate series of runes, and Kade realized a fourth circle was forming in the only empty space left on the floor.
Kade looked at Edwin and Graves, shaking his head. “But they’re not all, are they? You also gathered a newly minted Metallurgist, as well as the only person I’ve ever heard of using Oblivion. What exactly are you going to do to them? Edwin is a friend, and Graves…well he doesn’t deserve to be sacrificed in some kind of ritual.”
Kade looked at Sal with even more trepidation. He was suddenly very aware that he was alone in a room with an Ancient Elder, and he had to wonder–was this man truly so different from the rest of his kind? Wrayeth was only a generation removed from Sythkara, and he’d been completely open about conquering and slaughtering his way through the universe with his brothers.
The tension only built as Syth took his time answering. At last his hands slowed and he was able to turn back to Kade. “I understand your concern, and I wish I could tell you there was no danger, but Karavash is vastly powerful. As I said before, however, I am confident: my brothers were extraordinary warriors, and Karavash is not what he was–not yet at least.” He gestured with a nod at the circle he was forming in runes.
“This spell is designed to pull the excess power from you–the pieces of my brother that were trapped by the World Shaper. That power will flow into your familiars, but without Soul Cores of their own, they won’t be much more than bloated Aspects. That is why your friends are here. They will bond–” he saw Kade’s furrowed brow, “temporarily, with the power and personalities of my brothers.
“Fear not, Kade. My brothers are truly dead. These will be mere sparks of the whole, and they will burn brightly for a short while before they fade entirely. Your friends can act as conduits, that is all. A true Soul Core continually generates power, but what’s inside you is finite. It will be burned away by this spell, and my brothers will rest at last.”
Kade struggled to understand it all, then had to ask the selfish question. “And what about me? You’re talking about tearing out pieces of my Soul, aren’t you?”
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“I’m not a cruel man, Kade, just a tired one. There is no Aspect for Kadeus, as you’ve no doubt realized. Nor is there one for myself,” he smirked at that for some reason before continuing. “The smallest fraction of each of my brothers will always be a part of you, the World Shaper already used it to create you. The power of Kadeus, however, will be used to grant you his true power for a time, before it’s consumed to restore your Soul Core.”
His hands stopped moving as he turned to look Kade in the eyes, “You will be your own person, truly and whole for the first time. No more unseen influences pulling you in different directions, just you.” He smiled then, his first full smile that Kade had seen. “You are the legacy of myself and my brothers, Kade. Our Legend. I am proud and grateful that you’ll survive us, to write a Legend of your own.”
He turned and resumed his casting. Kade needed clarity, “So when this is all over, I’ll be just another Child of Korthos?” Syth visibly winced at the question for some reason, his hands slowing.
“I am the last Child of Korthos.” Kade raised an eyebrow, trying to understand the remark.
“I get that you and the princes were the biological children of Korthos, but I saw the visions, there was a whole generation of–”
“All dead,” Syth said with finality, and shame. “They all died because of the decisions I made. An entire generation, wiped out completely.” Kade looked at the man in open confusion.
“But in the vision, those people I saw coming out of the fissure, and everyone I’ve met, they all call themselves Children of Korthos.” Syth nodded.
“A worthy title, as my father shelters them still, but not an accurate one. You saw the Cycle at work in those final moments, but perhaps you don’t understand the specifics. The Gods choose the most powerful being on Iros to create the next generation.” He looked pointedly at Kade, then repeated himself. “On Iros.”
“And Korthos is…decidedly not on Iros. So, whose generation are they? Yours?” Syth somehow managed to look even more uncomfortable at the question.
“My power had already been drained when the Cycle began. Even now I can only work these spells because the energy ultimately won’t come from me,” he sighed. “There was only one being of any real power left on Iros at the time. If you needed to put a name to this generation, it would be Children of Kadeus.”
Something embarrassingly close to a giggle escaped Kade’s lips. “All of them? Children of Me?” Syth could only shake his head in disapproval.
“You’re not the same Kadeus, and the generational names don’t apply the way they once did. These people have been breeding for a hundred thousand years, and their origin was far from typical. Not only were they created while one of the Gods was being torn apart, but the wave of Calm changed them forever. They’re effectively a different species.”
Kade couldn’t hide his smile, even amidst such dark subject matter. “I can’t wait to tell Sal. This is hilarious.” The Sorcerer frowned at him.
“I sincerely suggest you keep that information to yourself. Even putting aside your own origin, challenging a fundamental aspect of an entire culture is a dangerous prospect.”
“Fine, fine, I get it. There’s more important stuff to worry about anyway. So I’ll rephrase: will I just be a regular Child of Kadeus then?” He just barely restrained a joke about being his own father.
“I’m afraid not. Even though your Soul Core will be less of a–forgive me–less of a mess than it was before. It will still be an Elder’s Soul Core. You’ve been affected by the Calm as well, so your physiology accepts ‘Paths’ as these people call them, but you don’t truly share their limitations. Over time I imagine you’ll discover some interesting implications of your unique heritage. And likely an equal number of challenges.”
Kade considered his words, then asked another question he’d been avoiding, “And my memories? My time on Earth is mostly just…gone.” Once more Sythkara seemed uncomfortable before answering.
“I suspect your memories will return. You had five personalities, with millions of combined years of memories lying dormant in your Soul, and they all awoke to some extent when they returned home. A few decades on Earth are comparatively insignificant to a mind struggling to contain it all.” He looked at Kade, and shook his head slightly when he saw enthusiasm on the younger man’s face.
“I have to warn you, Kade, you may not be glad for their return. You were never human. You were an Elder, with the instincts to conquer and destroy at the core of your being. I don’t know what your life was like there, but it likely wasn’t one of peace.” Kade’s heart fell at that. For a single moment he’d believed he would truly know himself for the first time, and now he was frightened of what that might mean.
Then he thought about Karavash, and the people he’d met here, and those he’d lost. He gave himself one more moment to mourn his hope for a happy reunion with himself, then turned back to the present. “Okay, that’s a problem for later. Let’s talk about now. What’s Karavash planning? I assume he wanted the World Shaper for more than just restoring his Soul. Is he after what I think he is?”
“His plans are truly ambitious. He’s already begun his work in awakening the sleeping Elders, but that’s nothing compared to what he’s capable of. He’s bringing back the Cycle, by restoring the Lost God.”
“More than that, I’m afraid,” said a voice, and they turned to see Wrayeth rejoining them. “I decided to make myself feel better by killing some Elders on the way back. It was fun at first, but then one spoke to me.” Syth turned to look at him in surprise.
“It should take thousands of years for an awakened Elder to regain enough of its mind to do more than operate on pure instinct,” he said.
“Well the conversation wasn’t stimulating, if that makes you feel better. It was from the Kingdom of Al-tin Lere, and they were absolute idiots. But this was an Emerged idiot. Thankfully it must have been weak to start with or I wouldn’t have been able to kill it with my bare hands, but you must understand what this means.”
“Karavash was just waking them up. But with the completed World Shaper he’s rewriting their pathways.” Syth shook his head, refocusing on the spell. “It’s interesting, but doesn’t change anything for us. We still need to stop him before he restores the Cycle and the Calm is destroyed.”
“Perhaps,” Wrayeth said, tapping an overly long finger against his lip in thought. “I can’t imagine he can restore many, as it must take some level of concentration. Of the forty-three I killed–” Kade’s eyes widened at the number. The man had been gone for less than an hour. “--only a single one had Emerged. If you ever finish your doodles and actually get to work, I’m sure you can distract him enough to put a stop to that.”
Sythkara smiled slightly, but didn’t respond to the bait. Wrayeth wasn’t done however, “On the other hand, that group of Keepers is certainly going to be facing an interesting challenge. Well, good luck,” he said simply, then turned and began walking from the room.
“What!” Kade yelled in shock, “You have to help them! If you can kill that many–” he was cut off as an ancient, withered hand gripped his wrist with surprising strength, and he turned on the old Sorcerer with fury, only to stop short at the look in the man’s eyes.
“He did help them, trust me,” he said in a harsh whisper. “I suspect he pushed as far as he could without losing himself entirely.” Kade took a step back, confused, and Syth continued. “Never forget what he is. His need to conquer and destroy is beyond imagining. It only grows with power, and his has been building for millions of years. Every moment he sits in this lonely castle not leveling every civilization on Iros is a miracle. You must not push him. You mustn't do anything he might perceive as a challenge, for the sake of us all.”
Kade could only nod, an instinctual fear bubbling up inside him. “The Keepers, though, we can’t just leave them to die.” The Sorcerer sighed, returning to his runes, though Kade could see the circle was nearly complete.
“You’re right, and what’s more, I suspect our friends here would share your feelings. We’ll have to change the plan slightly. Yourself, Drakus, and Psylaric should be more than enough to handle Karavash. Truthfully Sorcery is more suited to large scale combat anyway, so Salarus will use my power to save the Keepers.” Kade nodded in relief, then watched for a few minutes more as the other man finished preparing the spell.
“It is done,” Sythkara said with obvious relief. “Please, enter the final circle, and have your companions join young Edwin and Graves in theirs.” Kade did as he was bid, and Drake and Alaric obediently followed suit. “Karavash already weakened your connection to the powers within you, so this should be less traumatic than what you experienced with him, but expect discomfort.” Kade only nodded, desperate now to meet the fate he hadn’t known awaited him.
He anxiously watched the Sorcerer as he began to chant and gather power. The runes covering the room, already alive and burning, grew in intensity as the spell took effect. All at once he felt the tug at his Soul, and was simultaneously grateful and disturbed to feel far less resistance at the pull this time. It was like the power wanted out, and he felt it rushing through him, both familiar and not.
Nearby, Drake and Alaric quivered and spasmed as the energy filled them. Kade tried to assure himself that they didn’t seem pained, but he still regretted that they weren’t truly capable of consenting to the mad plan they were part of. Willing or not, they did their duty as glowing runes from around the room crashed into them, reshaping them, and then seeming to force them toward their new hosts.
The moment their bodies connected with Edwin and Graves, they seemed to explode into silver and black, and Kade couldn’t see what was happening anymore. He turned his attention to Salarus, who seemed to be having an easier time of it as energy simply gathered around him, his body drinking it greedily. At last it was Kade’s turn, and he braced himself for a change that didn’t seem to come.
He could feel energy growing within him, but it didn’t feel foreign in the least. With a start he realized it was the same power he’d be drawing from those few times he’d peaked through the chains wrapped around his soul. He now understood that it was the original Kadeus’ strength he’d been tapping into, and indeed it had been a part of him since the beginning.
But then he grew concerned. Something was wrong. The power inside him kept growing, but it wasn’t going anywhere. It was like he was inflating, and he could feel his body straining to contain it all, and failing. He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. With effort he managed to look at Syth, hoping to alert the man to the problem somehow, but the man was completely absorbed in what he was doing. Kade was going to explode.
And then Wrayeth was there, standing directly in front of him, any trace of the jovial, laughing persona gone. It was the face of an uncaring Elder, inspecting a lesser being as one might an insect. Kade felt true terror as the tall man went to one knee, and began reaching out for Kade. What was happening? Was this always the plan? Had Syth lied to him?
Kade struggled with all his will, but his body was truly on the verge of falling apart, and his efforts were in vain. He tensed as the enormous hand reached his chest, and all at once the power saturating every cell in his body was pulled inward, condensing inside him. Wrayeth’s face screwed up in concentration as he seemed to be looking through Kade, and the wild energy slowly seemed to come under control.
Not only did Kade’s body suddenly feel more than capable of containing the seemingly limitless energy coursing through him, but he felt something new. Something he only barely recognized, but was definitely familiar. Wrayeth’s hand withdrew, and the sardonic expression returned to the somewhat alien face.
“There, I helped. Again,” he said, and his voice truly was strained, as if he had just gone through an incredible effort. He stood up, clearly preparing to leave once more, but he spoke parting words that brought a grin to Kade’s face.
“Congratulations, new Kadeus, I believe your people would call you a ‘triple path’ now. You’re a Chaos Blade. Go wreak some havoc for both of us.”