Issue 3: Twilight Naming
Onto each was given a golden pearl. So that they may understand the tapestry of the Father.—Tales of Elysium
I am both thrilled and terrified. This is how she would be as a normal homegrown human.—Lorain Lanis
I drank the pearl. Unlike Eliza’s? This one glowed a twilight purple. Dreams can save us. In this place? Reality flowed outward. Rippling across Time.—Captain Overwatch
The Highest gave me a bit of respite. I needed that far more than I admitted to. The weight is heavy but I am not alone. –Sleeping in Starlight: Remembrance
Tessaract of Time
Hall of Echoes
Glaive pounced, the White Owl screeched as his jaws bit down, bits of Black Scrawl drifted into the aether beyond the walkway. The black and tan Beauceron bounded over to the next line of owls as Snoopy fired off additional spheres. Steam rose where the holy water struck. Captain Overwatch pivoted. A roundhouse kick sent the next Living Stone Gargoyle into the Abyss. Explosions rumbled in the distance as other fighters blocked the advance of Owls. A hulking shape landed on the walkway. Its three heads were coiled about Overwatch. Bright purple energy beams decapitated the lead head. Its long neck flopped on the deck. Thomas Murphy aimed. The 2nd head exploded into mush.
The Great Pyrenees took out the last with a quick snap of Red Defender energy formed into a scythe. Lo’tarr unclipped a set of grenades. He tossed it beyond the Living Stone construct. White searing light rushed into the space below. It took on the form of a temple. He activated his anti-grav pack. Then dived. The wind ruffled his air. He shouted, “Look!”
Beyond the shadowed alcoves they could see a glimmer of crystal.
White Lightning shot solar flares from his hands. The energy arched towards the gathered Living Stone. Smoke rose from the debris left behind. Blue pinpricks of light zigzagged within the building. His father was having fun without him. A cyclone of air pushed additional forces outside the arched windows. As he and Thomas Murphy landed with the Bardaxians, he saw his mother facing a huge chimera.
A nine-bladed scythe in her hands.
Amethyst energy poured from it. Murphy took one knee and sighted his grav-lance rifle.
“Heads up!”
White Lightning lashed out with his solar beams. Each index finger double-barreled the enemies closing in. He shouted, “Yeehaw!”
*****
I couldn’t help but grin as I heard my son shouting various levels of cowboy at the enemy. The Scythe pulsated in rhythm with my heart. Near the cross-section, right below the blades, I could make out a black pearl. Next to it was a white. The third slot was empty. My slot. I knew this at the atomic level. I needed a name. The Chimera charged. Its goat head bleated out Black Scrawl. I sent a mental warning to Lo’tarr. He somersaulted backward as I spun in place. A whirlwind of death.
A lion’s roar silenced.
I came to a stop. The room was cluttered with ash. Living Stone no more.
A glint of black metal was the only warning I got. I brought my weapon up.
The twisted Artock hybrid snarled, “Father wants you dead.” It was a mottled yellow color. A necklace with a crimson jewel hung across its corded shoulders. After a moment it spat out, “Mother too. The three enthroned no more.” A deep cultured voice rumbled, “Now dear Meathook. We must clip her wings first!”
The All-Father.
Black Scrawl shot out. Slowed my limbs. Lo’tarr grunted as a thin needle embedded itself in his shoulder, “Time slows for no one!” My stomach twisted. Lo’tarr pocketed the needle. He aimed. The All-Father’s voice echoed from the amulet. “Which will you choose….Thronebearer.”
My husband collapsed. Used his hands to break his fall. He shouted, “We will…” My son caught him as the poison took him. White Lighting pulled him into his arms. “He’s burning up!” A yellow mottled hand waved. It turned and dived into the Abyss.
Time resumed its normal march.
I didn’t have the cleansing powers of my Throne. Only Dexter was fully awakened. For he guarded the Pathways of Death.
*****
Thomas Murphy took point. Tarnik Mathew Lanis was only 15 and the possibility loomed. Murphy aimed down the holo sights of his gun. Glaive snarled. The sound carried through the darkened hallways. Thomas sent a message to the Eliza coordinating the battle within this construct. Her reply:
///A test can come in many forms. It will reveal the soul of the bearer.///
Thomas replayed the battle within his helm. His eyes narrowed.
The faint outline of Weave magic. Not around the Living Stone. That was real.
///Yes, the Highest tests all of us in different ways.///
Thomas wondered at it. He knew what he would choose. For he was a mortal man.
He applied what medical supplies he could to Lo’tarr. The poison was slowed.
His mind came to a halt. He motioned to Glaive: “Come with me. Snoopy! Take point.” He handed a beacon to Captain Overwatch, “Continue to the crystal. We will find the cure!” Glaive’s nose twitched. <<I have the scent!>>
The Highest tests us all. Murphy nodded. “We will not let your husband fall.”
*****
My breath hitched. I ordered my son, “Go with Murphy.” He hesitated then nodded. The fear was just held in check. I pressed a quick kiss to his forehead. “No matter what happens I love you both.” Normally he was at the age where he’d push away or have brash commentary. This place unnerved him.
I reached out and cupped Lo’tarr face, “Fight.”
*****
White Lightning saw the tears fall. They hit his father’s flesh and glowed momentarily.
He said, “I promise. We’ll do it.”
She nodded.
*****
Dexter’s white trident bisected scores of enemies.
His wings unfurled. Here he didn’t have to hide. He linked a thread to Lo’tarr’s soul. I will keep you from the Gates of Eternity. He prayed that his father would find the counter in time. Eliza fully realized form glittered behind him. They faced the storm back to back. As was proper. This version of Lorain could have simply healed Lo’tarr. Dexter peered into the mist with his third eye.
She was needed here. All of her concentration was on the defenders within the ships and the ground. Wounds that would normally kill healed within seconds. This place didn’t just pull them from time. It had pulled Unity’s forces from all across the multiverse. Within different Epochs. To weaken its influence. Dexter shuddered. The Highest had plotted out everything. Using its tools to reshape everything. So that they could choose beyond the confines of Elysium. C’alain’s forces clashed with Urraden’s. Bit by bit they widdled down Unity’s puppets.
He even spied additional warriors from Ta’mathon’s Era.
They shouted as they beheld Eliza, “The Arbiter is with us!”
Many called out, “The Wall Endures. The Lady of the Isles pours forth the river of…..”
Endless eras. They were all tied together as one.
He shouted, //88-|-88\\!
Eliza did the same. From her scores of white flames burned the enemy. From him? Dark tendrils engulfed the corrupted. Entropy sucked the muscle from bone. Wasted skin fell from the bleached bone. His sister dived. Her wings were molten silver. The ring above her head gleamed whiter as she dived. Shadows burned away.
They had to buy the Twilight Ruler the time needed.
Names had power.
He shouted. Energy poured from his mouth. Gritty gray dust exploded outward as Living Stone dissipated. He dived. They became twin flames within the fractured battlefields. The Defenders cheered. Their enemies howled. Unity held no power here.
A black serpent attempted to coil about Lorain. It howled as its scales dissolved. Lorain continued to chant. Avandar decloaked. The rest of the unit remained within the Weave. He would bear the brunt of further assault. He was Armosh. Golden Host of the City. He would not fail. The Gemini readied his lance.
“No evil shall escape. It shall boil upon the tip of the phalanx!”
This was the moment he was born for.
*****
The rush of cold water made me pause. Normally I wouldn’t feel this kind of temperature within my bones but this cut straight through. Flecks of purple flowed through the room. Delicate petals hit my face. The crystal before me closed in. The golden words formed.
///What shall you trade?///
I shouted, “I give myself! Though I fear loss.”
///The loss of what?///
The terror clawed at me, “Everything!” My family. My friends. My Universe.
I said, “I do not want this power!”
I never had. From the start? I just wanted to know what my place was. Each heartbeat carried me closer to destiny. I was shocked. The white pearl within the Scythe murmured, “We wanted the same things. So does Dexter and all those who fight the dark.” The choice hung heavy within the air. I pulled myself forward. I could no longer feel my feet. The tendrils climbed up my legs.
///It is common to find something worth dying for.///
In death, you leave behind those who would stand vigil. The threads echo through time. Your body returned to the earth. But what of the soul?
/// For the Living? What need is filled? ///
Lo’tarr. My children. It was a simple choice. To continue. To love. My palm touched the frigid barrier. My entire body burned. I wanted to live. To go beyond what I was made for. To choose my path. My vision dimmed. My forehead touched the ice and I melted away. My last thoughts went out to Thomas Murphy.
Save them.
I would have a legacy. Even as the Throne took my mortal body.
*****
Thomas sensed the message. They raced along a green river. Red leaves flowed within the waters. A three-headed Hydra blocked their path. One head was white. The middle was darker than the void of space. The third gleamed purple.
“What do you seek mortal man of Eden Earth?”
“A way to save this man.”
It replied, “The body or the soul?”
White Lightning shouted, “That is no choice! He must be made whole! Body, soul, and mind!”
Thomas said, “Three in all things. Why not mention the Mind?”
A cold breeze froze them in place. The hydra heads intoned, “Do you wish to confront the mind?!” The son cradled the father. “I will do it!” Thomas added, “But not alone!” The Hydra bowed. The world faded. They found themselves within a deep shaft.
Mines.
A burly man took a jackhammer. Lo’tarr’s arms worked the device.
They had to escape. White Lighting’s hands passed through the image.
*****
Glaive circled. He would protect the bodies. The Hydra image shimmered. Eliza held out her hand, “To you I bestow the Vigil of Orthan. Guard it well Bardaxian.” They held the slumbering form of Captain Overwatch. The battle was far from over.
He bowed his head. The warmth of the necklace eased the tension in his shoulders. Glaive replied, <<It is so. This servant is bound to the covenant. As was written.>>
Glaive pivoted. Each bark tore the approaching Living Stone to ash. The others would guard Twilight well. Their faith would not falter.
A gleaming orange eye covered the battlefield. Unity said, “Wretched fools!”
Meteors pounded against the barrier.
Eliza replied, “You have no power here!”
Unity pointed. Flamed talons smashed against the shield.
“The pale mirror shall falter!”
Dexter chanted. The shield remained.
They would endure.
*****
The forest grew silent. I continued. My footfalls dulled. I clutched my bracelet. The one that Lo’tarr had commissioned when he proposed. His green eyes had softened that day. A glance only meant for me. Snow crunched. I continued on.
The faint purple fire gleamed in the distance.
Lo’tarr held out his hand. “I will walk with you. In sickness. In health. To the ends of creation.” My legs met resistance. The snow turned into a sleet of rain. I grasped that lifeline. “Til death takes us.” He smiled.
“I promised you a name.”
Names had power. I continued forward.
Each step brought me closer to home.
*****
The Silver Lady watched as the Void Man carried Overwatch deeper into the forest. The Weave would not abandon its own. Fate would carry the souls homeward.
To a new dawn.
Issue 2: Here
Issue 4: Here
No comments:
Post a Comment