Issue 11: Tears of the Unyielding
To know the Future is to be trapped by it. But what of the Past? That is the key one must turn to shape the Vigil.--Markav Codex
Souls trapped within the Night Realm protect Karvax’s dome. We need something touched by that realm but not under the control of Abbadon. Didn’t the Order give us an update on that object that Blaze hid years ago...--Sunset Showdown
Karvax would be devoured by his vendetta. Just not in the way he suspected. History would remember him as a different kind of monster. One misstep and the house of cards would fall.--Unseen Archives Vol 2
Elysium (Shield World Phase 2)
Before the Fall
Lucifer pulled.
The Tree of the First Dawning swayed in the night air.
Its silver branches shuddered as the Thronebearer hissed, “Just one. I only need one!” Abbadon pointed. His ethereal crimson form barely visible to Lucifer. As the lowest branch split and cracked against the silence of the forest Lucifer fled with his prize.
This would change everything.
Abbadon watched as Cerberus and Argos catapulted into the wooded glen.
Their howls of alarm followed like a bottle of warm wine.
∞
Thoth clawed against his prison.
It was all lies. Every last bit. That tree had given its branch willingly. He had seen the flash of light. The white wood darkened to a pitch darker than night. Abbadon believed the Lies because he was blinded by his own actions. Propagated by his refusal of the mantle. They would all linger but not in power. The sharp gaze of the Void Man tore through his remaining bits of soul.
“The Path is set. It is too late for you.”
Thoth clenched his fists through the rough material of the Void’s tunic. Even as the material raised boils on his palms.
“I reject you. I reject Abbadon. I reject this pale imitation of existence!”
Void responded, “Then you shall fade. As all Evil coils about the Circle. Waylaid and misbegotten. Such is the fate of murderers. The unrepentant.”
The former Typherian vowed, “I will not be caught in your web.”
The Silver Lady’s pitiable glance enraged Thoth.
“I WILL JOIN CHRONOS IN KILLING YOU!”
∞
I whistled sharply. Argos and Cerberus bounded back towards Doc. Their breath heavy.
“Why!? Why let them make that dreadful mockery!?”
Argos paced. His question hung upon my heart. In more ways than one.
The reformed knife of All-Mercy hung on my belt. Hidden within the Arcane folds. It would help cut through the final curtain of the Climb. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “By the will of the Oversoul all circles shall meet.”
Cerberus curled around Lorain. Her Lethe aspect dormant for now. All this to make sure we traveled as the Icath Pairs managed. Both the Day and Night versions. My brother hidden yet growing as I gained new insight. I chose my next words carefully, “For each false piece made? The final battle will crumble for them. Though they do not realize this.”
I gave Argo a scratch under the chin, “Trust in this. You will know me all across time. From my beginnings to the Final Vigil.” They had been the soul shard bearers for all of Bardax. They knew this to be a true proclamation. I started as the Star-Spangled Banner for Earth and Typha. Arbiter of the Arcane Order. Thronebearer.
Arbiter of the Sands.
Shieldbearer.
The Climb would bring about the final judgment.
I would not fail them. Even as my body faded into dust. Each beat of my heart preparing for that moment. My brother and I would be remade. Into what was needed. I knelt. Ran my fingers across the tips of the grassy knoll. I memorized every aspect of Elysium as it was. We would need it upon our return to the present. Doc crossed her arms over her chest, “I know that look. Think an unofficial journal would help keep track of all this time twirling adventure?”
I let out a groan. “I’ll wait til we get past the world ending events.”
Dexter chipped in with, >>How about “An Ouroborous Tale?”<<
The Silver Lady’s amusement blazed through me.
>>Let’s grab that sap instead. Have to imbue the Knife with the proper material.<<
I keenly empathized with Silver Fox at least twice a day. Three times on Sunday. Shocked I hadn’t lost my sense of humor. I concentrated. Held my hands towards the moonlit sky of Elysium. Pearls of sap slowly trickled from the Tree. It was the oldest within the inner forest of Elysium. Said to contain the first rays of Creation. It held a spark of the Oversoul within. Everything did. Even those who committed heinous acts. It was why their souls would be forfeit within the halls of the Ninth Circle.
Noah leaned on his cane. He pressed one hand to my shoulder, “What else is required?”
The last of the sap trickled through my fingers. Merging with the knife clipped to my belt.
I rose. “A ship made of the forest. Not all will fall with Elysium. You must guide them towards the seas beyond the stars of Creation’s cradle.” His bushy brows rose. “I see the truth of it. The dreams have been hectic of late.” He saw the glimmer of wings along her back. Hers and the Inheritor. The one who would replace the Red King. Four Wings. An omen.
“The Will of the Highest and Oversoul will be done.”
The distant clang of Hephaestus at his forge calmed my racing heart. Stay true to the Path. Visions rose. Countless hands carried me across the vast expanse. First we would reclaim Elysium in all its glory. From the corner of my eye I spotted the feline forms of the Night and Day Ruling Pairs. Everything had been planned.
No one would escape the scales.
Elysium (Shrouded)
The Present ( July 4th, 3266)
Whitehouse didn’t glance heavenward. He remembered the warning.
One J’kua murmured, “Eyes, both divine and demonic are upon us.” The Terran soldier didn't doubt it. A ghostly form lingered on his face plate. After a few days here it no longer startled him. Arthon took point. He motioned towards a cluster of triangular buildings. Once inside the band took stock. One J’kua ran a scanner over a crate. “Its...edible!” Their rations were thin. It was as if someone knew they’d need this.
Arthon saw the sigil formed on the side of the metalic crates. Eliza and Doc had been here. He didn't question the timeline. Just the results. His Unseen Order HUD updated.
//Ally will be guarding Host building. You can’t miss it. Even as the city lies dormant. Keep coordinating with the Mirrored Princess.//
That was the word for Nola. Eddie’s wife had been invaluable. Her mirror was attuned to Eliza specifically. A way to pass on messages no matter what the time had been. It was why her people had been ready to join Earth. Not tech wise. But for the important Convergence ahead. Things had been simpler when they had just been demis protecting Earth and her immediate territories. The thought of a battalion’s worth of Murphys protecting the Multiverse made him grin momentarily. Each year had brought forth additional protectors. Demis. Shamans. Priests.
He noticed his name spelled out in the Thronebearer language on a small gray and white safe along the back wall. Air hissed as it unsealed itself. Two black bracers with golden engravings sat on velvet inside. He pocketed the box. Placed the bracers on his forearms. New data flooded his implants. Forged in the first cycle of Elysium. By Hephestus himself. The bits of silvered blood made him lean against the wall.
He crossed himself.
“May the Wall forever endure beyond the Void.”
Whitehouse let out an impressed whistle.
“Don’t mind if I do.”
The ordnance was perfection. He knew a certain leather faced High Lord of Abbadon that wouldn't appreciate this beauty. Each missile floated then thunked resoundly as they loaded into the feeder belt on his back. The size of his fist. “If only the Pinkerton lads could see these….”
One J’kua trooper noted, “There’s a bit for them here. Us too. The Arbiter was quite generous.” Arthon searched the rest of the building but nothing remained. The upper stories were barren. Dormant. The slumbering city world. He wondered what resided on the lower rings of Elysium.
∞
Deep below the outer layers of Elysium the Crystal Coffin waited. Its cargo preserved from the time of Ta’mathon. Two sarcophagus rested side by side within its central unit. Two ducks slept on the apex of the Coffin. Their breath coming once per 100 years. The trick was not to met yourself unless under the auspices of the Tower of the Lidless. In Eliza’s case? That happened via the Ur-Flow. For she and her brother existed outside of Time as well. Trouble sighed in his sleep.
They were the Brothers of N’iavah.
Promised guardians to Lethe.
Never to meet themselves until the end of the Vigil.
The Cleansing of Elysium would bring about the Final Climb.
The Ur-Stone
Ur-Flow
I peered into the crystals. Countless bodies lined the walls in their pods. Sleeves all. Above me the watery portal between my final home and the Ur sent ripples of sound flowing through the space. It calmed my nerves. Depending on the time frame? I used my one armed selves. From right before my first “death.” Others reflected my time as the Arbiter. Or the guardian of the Golden City. The Arbiter of the Sands.
Even forms not yet beheld by my friends and allies.
Keeping this secret had been the hardest. Yes, it was a way to circumvent the toils of time travel but I did not commit the sin that the All-Father had done. Or even what Chronos had done. To outlast time by violating my soul shard. That connection with the Oversoul. The Highest and all other natural mortal life upon the Multiverse. It was why my “clone” ruled the Twilight Throne. She hadn’t requested life. King Urraden of the Eternal Empire had made that choice without my knowing. She had a soul of her own now.
One that keenly understood those rejected by the current cycle. Souls lost to fate. Stillbirths. Rejected ones who’s only crime was to be caught up in the deluge. It was why I had to take the Knife of Eden into my chest. Mercy must be a part of the newest tapestry of mortal life. Abbadon had thought it would be able to remove the Tears from Lethe. They were not his to have. Or hers to give to such a monster.
Life and death must work as one. The eternal wall would endure.
The soul always endured. Guided by the Light of All Creation.
The Ur had been forged by a mirror of myself and my brother. We would honor their sacrifice. Another shard broke off. It drew dark. A bright speck of crimson floated within it. Another universe locked off by Abbadon. My palms still bore the marks of the Climb.
I listened to the song. Three more sleeves slipped from their slumber.
To keep me on the path.
One way or another this saga would end.
Issue 10: Here
Issue 12: Here
Link to Pinkertons Ghosts (Totally gonna buy it in audio form to listen in the car when they get around to it!): Here
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