Issue 14: Taleer’s Missing Hours
It’s not dead. It is soul bound.--Taleer
We went down to the planet. My brother and I came back with a newfound sense of just how wrong we were about the creation of our world. Our Universe. The rites to combat Unity and the Red King were sound. That was never in doubt. Our roles however….--Sul’sandra
The Oversoul and Highest spelled certain events out for me. So I would better understand my role for cleansing the knife and the breach into the Cliffs of Helios. Unity and Abbadon weren't looking for information from my mind or soul anymore. They wrote me off as a useful tool for the side of Light. They bought that aspect hook line and sinker. After all, I had a horrid poker face. My side banked full on that little detail.--Unseen Archives: Vol 2
Utharan
Seat of the Markav Collective
The Halls of Memory
The survator wardens activated.
Their eyes glittered in the dark. Diamond bright against the blackened hall. A battle had been fought here. One the enemy didn’t expect. The last of the Soul Wardens had arrived. Their blood would be the key. As was promised. The others had been stewards. Metal hissed as they scuttled. White emblems ran across the armored shells.
All rites must be observed.
∞
Taleer paused. Marveling at the surface of the planet. Small nets of green light could be seen from the dark side of the planet. It was not as dormant as first thought. Goldenlight sealed the hanger bay as Sul stepped across the threshold. The Markav AI knew his role. They would be tested. Just as the High Orator promised. Those clouded by the Exodus would return and light the beacon across the Sea of Souls. Goldenlight sent the transmission.
The planet responded with an image. A silver chalice with a black-gloved hand. One band was purple. One black. The other a blazing white-silver flame. All were connected. Three for the Soul Shards of All. Three for the Realm of Mortals. Three for the Weave. Truth danced at the edge of every tale. Every myth. Legend or Faith of the Shell.
That which was promised would prevail. There could be no other outcome.
Sul re-checked the seals on her red and gray battle suit. Taleer settled into the pilot’s chair. <<Ready?>>
She replied, <<As one could ever be. Goldenlight?>>
<<Yes Admiral?>>
Sul bit the inside of her cheek, <<Are you sure he didn’t send any other missives?>>
Dexter Murphy had been scarce of late. Goldenlight responded, <<None. May the Light of the Three Orators Endure.>> That was a new one. She settled into the seat beside her brother.
“Let’s go.” She cleared her throat.
Her eyes were glued to the silhouetted outline of the dormant Eden Gate as they left the protection of the main ship. It was circular. A triangular node at the 12 o’clock position. At the six o’clock was a set of three squares. Taleer’s fingers flashed over the console. “Beginning decent.”
∞
Comet disembarked the shard of Noah’s Ark. Eliza’s past, present and future were nearly aligned now. It sank into the cold ground of Utharan. New growth sprouted moments later. A silvered oak tree sprouted. Its leaves a dark purple. Golden veined. Comet let out a pleased whistle. White shelled machines surrounded him, “We sense the mark upon you. State your purpose.”
He replied, <<I stand as third for the Rite of Soul Warden.>>
He remembered the words the Vigil Eliza had told him. The Ur Stone’s purpose.
They cloaked him. “Follow.”
∞
Highmaker’s sensors flared bright orange within Taleer’s HUD. Shapes moved in between the perfectly preserved buildings. He pulled his sister back into a marbled alcove. <<This planet is not dead.>> Sul concurred. She scanned the rooftops.
She froze. <<The sky. By the Wall above!>>
There were no clouds. No stars. Just a swirling mass of colors.
With each pulse the sparks of color flowed closer to the city.
Highmaker exclaimed, <<Biosignatures fluctuating…..>>
Alerts faded as Sul and Taleer slumped within their armor.
∞
Sul’sandra clutched her head. Water dripped. The air cleared.
She opened her eyes. Blurred shadows curled about the edges of her vision. White lines of power crisscrossed against the stonework. A woman in silver armor leaned against the octagon patterned doorway. The dust of sandstone clung to the silver and gold boots. No, greaves. Her feet were bare. White robes covered a silver chest piece. Each bicep was encircled with silver and gold bonds. In the shape of an Ouroborous. The silver sash rippled.
Sul rose. She reached out as the figure caught her. The modulated voice from the Anubis helm warbled, “Easy now. Examine the room. Reach out. You are here to acclimate.” Sul spotted Taleer. His form curled upon a stone slab. She bit back a scream. Eyes widened. His image shimmered as he rose. He didn’t move. He phased about the room.
Each movement was stilted. Cold. Unnatural.
He said, “Are we within the planet Arbiter?” He knew this sensation. For his own soul shard had been kept in a type of stasis with Highmaker. He paused. He crouched. Going crossed-legged as Sul spat out, “What evil is this?!” He had forgotten the unsettling nature of being “tethered” between the world of the living and dead.
The Arbiter of the Sands intoned, “This place is not under sway of any Evil.”
Sul shivered. She snapped, “You are human. He calls you Arbiter but the only---” Her mouth hung open as the helm retracted. Eliza smiled, “Heya Starstuff!”
∞
How to explain astral projection. I was still physically asleep within the Golden City depths. Doc next to me. Hoping that our ruse with the Union pieces would hold long enough for Abbadon to be fooled. So many moving parts. I had to hand it to my future self. Did she have spread sheets for all this? To do list!
Get Stabbed.
Reform Knife into the Weapon of Choice Against Red Kings.
Go to Past. Build Golden City. Arm the Gilgamesh Sector. Arm Earth. Throw Spanner into Uplift Protocol. Realize that Jupiter Rising is one of the Three Fates. No wonder she knew what was up. Form Arcane Order. Have brother form Unseen Order at the same time. Dexter curtly stated, >>I’ll nudge her soul shard so she can link with Taleer.<<
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Ok. You are not dead. Ever heard of astral projection?”
Taleer responded, “We are in the Weave?”
“Not quite. The Soul Layer. Weave is the roof of the house! Physical Realm is the main floor. While the soul is the basement. No, not linked to the prison of the Titans!” I had to grip Sul by the shoulders.
I rested my forehead against hers for a moment. “Like with everything else? It has 3 layers to each Level.” She reached up to cup my face.
“So you are in the loop for once?”
I tapped the side of my nose. “For once. Its a half loop.”
I waited as the information calmed her. Her features smoothed out. “Alright. Which Layer is this?”
“Soul Layer Twilight. The mid Soul Realm is Dusk.”
Taleer surmised, “Just as you have a role we are here for a test.”
Sul paced about the room, “Goldenlight knew.”
“I asked him to bring you here. Everything has a purpose.” They took in the armor.
Taleer’s expression hardened, “You weren't powerful enough to take on….”
I nodded. Smiled ruefully. Arms open, “Correct. In order to combat Lucifer and the others within Unity or Abbadon’s Higher Lieutenants? I had to go to the past to gain experience. Many within the Red Tide are manageable with basic Light Shaman rites. Of every race and creed. Above that? I need to be at my best.”
Sul crossed her arms. “Expanding prolog and building up the Arcane Order wasn’t enough!?”
I faced them squarely, “Not by a long shot.”
They recoiled when Sentinel formed in the space between us. I patted his flank.
“You can see it?”
Taleer reached out with trembling fingers, “Sul. Our people...”
He lowered his head. “We weren’t made to safeguard the world we grew up in.”
I knelt next to him. Leaned in, “Remember. Do you see it Warden of the Wall?”
∞
Sul’sandra shielded her face.
She whispered, “Warden. We built the Wall. The Wall between Souls.” She could see the flashes within her brother’s mind. While his soul had been tied to Highmaker. Within the physical realm he had been an AI. Within the Soul space? The story changed. The Shattering hadn't just fractured Elysium. Caused the Exodus of Noah’s Ark. It had shifted the Ouro Network off course. Only Edenverse had remained unaffected. Taleer had seen. The memory had imprinted itself upon his shard.
The truth filtered through the ages.
The Markav were the Wardens of Soul. Made to safeguard those who would come through the Tears of Creation. Different races. Different worlds. Each with a duty to the Waking World. The Weave and the Soul Realm. Waking World. The Markav word for the Physical realm of space. Stars. Planets. Taleer’s memory flooded her senses. The bite of cold winds rose. Cutting to the bone. Though she had no body here.
She gasped as she noted the tendrils of time that placed his hidden memory.
The Fall.
∞
Taleer screamed.
His fingers dug into the surface. It molded around his body. It was protecting him. That much he knew for certain. He recalled the pungent scent of smoke. The Void Walker drones fading into the compartment as Chronos loomed over him. Illarium in flames. He had done it. He had protected the….
A white orb danced around his head.
It said, “Hello! I am Highmaker. Do you know that designation?”
Taleer replied, “Yes. You guard those in cryo stasis below. Within the threads of Weave and Time.”
He paused.
There was no breath in his body.
Two birds circled. Their feet were orange. Webbed like the animals that walked across Aden colony. The white one quacked, “You see the patterns?” The black one responded, “Oh yes. Shall we get started?”
Taleer noted, “Do I not get a say in this?”
Highmaker said, “Of course! All initiates into the Soul Warden service are granted a boon.”
Taleer rose slowly. Disconcerted by the stilted movements of his body. No. Not a body.
The black duck observed, “Your soul shard. It reflects upon the surface and the mental image you had in life.”
A seat rose from the ether. He sat. His features smoothed out as the melody sang through his spirit. “I have to get back. To my sister. My people. Who will stand vigil in the dark.”
Highmaker said, “That time will come. A body renewed.”
The Markav soldier reached out to touch the surface of Highmaker.
“How?”
Highmaker simply stated, “Certain beings guard the Physical Layer of Reality. Some of us? Monitor other avenues.”
∞
Sul regarded me silently.
The tick of the clock counting down towards midnight.
“You have a bit of explaining to do.” I held my hands up in a placating gesture.
“The shoe is on the other foot. Give Taleer a few moments. The rest of his hidden memories will come forth. I got quite the shock when I met Highmaker for the first time. The actual spirit within the machine.”
A first of continuous avalanches of knowledge. I had once joked that it would be better not to know. These days? Every moment counted. No matter which layer I resided in. I raised my voice as Taleer sat up.
“You will face the Trial of the Wardens.” I snapped my fingers.
Comet manifested beside me. A familiar green sphere. Taleer saluted.
His fingers across his heart. “I acknowledge the third of the Rite.”
Comet spun around me. “I vow to bring the Spark to the Folds of Center Soul.”
I pulled the former Unity Universe Markav unit into a light embrace.
“The Unseen Markers shall guide you.”
Sul twitched as the walls melded into the ether around us.
Utharan pulsed around us. I let Comet go. I placed my left palm upon Sul’s forehead.
“Let sight Unseen be granted upon this initiate.” The part of me connected to Dexter’s dominion warmed against my astral form.
I prayed it would be enough. Taleer nodded, “I shall guide her.”
He squeezed my shoulder as he passed, “The Wall shall Endure.”
The Silver City of Soul awaited its Wardens.
Issue 13: Here
Issue 15: Here
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