Issue 19: Reunited
Please be advised. New Ashbury blocks 12-35 quarantined until further notice.--Terran Union Alert
I don’t understand! These readings say that pool is alive. Yet inert or dead simultaneously. What does it all mean?!--Terran Union Internal Report.
It's confirmed. The Bulleteer has no powers. Its as if it was scooped out. In trade? We have no idea. He hasn't regained consciousness. Where’s Doctor Impossible when you need her. Where’s the Banner? No one has seen them for the past week!--Capt Lee Anders, Terran Space Navy (US Division)
My grandfather had always been a hero. Even without powers. He would be the catalyst.--Unseen Archives Vol 3
Earth
New Ashbury Medical Hub: South Court Central
August 2nd 3266
White Lily lifted her head. Her husband’s chest rose and fell rhythmically.
No need for added medical machines. Just a steady drip from Doctor Impossible's medical nanites. Unlike the old days? She no longer needed to be there to recharge the little buggers. In her dreams she saw it. That red thread that linked her to her husband. His body was nearly healed. The eyes were another matter. No matter how many times the nanites tried? They couldn't get past the barrier around his eyes.
Solid Silver. No irises. Just that fluid from the quarantined zone.
∞
Abraham Murphy crouched. Shapes weaved through the walls. A line of stars formed under his feet. Their voices rose, “You are on the Path now. See what awaits!” The doorway rose. Much like a dome. He was in space! His hand went to his throat. Fingers questing for a pulse. He felt it. A tenuous beat. White Lilies. His wife was close. A warm hand grasped his shoulder.
“Hello, Grandfather.”
He turned. Dexter’s eyes were the same. A brighter silver in the black of Typha. The uniform was another matter entirely. His face was lined. Not with age but with the passage of trials. Bits of gray ran through his brown hair. The undercoat reflected the cosmos. His chest piece was black. Three white circles blazoned on its surface. Nearly identical to his Black Defender Heraldry.
Though he had no belt. No, that wasn’t right.
It was there but it was not the one Abraham knew.
A black wolf Bardaxian phased in next to his grandson.
“Just as Sentinel guides Eliza, I too guide the Avatar of the Sands.”
Bulleteer replied, “Eternally tied! That’s what the prophecies---!”
Dexter grinned, “Yes. We are both. Think of an hourglass. Where does the sand fall? It doesn’t. It merely trades places when the time comes.”
Abraham watched as vessels of all shapes and sizes darted past. At the center of the Universe was Elysium. Renewed unto the Light of Creation. As it should have been. Shining towers! Souls flowed at ease between each white spire.
Dexter moved forward, “Take my hand.”
Images blurred as he did so.
From the apex of Eden sprang forth great rivers of life. Pulsing within the Soul and Weave Layers of each universe circling Eden. His HUD updated, he knew it was a reflex of his brain, a way to translate the information.
///Welcome Soul Seeker Abraham Murphy. Because of your sacrifice our Lord and Master has found you worthy. His name is not yet spoken. For the corruption of the Red King Lingers in your Time.///
Murphy asked, “Your boss I presume.”
Dexter placed a hand on his chest, “Ours. As things should have been.”
His grandson formed a ball of light, “Demis were an answer to the Shattering. A way to bridge all three Layers without combining Laylines.”
Dexter continued, “You are the first human demi to have access to the Soul Layer. There will be more.” The Ur Stone formed above Elysium. Words rippled across its granite surface.
Twins in Life. Twins in Death. Towards the Twilight we go. To endure for all Time.
Until Vigil’s End.
The Golden Bulleteer chuckled. “You two are of all three layers. But not quite human. Never been that.” Another phased in next to them. Her form just as he remembered. Minus all the white-silver hair. “Crows feet?!” Barring the hair? That was the only outward form he could see of her aging.
She hugged him.
“That sword. How do I save your grandmother?”
Through their crimson thread he could feel her heartbeat. The flower was holding the death shard at bay for now. But how long would it last?!
∞
I floated next to my grandfather. “This is not Vigil’s End. Don’t mind your HUD. We are beyond simple AD reckoning by now. Its why we name the years by cycles instead!”
We had been around for eons. Not always awake. That would be too much for the mortal part of our minds but the legends grew. Just as they always did. Humanity remembered Earth as a Golden Age. It still was. Convergence had become known as the turning point.
Abbadon’s reign would end.
For Good to remain? It would have to endure.
Forever vigilant against the breaches.
I brought us closer to the Ninth Circle. Its blackened surface clouded by the misty forms of the serpentine titans. Typha and Earth stood fast. Guardians onto another age. “You already have! Grandma will live a normal lifespan due to that Kraken transferring your demi energy into her Nexus Flower.”
My grandfather stood taller.
He eyed us shrewdly. “You don’t know that Leviathan’s name either...”
We responded, “Nope. Best not to name everything!”
Gulliver appeared on my head, “Alright! Lucifer's gonna have a nasty surprise awaiting him at Elysium.” Granddad gawked momentarily. He could see Gulliver for what he actually was.
“Why am I getting to know all this now?”
I grinned, “So you can bait the false Lightbearer properly!”
My grandfather’s expression cleared. His eyes lit up. “What’s needed?”
∞
Dexter crouched.
The soil of the Soul Layer released the seed. Which would one day become the Flower his grandmother would find within the derelict science station. The Nexus. That had been its name. Memory was a funny thing. From one story to the next. That was why they had the archives. Gulliver placed it within his bag. It prevented time from passing for whatever was stored within. A vital way to pass items through the ages. Where they were needed most.
Eliza chimed in, “Another layer revealed. Makes me wonder what they have planned after our Vigil is up!”
A message orb descended into the realm.
Aether’s snow white frame popped into view, “There’s been a breach in the Omega Prime sector!”
Eliza floated towards the Bleed Line that separated the Soul from the Physical layer.
“The Vigil will remain. Until….”
∞
Abraham finished, “….the others can take up the mantle.”
Eleanor Murphy shifted. Rubbed her eyes and asked, “Which mantle?”
He replied, “The Vigil. It is within us all.”
His wife’s soul gleamed as bright as a diamond. It soothed his sore face. He reached up tentatively. He tugged at the healing wraps. “These will not be needed. I know what I traded.” He blinked. The world came into focus. Not as faces. Threads of energy. His wife wrapped an arm around his waist. He reached out to steady himself on the wall. The metal warmed to his touch.
///Patient displaying unusual energy. Notifying Node….interruption. Data sealed.///
The man who would be Dexter in that far off time brought a finger to his lips. Abraham Murphy exhaled slowly. The silver flame behind Dexter indicated Eliza’s presence as well. Not as she was but as the one dubbed the Silver Fox. His soul sight connected him to the Ur-Stone. Information flowed.
//Ur Designate Silver Bulleteer. Noted preferences.//
The elder Murphy whispered to his wife, “I’ll explain later.”
She watched as a cross formed about his neck. One chain forged in purple. One black. The final a blazing silver-white that nearly blinded her. The glow dissipated as the alerts from the medical bed droned on.
The Ur-Stone
Ur-Flow
I cupped the chunk of diamond in my hands. Dexter reformed it into a cross. One drop of our blood mingled with the talisman. Dexter’s hands phased through the Ur as he offered it to our human Grandfather. He was another piece of the Wall that would not break. I took heart from that. Each action no matter how small would turn the Tide. The force that held the world together would succeed. Provided we remained on the path.
True to the mantles we bore.
Grandfather’s eyes gleamed as twin suns within the Soul Layer.
The first of many. My thoughts and prayers focused on Comet.
The Markav would be the Wall they prayed to each day. Not the shield upon the Physical realm. Soul Wardens. Their chanting echoed through the Ur. It gained in strength as my grandfather clutched the cross to his chest. The room behind the crystallized layer of the Ur went haywire. Dexter sealed the data points within Earth’s Soul Layer. The Unseen I.Net flashed an affirmative: //Changing Physical Net and Weave Net Protocols. Flooding ports with false positives.//
He placed a fist over his heart, <<I will ready myself for Elysium.>>
I replied, <<Thank you seems such a poor reply.>>
Grandfather faded from view as we dived deeper within the Soul Layer. The Throne Matrix provided an anchor to the events swirling about Earth. It was why my younger self had been commanded not to use Throne Sight after a certain point. If the enemy even knew half of what was coming? I buried myself into the work. The tapestry that must remain.
It was easier for our mortal minds to see these networks as rivers. Or hubs for data.
The reality was beyond our comprehension. So the Ur-Stone translated. Each sector reflected the will of Creation. A cycle without the red strands of Abbadon’s corruption. Post Convergence. The Ninth Circle vibrated as dark flames shot out from between the watchful Titans. Their serpentine forms coiled about the desolate planet. The flames quieted.
My left arm twitched.
Fingers clutched against the smooth metals. My spear reacted, <<I know the price paid to ensure the Tears of Creation.<<
Sentinel’s triangular ears flattened against his head. <<Helios spared.>>
The silver wolf Bardaxian rested his chin against my thigh.
Memories from the Climb forefront.
I didn’t turn away. Those bright eyes locked onto me.
“Remember your promise. Shieldbearer.”
The Ur-Stone
Ur-Flow
White Lily leaned over the balcony. The waves around Union Hall calmed her nerves. Her husband had lost his demi powers but gained a spark unknown to her. She said nothing to the doctors. They were in agreement. The Silver Bulleteer joined her. His suit nearly identical to his old form. The gold was replaced. She remarked, “Why keep Bulleteer?”
He grinned as he peered up into the brilliant blue expanse.
“Justice keeps shooting forward. I just have to add anti-grav jet packs to it! The Puzzler does!”
She wrapped her hands around his bicep. He leaned in. A conspiratorial expression on his features. “No one has any idea what is coming my dear.”
Convergence wasn't just talking about his Dexter and Eliza.
It was coming for them all.
Just not how the enemy or others envisioned it.
The chess game was nearing its conclusion and good had stacked the deck.
“We will save the Twins. Just as they saved us.”
White Lily shivered at the statement.
Then brightened as her husband smiled down at her.
She replied, “Family is more than blood.”
∞
Blue Blaze stared at the sword.
One side burned. Silver hot flames. The other radiated the cold of the Void. Space was a sauna in comparison. The Orb of Ta’mathon had reforged the missing piece. It no longer bore the sigils of Markav make. Nor the aura of Mordred’s bloodlust. Made him wonder if that had been a cover all along. His father activated the beacon within the bracers and the Orb phased out of sight. He didn't have the clearance to know.
By his account? That was perfectly fine.
Some secrets were best left undisturbed.
∞
Thomas re-linked with the Orb. It buried itself under the Lunar surface. Just above the dormant Throne Matrix. Only one artifact left. One magical item of Earth. The matrix of Typherian technological prowess. The final would come from Taleer and Sul. Should they survive. Earth for Weave. Typha for the Material Realm. The Marvav for Soul.
The Wall of the Oversoul.
Issue 18: Here
Issue 20: Here
No comments:
Post a Comment