Issue 26: Strange Relations
You think experience will save those False Twins of yours….Father!--Lucifer
I willingly give my life. For far too long I have hidden away. Ashamed of my actions within Elysium. My creator has given me the keys to my redemption. I pray I am brave enough to unlock the doorway to the future.--Aether
All Fleet Sectors: Engage!--Y’lansa Odessen
With each link? The Arbiter of the Scales shall bring forth the deluge. Death is only the beginning. I offer myself as the spark within the Infinite.--The Piper
I remember them still. P’tah, Piper, Ta’mathon. C’alain. Even though they are gone from my sight. Their words and deeds remain. Even as young as I was? I didn’t understand this fact until after my Vigil ended.--Unseen Archive Vol 5
Utharan
Seat of the Markav Collective
Soul Layer
Jacob launched himself into the void. His fingertips brushed the feather.
Eliza had warned him of this. Surrounded by the hot sands of the Golden City ramparts. A rare moment when she had removed that silver Anubis helm. Her Typherian eyes hard.
“Nola sent another set of missives through her mirror. When you go back? The Markav will need to be reborn into their proper role.”
Jacob pressed his palms to the sandstone surface. His gray-blue eyes locked on the distant horizon, “What will I need to do?”
She replied, “Consume the light.”
Jacob swallowed the offering. He felt energized.
He had expected the swell of power. The one called Silver Fox appeared next to him.
“Let’s ruin an owl's day!”
As he stared into her eyes he saw a kernel of the truth.
He blurted out, “All this to find one insane….” Silver Fox brought her index finger to her lips. She glanced sharply above them. Jacob grimaced. Even within the soul layer of this place the tips of the demonic bird’s wings brushed the edges. Lovely. It could tap into all three layers.
∞
My mental voice came out clipped, >>Yes. My current self can only push against the edges of the soul layer.<< It was the primary reason I was plugged into the Ur-Stone near Vigils End. Thus my younger self would only hold a fraction of the memory I had now. Dexter and I had been made to access all Three Layers but my specialty was the Physical. Thus my brain was highly suited to the constant “Reconfiguring.” Made for fun Starlight memoirs to confuse the enemy. Captain Overwatch handled the Weave. Dexter’s was the Soul Layer.
Jacob accessed the Thronebearer channel. It was temporary but required.
//We have to buy Taleer and Sul the time they need.//
At this point in the Convergence Era? Lucifer’s form was beyond corrupted. He wasn't able to listen in anymore. Accepting Abbadon’s “Eyes” had severed the last link he had to the realm of the Highest. Helped that the Highest himself wasn't the overall arbiter of Elysium. The Oversoul had the last say. I knew just what I had to do with this Sleeve.
“Jacob.” I touched his temple. His lips pursed in a silent whistle, “I thought my job was confusing.” I took a running leap. The rules worked differently here. Abbadon still had undue influence so this would be a wake up call. Even through a Ur-Sleeve I wouldn’t be able to hide it.
//I will see that future happen.//
My half brother’s solemn promise eased the ache in my heart. It was the only way.
Dexter would need just as many under his banner.
I never liked it. Understanding? Certainly. My nature balked at the loss of life.
The soul shard balance must be maintained. Abbadon had rejected stewardship.
This Sleeve had 1/4th of my usual power. Just enough to buy my allies what they required. I aimed for the owl’s black beak. Its beady orbs widened. “HOW!?” I pulled my right arm back. Fist clenched.
“Special delivery!”
∞
Samantha Murphy shouted, <<All ships! Zeta pattern!>>
The owl reformed into the physical world. Its outer wing tips on fire. At 5 miles long it would be a nice target for her auxiliary fleet. A woman in a simple set of jeans and white t-shirt was zipping back and forth. Her blows rocked the giant demon. Its feathers rippled. Going from snowy white to a deep crimson. Sam zeroed in with the Javelin’s sensor array.
It was Eliza. The ancient one from their time slip to the future!
Two beagles hurried to the bridge. Scottie barked, <<We got the ordinance online!>>
Samantha responded, “Fire at will!”
∞
I headbutted the beast.
Right above its odious third eye. The necrotic energy leaking from the Night Realm dripped into the weightlessness of space. Time to let off steam. Heaven knows I’d need it. “Hey batter batter! SWING!” Its beak caved in as I pushed it completely into the physical realm. The thwooop of Samantha’s grav stilt sphere barrage closed in.
Divine Napalm.
Firestorms.
Demonic Owls favorite kind of breakfast!
I channeled the excess Light Shaman rites into my knuckles.
I forgot what this thing had named itself. Didn’t really matter. With each strike it cursed. Spikes of Black Scrawl foaming from its engorged beak. Oh look. Brimstone, fire and Abbadon’s misery. The sad fact was that Thoth had a bit more imagination. When you got to be as old as I was? Friends remained etched in amber while the parade of enemies faded. Where was he hiding?! Mordred’s leads all pointed to the 42nd century. My initial fight on the Soul Layer near the Throne of the All Seeing Divide. What the faked Sleeping in Starlight memoirs called my 2nd Death.
Lists for everything.
I only had one death and resuscitation. The Climb from Helios.
The moment when my brother and I had reached clarity.
My arms ached. The downside to Sleeve use. If you wanted decent control? Your soul shard had to be synced with it. Made my job easier yet dangerous. It spat vile liquids. I scrambled out of the way using the broken bits of metal for leverage. Thankful that a bit of my brother’s abilities had leaked through our shard union.
It was different for each shard pair.
For my parents? Theirs was a romantic resonance bond through the soul share pairing.
Owl face howled, “Why are you here? You are at Elysium! You would do such a thing to your own soul!?”
I grinned, “Correct.”
Its talons closed in. I broke one of its digits off as it got close.
Gotta keep the dark fried chicken clucking!
Jacob had descended further into the hidden aspect of the Markav’s seat of power.
It screamed as it landed a blow I had allowed. That’s right you demonic harpy. Have a bit of Thronebearer Ur-sleeve for breakfast. I made a quick hand motion. The blood within ignited. It belched Brood ants in response.
“WHAT ARE YOU!”
I responded curtly, <<Pest Control Isle 1!>>
I landed another uppercut to its jaw. The Alliance ships closing in road the wave.
Sentinel growled, >>We will balance the scales. For Piper!<<
That long remembered rage sparked behind my eyes.
I shouted, “For Piper!”
I hadn't known it then. My brother had to build his army. Mine existed within this plane. How little I had known. Even after my adventures as the Arbiter of the Sands. We had so many titles. It was why at the end of everything? The Unseen Archives would be distributed. When we no longer walked these plains of Physical, Weave, or Soul. When all evil would be contained.
Thoth would be the last. As would we.
Only then would the realm of Mortality be free to choose.
I placed the last of my Sleeves reserves into my hands.
Time for an old trick. One that Dexter dubbed "Sleeve Pop Surprise."
I could see Doc’s reaction now, “Into the decontamination tank!”
The owl swallowed me whole. I wonder what kind of comeback Anna would have deployed. I was never one for quips. I counted the moments. Freeze dried Space Turkey of Doom coming up! Or would Cosmic Stir Fry be better?
Utharan
Seat of the Markav Collective
Final Judgment Trials
Taleer chanted. Purple sigils circled the wraiths.
Those souls doomed to live in between.
Sul brought her rifle to bear. His weapon of choice had formed into hardened chains. He whipped them around to bite into the wavering form of the undead. They bellowed, “You shall be---”
Sul blasted its head clean off. The chains retracted.
Comet exclaimed, “Left!”
The doorway opened to admit a human. Jacob Murphy.
His eyes blazed with silver light, “To the inner chamber! We have to activate the planet’s true potential!” Neither Markav sibling questioned it. Their path was set. All three reached for the panels located at the raised cube within the middle of the chamber. Its surface rippled.
//U-System activated. Soul Layer connections recognized. Sister Planet Earth Identified. Forming Anchor. High Soul Wardens Jacob, T’aleer, Sul’sandra and Eliza identified. Temporal anomaly noted. Updating… Silver Fox Protocol initiated.//
Sul noted, “Target primary physical layer. Coordinates….”
∞
My head broke the surface of the water.
That’s what my brain said it was so that’s what I continued to reference it as.
The Lake at Vigils End. A shield world made special for my kind of work for the Oversoul. Each layer built to this moment. In the far future. Calander Date? Oh look at all the zeroes. Understanding inst required. Pilot Sleeves. Use them to distract the enemy from the mission. Lethe-Lorain reached down to pull me from the water.
“Which world ending Owl was it this time?”
I consulted the readouts. For the Oversoul? I imagined this appeared different. For me? My HUD came up with the name I had forgotten. Ozymandias: Devourer of 15 Sectors. Origin Universe: Praxium.
Mom hurried over with a towel. “How is it that Black Scrawl gets on you when….”
I replied quickly, “...its in all three layers with some. Its how Lucifer was able to get past...”
Mastery of all Three was rare. It was why the Oversoul broke such things down into different sets. That way when all us Demis or Mortals worked together? The Trial of Threes happened. Just as it was meant to. Thoth still threatened that. The secret to his ability to hide from Thronesight must be solved. It troubled the Oversoul beyond all measure that Thoth had figured out an ability that should have been only known to the First Wall of Creation.
The Oversoul itself. Even its direct children had never had all the pieces.
Abbadon thought itself clever by breaking a sliver of itself off into Thoth.
That was the problem with eldritch demi-gods of destruction. They wanted to KO everyone yet that meant their doom as well. Elysium pinged against the wards of Vigil’s End.
Eddie’s cheerful features filled my HUD, >>Calling Captain Cosmos! We may have a lead!<< Sol, ever vigilant orb of Earth, materialized within orbit.
<<Oh good! I was with Bardax Prime. Just tell us when!>>
Four Suns. All on a mission to Zap Thoth the Everlasting.
Lethe plunged her hands into my chest. Keyed into the vibrations of my soul shard.
Her frown deepened. “You must be careful! At your age you shouldn’t be so reckless!”
I retorted calmly, “That is when I have to be daring!” To use the power given to me.
Our temporal lines had to be safeguarded. No matter what it cost me. Every Ur-Sleeve indexing had a purpose. To guide me on the path. Mom examined the crystal clear surface of my soul shard. Hexagonal in shape. She was recalling the moment I had emerged from the depths of Helios. Barely able to form one word together. My father pulled her away from the edge of the “lake.”
The silvered waters rose behind me. Silver Lady clasped the shriveled form of Ozymandias. “This one will serve.” The Void Man rose behind her, his black gauntleted hands grasped the Owl. The blackened sphere representing the Ninth Circle appeared. He tossed the bird head first into its churning clouded surface. Bits of my sleeve still clung to its misshapen form. A way for me to listen in.
Mordred only wanted to save his own skin from eternal torment.
Already I could hear Ozymandias lamenting, “Abbadon! You lied! This Murphy child! It is many places at once!” Mordred brought his whips down upon the blighted avian. “Silence! You are in the presence of the Lord of Lies!” I rubbed my temples. Listening to the Black Scrawl in its pure form was taxing at the best of times. Dexter snapped his fingers. The pressure receded. My shoulders relaxed. “Still not used to it.”
Even after all these cycles.
One never forgot the greatest peril. Not to the body or mind. But of the soul.
I stifled a yawn, “What next?”
I didn't want to admit it out loud but age was creeping up on me.
Cooper appeared over the crest of the hill. <<Phase Two!>> His tail did that tick tock motion that brought a fleeting smile to my face. Lucifer’s fury simmered in the background like atomic radiation. His baritone reverberated from the confines of the Ninth Circle. “She barely had the power to drive my first fallen form off of Elysium! What makes you think you can add anything to our circle Owl of Discord?!”
They still thought they could escape the Ninth. Replicate Thoth’s feat.
That was not in the cards. For unlike Thoth? These evils had bound themselves to Abbadon willingly. Thoth had never made such a pact. I had checked. I glanced up at the Silver Lady, “Chronos’ tech and splicing gave Thoth human foundations. Could that have caused an unforeseen demi focus? Or awakening?” The Void Man pulled me to my feet, “….that is an angle we considered. Further investigation is required.” The Silver Lady touched my cheek.
“Will you do this for us?”
I replied, “I shall continue to Shield the Soul of the Infinite. Until the stars go cold.”
I would not let Thoth bring about a 2nd Shattering.
Issue 25: Here
Issue 27: Here
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