Issue 4: Coin Toss
I see. The castoffs of all that is good and pure in this failed multiverse want a piece of me. No. It is Abel they want. That piece of him I have locked away.--Cain.
They all dance to the music I put forth. The Oversoul thinks to remake the tapestry. How does he hope to sour my notes?--Dreamweaver
...and so it was: the first murder. Committed upon the new Earth. From that blood sprang forth the first invokers. Those who control the White Scrawl of Creation. Known by many names. Steeped in the first magics of the Universe.--Light Records: First Age of Humanity
With each cycle the seed of all Sleeves grow. Have you ever wondered why clones don’t work? Besides the fact of no soul besides the donor to siphon from? --Arcane Order Archives
From birth to death? All are caught within the cycle. This time I shall change it to my liking. Each time he attempts to bring forth the Thread of Creation. I counter with Decay. It is the way of things.--Dreamweaver
Final Home Shield Hub
Light Mirror Network
Date Redacted
This was it. All the best laid plans.
There was no room for failure. My back twitched. The old scars from the Climb reminding me of that journey. A majority of people wouldn’t remember me. Not as I was. Or would be. They would only know of one glorious cycle. Spread across the ligaments of time and space. Demis would evolve as intended. To maintain the physical against the breaches the Ninth Circle would obtain.
But they would be a pale shadow of their former master.
Lorain’s hand hovered over the crystal.
On the other side? Thoth. The Tears. The Knife.
I peered at my Chrono. I noted quietly, “Hey. Would you look at that. Not a Monday!”
The iris opened. White hovered nearby. Her humanoid form with one crucial addition. The flutter of wings gave away her concern. She leaned in, “Is this the only way?” I tapped the side of my head with one index finger, “The Highest and Oversoul gave me a choice. How could I say no? Not when all I hold dear is on the line.”
I gave her the last feather. “Keep this for me.”
The edges were caked with soot. The only specks of white towards the middle portion.
My mind expanded. Every memory laid bare. Across all my lifetimes. From the beginning to this end. I was armed with the one weapon Thoth would not be able to deny. Even as he wielded that ugly blade. I held back a grimace as I recalled the cold metal of his “claws.” I would leave the records of the Climb with the Unseen Order.
The arid blast of the Di’auth, the Deepest Dreaming, pulled me in.
I stepped through. Thoth turned from the pitch black mirror. Half his face a ruin.
The way sealed shut behind me.
He stepped forward. One milky eye leaked. Black Scrawl puddled at his feet.
His burnt lips pulled back. “My dear niece.”
He eyed my old Banner uniform with open distaste. “Ready to die on your old standard? There is nothing left inside of you. Not even what you deem demi powers.”
My arms trembled. My body was reacting to the Weaver’s Tears.
Switched so long ago.
I remembered the first lesson my father ever taught me.
“It's not the power that makes you. It's what you do with it that matters most.”
∞
Cain led his adversaries on a merry chase.
His eyes liquid heat within the perpetual dark of his realm.
What did that Thronebearer hope to accomplish here? The Black Scrawl rejuvenated his ruined flesh each time the horrid words were spoken. Cain went sprawling as another round of holy sigils burned into his flesh. He snarled, “Hells take you!”
The massive brute had the audacity to smile. The rest of the do-gooder’s features were shrouded behind a black cowl lined with gold and silver markings. All Thronebearers, those that remained from Elysium’s Fall, had that sanctimonious aura about them. This one though? Cain plunged his hands into the blighted earth. The soundless cry of the condemned answered his call.
Skeletal forms rose. Their bones the color of red flame.
“I call upon the Endless!”
∞
With a flick of my wrist my white trident blazed. The air was thick. Heat emanated from each minion converging upon our position. Black marveled, >>These were made from the First City of Man!<<
A small spark of their souls remained. Taleer tossed silver cubes into the fray. Chains materialized around us. Upon each exposed crimson bone they burned golden sigils into the Tortured Host. They were already condemned. Trading their immortal soul shard for a place with Cain. I slammed my trident into the putrid ground. My hands before me. Cosmic fire blazed from each palm. The dice was cast. It was time for the spotlight to turn.
The Endless fled back into the blighted lands.
A croaking voice called out, “Death! True arbiter!”
Meathook’s aura flashed against my senses.
∞
Cain moved. His belly soaked with ash, bone meal and blood. The Hidden One. Why reveal himself? His skin prickled as the cosmic fire spewed forth overhead. One of the motes of the Oversoul. Grown from countless cycles. What the First of Firsts called Arbiters. Mortals given power beyond Thronebearer levels. Cain never bothered to learn why. Their touch would tear his soul’s fragments asunder. He reached out. Blackened vines encircled Meathook.
The sullen Artock hybrid stilled.
Cain smirked, “What shall it be?!”
His fingers flexed.
The Arbiter spread his wings. Unlike the black of the Fallen? These reflected the deep dark of the cosmos. Cain hissed. His eyes burned. He turned away. Letting the Black Scrawl carry him away. He shouted mockingly, “Find me within the Garden!”
If this savior wanted Abel? This arbiter would face the worst the Dreamweaver could throw at him. He reached out to pull the chain. The doorway opened. Within the central foyer a human figure hung. His limbs entwined around thorny outcroppings. Each small wound bled. Not enough to kill. Just enough for Cain’s enjoyment.
A gaping hole in his chest where one rib used to reside remained. Abel met Cain’s gaze. His rich voice ragged from eons of suffering, “The world shakes. Can you hear it?” Abel’s eyes were hooded. Cain reached up to twist the thorns.
“Dear Brother. I care not.”
Abel sucked in a breath. “You will. Upon the edge of the World. You shall dive into the Abyss. Never to rise. Another will take your place.”
∞
Abel’s vision narrowed.
His time within this prison would end. Mirror upon Mirror would collide. Bringing forth a new realm. These were already dead men. Their souls bound to the Dreamweaver. That one would only rule dust and ash. For Abbadon would consume this reality whole. Just not in the way he intended. All those who resided within the cycles past and hence would be reborn into a realm unending. Cain would never listen.
Abel felt the tug of the thorns.
That yellowed fiend grated, “It’s Thoth isn't it?!”
Pain erupted down his spine as the creature tugged.
Bright blue orbs formed. Meathook yowled. His form went flying. A heavy thunk followed. Abel let the healing glow infuse his muscles with renewed vigor. Lethe was truly with him. She would help the Shielded One find his rib. All would be made whole. High above them the world vibrated. Abel sighed.
The Twin Rules moved. Along all cycles.
From cradle to grave the Trees of Life would capture the soul within amber.
For this new realm to exist? The Murphy Twins would inherit the Tears of All.
Forever circling one another.
“Forgive us our trespasses….”
Lethe would not have to bear the burden much longer.
∞
I heard Abel’s refrain even as Taleer fired off another burst from his rifle. His soul sigils lighting up the area in a vibrant chromatic spray.
He shouted over the coms, <<1001, 1002, double creature feature for you!>>
If it made him feel better why stop the tally? I sucked in a breath. Flames poured forth. What remained of the ailing tree husks floated away by the burst of demi energy. I channeled my Thronebearer Aura through my Trident. It rose. White lightning shredded the few remaining hoards of Endless that dared to be stupid enough to impede my progress to Cain’s fallen “garden.”
Our enemies held a mote of the Dreamweaver within them. Like the Oversoul? Only a few were being built up to be more. Only our side didn’t deem people expendable. Even now Meathook’s body soaked up the ruinous energies of this place. Not to feed himself. No. Through that necklace he prized so much? He fed the Dreamweaver. Preparing the way for his broken version of an Arbiter. All that was left was to move himself and Eliza into their proper places. That sliver of the future burned brighter behind his eyelids every day.
The promise beyond this broken universe.
The Ninth Circle would have its jailers. My sister and I would be the Sword and Shield made so none of them would be able to escape to pollute the reformed worlds. Even now I smiled through the pain as we hacked away at the thorny underbrush. My sister would have her dream. So would I. No one would ever be alone within the depths ever again.
Many would believe it to be the original Earth. Far from it.
The silver skyline of New Ashbury beckoned.
Reborn.
Within the Depths
Unity Universe
Date Redacted
Thoth watched as the dragon advanced.
Its ghastly bony claws picked through the corpses of stars and planets. His body was nearly whole again. Unity’s prized pet. Z’har something or other? It had been so long. With only his clawed weapons to keep him company. Whispering the secrets of the Dreamweaver. The knife rested against his chest. Its crimson sigils beating in time with his heart. He would show them all. Stupid pathetic creatures of meat and bone. Even Abbadon’s hold over his soul was a mere cover.
He had bound himself to the Dreamweaver.
Eliza Murphy thought to gain the Souls of the First.
Thoth smiled. He would not make it easy. Those beings were already spoken for!
∞
I paused on the temple steps. The readouts didn’t lie.
My connection to the Arcane Order was diminishing. With every feather I sacrificed to bolster mortals, demis, Bardiaxians, or others that dwelled within the void between the stars. I wasn't just aiming to save those I loved. Those within the past and future needed a chance to bloom properly. Silver Fox made it clear. We were playing for the very soul of Creation. I couldn't afford to loose. An elderly human man reached up to pat my arm.
“It will get better!”
Around his neck was a simple cross. Steel and twine.
His skin was tanned from working in the fields.
His eyes widened. He pressed the talisman to my forehead, “By the grace of the All Mighty...” My H.U.D updated.
///Father Arkus. 3rd Circle Priest of the Three.///
He repeated a few rites. His aura linked with mine.
The Prime Words. Left to the Light Shamans of the First Age.
“It flies with hidden wings.” He gripped my hand. “This way.”
As we walked through those gleaming white halls bedecked with tapestries I felt the tension leave my body. A trio of guards bowed as we ascended to the top floor of the temple. Their simple armor belied the powerful enchantments ringing against my skin. Another feather fell. Absorbed into the foundations of the Temple.
This power? I had never wanted it. Being the Star Spangled Banner had been enough for me. I rested my palms on the simple gold-lined door. A white tree engraved upon its surface. Much like…
O’rioh and his brother.
Each of us had a piece of the puzzle.
Father Arkus tugged on his square shaped graying beard.
“I do not question your mission child. You will find what you seek inside. Faith protect you!”
Lorain took one handle. Sul grasped the other.
The doorway creaked open.
On a plain straw pillow rested a curved bone of white.
Issue 3: Here
Issue 5: Here
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