Issue 19: Fused at the Hip
My sister and I lived out many lifetimes. At each point the Ur-Stone traveled through the cycles to replenish its Sleeve templates. Unlike the Nothing? The Oversoul would ask us each time. We would give a part of ourselves to that those Sleeves could continue the mission. It was why our Sleeve copies could be reconstituted to our main bodies within this Final Cycle. Unlike Chronos.--Dexter Murphy
My “daughter” does not see the truth. The Oversoul means to use this Ninth Circle as a bullet fired from a gun. Into the very essence of the Nothing. They have no idea. These little lights? I will devour them all. Lucifer wishes to know my will? I shall give it to him. We all have our roles to play. Who’s strings shall I allow to exist?--Chronos
I always wondered why I lived out countless cycles without Lethe being reborn. It was the only way to hide the Tears she had stolen from the Nothing that day.--Private Log
The Inner Eye
Oversoul’s Domain
White Scrawl Retrieval
Lethe cradled her arm as the Tear burned.
The demi twins where nowhere to be found.
White Scrawl poured from her mouth. It coiled tightly about her arm. Black tears fell from her forearm as the poison was slowly drawn out. A set of stones formed. High above her a silver waterfall flowed. Her breath frosted the air as she climbed. She cradled her arm to her side. Heaven sealed itself off. Its great marbled bridges dissipated. The mortal realm was torn asunder. A red wave rose. The middle rings clamored. Thronebears sealed what remained. Not one drop of the Devourer breached the highest abode.
The Nothing.
It had managed to plant its claws into the mortal realm. Forever sundering all planes of reality. A bench formed from the stairs. She sat heavily. A man with a white robe approached. She couldn’t see his face clearly.
“The Ouros will bring forth souls countless times. It hates, it yearns, its base desires will tempt Mortalkind.”
Lethe asked, “What happened to the Twins?”
The man replied, “Reborn. Into the first cycle dominated by mortals. This place will be sealed off until the Convergence can reform the balance.”
Lethe winced as the Tear vibrated. It howled its defiance. It was a piece of the Nothing.
The man pressed one palm to her half healed arm. The pain dissipated for a while.
“It has the Ruler’s Tear.”
The man’s features cleared. He had a neatly trimmed beard.
He responded gently, “Yes. The Oversoul escaped the Nothing. Defied the entropy and seeded mortal kind within the first layer.” He indicated the view around them. Lethe whispered, “We couldn’t say within this garden.”
The Highest replied, “Not in your mortal form. The soul however? That will be blessed and sent out onto the next cycle. But we have a different request of you.”
He ran his fingers over the wound. It sealed.
“The Spear and Shield were meant to cleanse this Tear.”
He fell silent as the realization made Lethe shiver.
∞
I groaned.
My hands tightened about a simple stone spear.
The grass and flowers shifted. My sister rolled to her hands and knees. Her form had changed. Adorned in gray furs. Bits of leather. I focused. A spark of flame danced on the edge of my spear. My sister rose stiffly. Rocks formed about her arms. She concentrated. Her weathered face broke into a grin.
Twin stone shields floated a hairsbreadth from her skin.
“We must protect. I know that much. The Nothing? We must prepare.”
“Find his Tear.”
Gray shapes closed in around us. Their obsidian eyes devoid of life.
Black Scrawl pulsated under their skin.
I raised my spear. Their emaciated forms multiplied. My sister moved in. Back to back we faced down the entities formed by the Nothing. Even the reborn Thronebearers of Elysium were not ready for this. My muscles burned as I hurled my spear into the head of another drone.
Unlike our Sleeve forms these dissipated upon death.
I turned to my sister, “We must find the tribe. Teach them!”
She knelt. Her fingers curled about her temples.
“I cannot remember the signs.”
A trickle of blood ran from her nose.
The mark. She had saved Lethe. But at what cost?
The Jupiter Rising
In route to Earth
February 9th 5490 A.C
Catherine Bel snarled, “It was always him. It.”
Chronos. I had often wondered who would end up being the primary avatar for the Devourer. It had so many names. The Lord of Many Eyes. The Twisted Spire. Devil. Fiend. Every religion had its call sign. No matter the name. It consumed everything. Body and soul if one allowed it. Dexter leaned back into the webbing of the weapon’s station. His eyes locked onto me.
“Have all your remaining Sleeve archives linked up?”
“Yes. They are ready for Living Stone reliquaries.”
Dexter called out to Jupiter, “Alter course to Typha. We have a stoneworks to visit!”
I rested my hand on her shoulder. The skin was hard. No body heat. No wonder she didn't want anyone to get too close. Her dark blue eyes glittered. Her demi uniform flowed over her body. As she drew her silver cloak over her shoulders she faded from view. A small push on my back let me know she was there.
Typha
C’alain’s Masterworks
Catherine Bel smiled. Living Stone suited her.
It was no longer the soulless constructs of the Eden Cycle.
Made to contain the souls of past cycles who yearned to pass on their knowledge. For the Murphys it would free up their minds for the task ahead. They had been reincarnated countless times. One mind was not enough to hold so many rebirths. All of their enemies had played to the tune of a singular piper. So insidious that they never even realized it. Much like the old Void Walker drones each of the would be tyrant had scrambled at the chance of owning one sliver of the Nothing.
Not realizing they had already given everything over to it.
While she may not have committed those acts? Her body had been an instrument for evil.
Chronos would burn and she would light the match. As a warning to the next 1000 generations that some things should remain sealed between the void of stars.
She muttered, “Why even let that evil escape?”
She watched as Eliza stiffened.
The Typherian next to her turned. Her gaze alert. Bel flowed past. It was a serviceable cover. Lorain Lanis’ actions gave it away though. For any who knew her. No wonder they only met on the ship. None could miss the connections otherwise. Bel was only a 3rd Tier within the Protectorate but now ranking system made sense. One giant trap for not only Lucifer but for all of them. With nothing left to hop into? What kind of vessel could Chronos take?
∞
The rest of the Living Stone was transported to the cargo hold.
I knew what was coming next. Silver Fox had spelled it out for me.
My mind and even my brother’s wasn't enough to contain all of our eons of Sleeve memory. My mini vacation with Doc would come to an end. Mystic phased through the ship. Tagging every bit we had transported from Typha. It was listed as medical supplies. In a way it was going to be medicine. My father lassoed us to the stone.
I was shocked when he did the same to Lorain.
My confusion dissipated when I saw the energy form around her.
Lethe had finally joined us proper.
The room shifted.
Three marble slabs rose. Mine sparked with golden light. My brother’s shifted to blue. While Doc’s gleamed silver. The first Sleeve form resonated. I watched as she materialized from the wall. A silver shield clasped in her hands. Clothed in hunting furs.
“This is the only way. We will help you seal the Ninth for good.”
Her speech was archaic. I could understand it. For she allowed it. For Lorain only Lethe manifested. As each form departed from us the room filled with endless protectors. Finally a face I had glimpsed half my life rested one hand on my forearm.
Silver Fox herself.
Eventually the only memory left to me was my current iteration. My adventures within the Edenverse. Now my father’s words made sense. The line: My children are within each star. That vision hadn’t been space. Not as I knew it. My father had seen the Golden Path. Each pinprick of light had been one of our Sleeves. Not a distant copy that would fade into red dust. That was the way of the Nothing. Of Chronos.
∞
J’ino pulled Silver Fox and Bel into a side room. Then promptly sealed it.
“What was that Grail Ceremony really for?”
Silver Fox replied, “To give us more Living Stone wardens. Where we are going? There is no return. Not even for Aether.”
Catherine Bel saw the realization hit.
She added, “It was our choice. From the beginning. Within each cycle. Our hopes will live on within the Banner. Fox laid it all out for me during the rituals to heal Mrs. Brookes. I volunteered. I want to tear into….”
Bel’s jaw clenched. “Others have a life here. Good ones. I’m….”
Fox cleared her throat, “Evil cannot just be contained. It has to be actively fought tooth and nail. The Ninth Circle will be a bullet. But not in the way the Nothing believes.”
J’ino trembled.
“Is there no other way? Are all the reborn souls….”
Silver Fox rested her hands on the Typherian’s shoulders.
“No other way. Dexter and Eliza managed to save as many from Helios as they could.”
The Shield Worlds had done the same for the living.
“That was why the 42nd century sent out that pulse. It was to….”
Silver Fox nodded, “Transportation. For those within the past, present and future of the Eden Cycle. Alongside those we had managed to hide during other cycles. Like Emris. The Collective. Even the Intez.”
Bel added, “The Oversoul can see everything. This final cycle will give all of Creation the best start we can manage. That is the legacy your sons and daughters will shepherd.”
Bel managed a burst of laughter. Dry as it was.
“People will rally behind the Banner but she will not fall that day.”
∞
It was odd. My mind was truly my own again.
A clear line of memory.
I had been so used to either the jumble of imprints upon my mind or the holes of swiss cheese that it had been nearly second nature to me. Dexter and I had true memories of our rescue from the remains of Z’har. We really had attended the auxiliary flight academy. Being depowered at the time had helped us blend in as standard humans. We had learned. Grew into this new realm of possibility. The world would need us once more. Lethe approached. I reached out, “Take care of her!” She knew of whom I spoke. Her features were fine. A traditional willowy build. I rose from the marble slab. Circling the room. Just letting my muscles adjust to their former patterns.
“No wonder they had me as a sponge. That way you all could have direct sensory input of all sorts of abilities. Enemy or otherwise!”
I lifted from the ground. My eyes burned as I closed them.
Every bit of power I had manifested as the Star-Spangled Banner was in place.
A warm hand curled about my ankle. My eyes cooled.
I opened them. Lorain giggled, “There’s the Eliza I know!”
I reached down to scoop Doc up.
Lethe turned as Silver Fox appeared.
The first. The opposite of Chronos. Silver Fox was the Main Sleeve Avatar of the Oversoul. It made me wonder about Dexter’s counterparts. If she was indeed that first demi I saw within Lethe’s memories. Where was his? It must have been part of the plan. When I had awoken there had only been Lethe and a few others lingering from my Sleeve recall rites.
Nothing of Dexter’s.
I’d ask mom.
∞
J’ino fixed her daughter’s hair.
It was an old habit but she couldn't help herself.
It had always been a wild element. Flight powers had never helped.
Eliza was whole. Those same gray with black combination. Not as uncommon as before. Since many Typherians were able to intermingle with humanity. Eliza set Doc down. “What about Dexter?”
“He’s with his father. While this was the main ritual room to separate you from your past selves or….reincarnations? The male and female were given adjoining rooms.”
Silver Fox called out, “There is need for boundaries. There are some things men need to examine in private as well.”
Eliza responded, “Ok. One question! Who are the Void Man and Silver Lady then? If you are...”
Fox grinned, “They are the cosmic element of the Oversoul. Much like certain layers of Aspects. There are pieces on the board that have to be a bit extra dimensional.”
∞
“So how did you and your counterpart come into play?”
Silver Fox indicated her living stone form. “The Oversoul molded us from his body then breathed life into us. Then he bathed us in the waters of Heaven to grant us a mortal soul.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, “So what does that make the Highest?”
“He’s the Overoul’s first true son.”
Silver Fox formed a red thread. It spooled between my mother and myself.
“We don’t have a direct blood line to him. He was molded to assist his father. Us. Thronebearers. The whole chess board. So to speak!”
“So after the Heaven event each time we were born to mortal parents instead.”
“Correct.”
I waved down another one of the Sleeve Wardens. She bowed, “Indeed! You weren't always born to humans either!” Her J’kua features were stenciled with a line that bisected her face. Light Shaman wards tickled my skin.
She winked, “Don’t worry about keeping track of names. Its all still quite new for everyone. But I do want to thank you for letting me have those martial lessons for Weave fighting. It will come in handy!”
I rolled my shoulders. “Don’t worry mom! I won’t say it.”
Out loud anyway.
Doc pressed her palms to my back.
“She has nodes!”
Issue 18: Here
Issue 20: Here
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