11-16
11> Puffer. (Sam somam leaves Anis grav and joins Aenimcea directly, then kills Hecariël to destroy Lone's morale.)
-: "You would do well to shut your mouth, you pathetic little bird"
"You betrayed your own, together with him.. did you not"
What are you talking about.. betrayal... ??.. we but survived Janus"
-: "Deluded angel, noone ever targetted you.. yet you fought.. even on the side of Nebuchadnezzar.. against your supreme command.."
"Oh yes, it is my expertise to know these things"
"Who are you.."
-: "Sam somam, grand librarian of Hura, but you.. you are a spec from Hura.. a beautiful little statue of the gods" "You have no meaningful history"
"Arent you the daughter of the late great Ezegiel?" "How does it feel.. that no history remains but my knowledge of it.."
Continued Somam..
"Does it draw you to me?"
"Where am i anyway, let me out of these"
-: "No no no no no.. pretty girl.. You're not going anywhere.. only the lucky get out of here.." replied Somam.
?: "Just get it over with, i hate it when you play with people" A voice behind Somam emitted. "It worry's me if you're actually healthy in your head to talk to them at all"
-: "In a moment" Sam sighed. "History needs form, let me give that form to its actions"
"Where did you send the other one anyway"
?: "To the north" "Right into a division of Behi."
-: "You should have just put him in here aswell" "History likes drama" Sam somam noted walking toward the girl.
"You're talking of lone ...arent you.." The girl cried..
"He wont fall for your trap, he wont disappear from your precious history.. he will change it."
†
-
"Odyses, she might have been right you know.." "He might not fall for your trap"
"So, he got lucky then" Odyses laughed.
-
Sam somam could not help but feel greatly annoyed at the foolishness of Esys alliance; Odyses, he felt he would not bear the service of Anis grav anylonger and thus set out to the hotskinned man. "Aenimcea"
-
[20 days later, northern kenai mountain slope.]
-"I bring you news that i have set up a ploy to break their spirit, powerful lord""In fact i will let you break mine, accept me in your service"
"I cannot serve one that looks up to others"
"So you're a top dog.." "But 'why would you want to be in my service" sighed Aenimcea..
-"I have leeched off the knowledge of men to understand the Denimus, it all came down to the action of a single individual..
But he did not understand the meaning of it all, you do.. you understand the possibilities."
The hotskinned man stood up from its resting.. "It is not about possibility, it is about longing, longing to meet with possibility.. we all long to find the direction, and how far we can gaze into it"
"I 'saw you with Anis, you do interest me but you'll have to convince me"
-"I have confirmed my contact to have had one of your enemies in captivity, an angel girl.. possibly the last celestial that had not joined Esys..
'Odyses.. he told me she was with the bright haired roamer, the old prince." "That was the last she uttered, this will break his will to come after you"
-
-
12> The return. (Lone and Sidel find and join Figo and Selen, Lone promises them he will join them against Aenimcea on a specific night.)
In an underground crevice and cave, finally.. Lone and Sidel had by no mistake uncovered the location of the old king Evrae kseres.
Further back in sat his loyal and brave personal guard Orobas, still unknown to Lone and sidel to have been Selen, princess of trine, sister of Kyigei.
Lone and Sidel made both to be exhilarant in their reunion and rejoin, but what Evrae had to say was much troubling.
To the northeast, the ancient ruins of Emper.. a nation long gone since the days of King Osega of Trine, housed the original Denimus device that once spawned forth the god golem Icle.
Lone remembered this creature all to well. (see TTC CHGENERO)
Aenimcea, the hot skinned man.. was determined to activate it, that much was understood.
-
"Lone, we cant sit idly by.. if this beast man wishes to set the whole thing in motion all over again, we have to go to Emper and stop him.."
"All my men would die a second death to do so..besides it is my personal responsibility" Noted Evrae.
"Why is that so, exactly" Sidel queried.
"Because, and forgive me for keeping this from you.. i did that not to aggrevate you by grace of Trine.. I am Empers old lord.."
Evrae continued.. "I was not always a kind lord, but this was because i struggled against my council.. one that was led by magic crazy sorcerors who craved naught but magical power and spectacle"
"In the end, for my disagreement concerning Eden.. " Kseres turned to lone for a moment.. "They punished me with the vim lavos.. a magical poison that has no cure"
"This is.." Kseres stopped for a moment and turned its head toward Orobas in the corner.. "Why what you see before you now, is undead.."
"I didnt know" Lone apoligised emediately.. "Did my daughter know?"
"Your daughter" Evrae said in concern.. "The truth is she was not your daughter" "I should have told you"
"She only said so to feign right to Edens throne, the truth is her taint was from the vim lavos"
Lone felt stunned, did this mean.. Princess jui having lied about her heritage to him.. had heritage to Emper...? Perhaps even to..
"This cannot be" Lone intruded pacing. "She had the late princess blood, she had Selens eyes.."
"Yes..she did" Said Orobas from the corner. "And i left to Emper because i 'already loved its ruler, Figo"
"My old name" Evrae sighed..
Lone started to understand.. Orobas stood up and walked toward him without his helmet.. beside its old undead face still adorned the same beautiful golden hair..
This was no man, this was a woman.. this was Selen...
"My father would never have agreed, Trine and Emper werent at good terms." She then turned to Sidel. "My brothers deaths.. were not your fault, they were mine."
"And now by the vim lavos, i suffer its concequence together with your lord before you.."
-
[2 days later]
Having settled down Lone, Sidel, Figo and Selen had agreed to ..together' commit to a full on attack on Emper's region to stop Aenimcea from whatever intentions he had with the Denimus device.
"We need to stop the destruction of all of Edin, all of my men.. undead or no will join" Evrae cheered on.
"The enemy has machines unknown to this world, but my blade will resist them." Selen followed.
"My darkness will have to be stilled in its fire, this foe i have already fought and will not fear" Sidel replied.
"On the day its night, one of them told me, so be it.. i promise ill be there" Lone ensured.
"I promise, but i need to go somewhere else first" .."its important to me" distancing himself toward the cave's exit..
"Where exactly is that Lone.." Figo asked worried, placing his hand on Lones shoulder..
"We shouldnt split up again, not anymore"
Lone kept moving regardless and admitted; "There is this girl, the daughter of a old friend from Hura.." "They resided in the south, i have not found her.. or trace"
"One of their kin is truly near, in the swamp of the old Owls desert" "He lied to me in my search, i need to know why"
"Then i will come with you" Sidel called out and picked up his blade and attire, running after him.
"I promise, Figo. Once i found her, i will be at Emper." Lone still emitted as he left the crevice.
-
Vasals from four different times reunited in one, Figo at its head readied his undead kin for the coming assault on Emper. Trusting Lone and Sidel's swift return.
-
-
13> Close and Equal. (Sidel has found Anis grav and Sasariël secluded by Sam somam's leave, he kills Sasariël and wounds Anis grav, ; Lone speaks to the wounded Anis grav, finding out the truth about Sam somam and what he did to Hecariël, After this Anis grav kills himself by removing his helmet)
"Stay away from my lord" The skeletal celestial warned.. "Not one more step"
"Careful.. Sasariel.." "He carries a cloak of dark" Anis grav coughed.. planted against the rocks in the barren northern stretch of owls.
"Sidel.." Lone noted.. "Feel free to.. kill the warden, but leave Anis to me" "He is the only one here who may know where she is"
It was but a short fight, Sasariel might have been the guardian of underworlds entrance.. Sidel carried a true darkness from the depths of hybernaculuüm..
It pierced even the lesser dark of the but cursed. Engulfing it blazed amongst them.. as the wings of a murder blotting out the sun.
Sidel had changed to be the master of his affliction.
-
"Wait.." Anis grav pleaded to Lone as he sat on the ground in defeat.. "He's not here"
"Somam.. He joined with the fallen firegod.. The one called Aenimcea.."
"What are you talking about.. you dare to act surrendered?" Lone yelled while kicking Anis grav over.
"Noone is fooled, we are 'both here for answers"
"Then tell me!" "Where is Janus?!"
Anis uttered as Sasariel fell before him by Sidel's blade. Anis did not even seem to mind it anylonger..
"That is the big joke.." Lone sighed grabbing Anis by his suit pulling him closer.. "On Hura..."
Anis sat silent.. He had traveled all this way to Edin in search of his new lord only to find out he never left Hura..
And now the only way back... was through the last Denimus that was about to be the center of battle.. Not that Aenimcea would ever let him..
"Lone" ... Anis sighed deeply.. "It was Somam all along.. he has gone to .. ..his friend Odyses.. the girl never left his house.."
"But.. I.. " "I cannot exist without a lord you see.. i was but a slave to the will of the gods.." "This was never about my alliegance"
Anis slowly took off his helmet..
Now Lone understood why Anis had done everything.. including laying waste throughout his path in desperation.
Anis his face was old and pale, even falling appart..
"I cannot exist.. without a lord.. Janus..... i was given to him by the will of the late Barheire.."
"It no longer matters.. I had but days.. with some luck.." "But to go back to Hura.. ...its over"
Anis fell backward besides his guardian.
"What will you do" Sidel queried turning to Lone as his dark cloak decreased its volume. "Tomorrow will be the day it is night, you promised the undead king"
What could Lone do.. there was only one thing to do.. join the battle against Aenimcea at the ruined capital of Emper ..
"I cant.." Lone replied against his will and honor.. "I cant hold my promise" as he started walking toward the southwest..
"The angel girl?" Sidel called after him.
Lone looked back one more time and answered; "The angel girl"
-
-
14> Fury ends with you. (Against his promise to join the battle. Lone strays from his timescheme and tracks down Sam somam then executes him after he refuses to tell lone where Hecariëls body is, this makes lone unable to attend the battleplan)
The golden house in the swamp.. he had been there before.. was she there.. should he have seen through Odyses his lies?.. should he have stormed into the rooms, the stairways, the cellars.. as he had done in the church of Ter amok..
Could she still be in there after all this time..
Now arrived, Lone would lose all hope..
In front of the golden house the statue was covered in blood.. in its arms it held the lifeless body of Odyses himself..
It did not bode well..
"Luck has reunited you once again" was written before him, likely with his blood.
Inside the house stood a figure at the far end of the room before a grand glass in lead arc..
"So, it took you this long to figure it out" The figure spoke as he turned around removing a head cloth..
"You dont remember me, but i know more about your kind than you think"
"My name is Somam, but a scholar ..true.. but one that holds the understanding of all that has come to pass"
"Does that include where Hecariël is?!" Lone yelled in anger.. "You better not have done the same to her!"
"But i have!" Somam replied.. "Are you not curious why i would go to these lenghts, just for you?"
Was this man insane?, what deranged plan could justify killing her..of all people..
"You see, when a man of power plots.. they plot to gain something" Somam continued undaunted.. "When a man of wisdom plots, they plot merely to move pieces of the game"
"And so you have moved to me"
"To rip your throat out from you" Lone interrupted rushing toward Somam.
"Yes" Somam laughed as Lone wrapped his hands around his neck.. "And thus you will never know where her body is"
"Then let it be your final words" Lone spat without pause as he threw Somam into a pillar.. to unsheathe his blade.
"I may not understand a thing about you, scheming monster.."
"Then think about it.." Somam responded relatively calm still laughing.. "You will kill me? History wont mind it, do it.. but with me will die the only account. ..the only one with knowledge of it all"
"TELL ME WHERE HER BODY IS" Lone yelled on top of his lungs as he bashed Somams head through the glass in lead arc..
Somam stumbled away from Lone's trembling grip "No no no.." .. "That would ruin the story"
Holding his sword to somams neck Lone stood petrified.. this man.. had been scheming it all, since the early days of Dam.. he had caused Dimudu's madness, he had steered Ume's research on the Denimus in Eliu..
He had played with the Denimus.. and the Roamers.. and even with all of Edin.. just to have.. a story??
"Do you think i would let you do that" Somam smiled.. "Was it not wonderous"
"And now it will end with fire.."
-
"You are a beast, you did not record the history of our worlds.. you fabricated it." Lone concluded as he rose his blade..
"I may not make it to the battle, but i trust your ending will be thwarted, for i believe in my friends" "And you wont be here to record it."
"I know" Somam said now with a serious tone. "The true evils of a universe that eats itself are those who witness it."
Briefly Lone hesitated then cutted clean.
-
prelude to 15: Empers embers:
The Battle had already started, Sidel would come just in time as the armies of his undead king.. also known as Evrae Kseres would clash into thousands of burning machines dorned Curu behi.. protecting their demigod.. Aenimcea' as he worked to activate the last Denimus.
Aenimcea had found alliance with the warlocks of said capital serving Oji che whom would join in his protection and appointed Emper forests warrior champion' Tabieto to the task of leading the Curu behi against siege.
-
-
15> Empers Embers. (The great battle)
But much unlike his expectation Sidel had still come too late, the woods of Emper were lit with the golden glow of a soaring fire, the sharp metal sounds still rose up from the chaos snapped him out of his serenity of disbelief letting him realise the chaos ensued.
Yes, too late.. as he rushed gracefully through Evrae's undead and Aenim's curu behi machines.. noticing the splatter in one of the pockets of room between, Evrae's guardian Orobas.. only just to have been revealed to be the dissapeared Selen of Trine butchered, with her sword still stuck unforgiven by her cold grasp like a painting..
Only a slight further by another pocket the remains of Aenim's freshly appointed general of battle.. the woodland champion Tabieto.. he had been slaughtered mercilessly by a hateful three pronged wound, signature of Evrae's spear. He had gotten his revenge.
"The F#!CK are you standing there for, over here ..Sidel!!"
a all to familiar voice pierced the moment of fluid regret losing its grip on reality oncemore..
And just in time, Sidel could barely dodge the razor sharp blades of an onslaught in number, the machines knew no fatigue. Quickly he slided under them as they clashed into the just as persistant undead, landing next to Evrae behind a waist high lump of dirt.
"I.. im sorry about .." "I just arrived, but Lone.. he wouldnt..well.. the angel girl.."
"Will you shut it already" Evrae interrupted Sidel as if he had already expected to go against all odds..
"I need you to be yourself" "No.. I need you to be what you truly are" "We need to push through right now, its just one more.."
"What do you mean" Sidel pondered being at a loss regardless of his skill, the undead would never be enough, the machines would simply use the parts of the fallen ones beside them to repair eachother and fight on a never ending resistance..
could two ..though greatly experienced men truly push through a wall of metal that sliced through bone?
"I.. cant" Sidel panicked.. "We cant Evrae.. be realistic, we have to wait for lone.."
Evrae grabbed Sidels hair "Hell we will, when i just said i needed you to be yourself i meant use the darkness you have gained, use it.!!"
Sidel understood, but he had tapped into the last of his energy fighting the corpse angel Sasariël.. he was simply done. "I cant use it anymore, im afraid the curse has dried up"
"Not if i give you mine" Evrae insisted..
The Vim lavos.. Evrae's undead curse.. if Evrae would give him that, his new powers could run rampant.. but that would mean...
"It would kill me..."
Sidel looked Evrae in the eyes...
"But it never has done to you.."
"Very well" Sidel wholeheartedly consented.. "For Lone.."
"Nah" Evrae joined.. "For the sake of the world again"
-
Evrae placed his hand on Sidel's face and in a swift movement stabbed himself through his palm engulfing him in the curse of the vim lavos living in place of Evrae's absent blood..
The result could not have been forseen.. Instead of gaining the curse of the vim lavos.. Sidel's dark curse emediately leeched Evrae's curse dry, making itself master over it.
Renewed and much empowered, Sidel's dark curse though still moved by his will in a wisp coexistance lifted his body up into the air on a zound unseen legs of the darkest smoke, bending slightly over the metal and undead that were but a pool of ants to it.. and moved forward..
"This ..is it.." Evrae coughed struggling after it toward the temple in the distance where Aenimcea would be tampering with the final Denimus device..
His loyal mindless.. the apocalyptic army of Curu behi machines posed a threat no longer, Sidel.. carried by the risen embodiment of darkness itself moved forward fearlessly, pushing, imploding, disintegrating anything in its way..
-
Then, at the very steps to the temple.. one last obstacle remained.
Oji che. The arch mystic of Emper, he who had governed the wizards of Emper's control on Evrae when he still ruled as a human..emperor Figo.. It was Oji che who now controlled the Curu behi with a mighty conjuration..
Unintimidated he turned to Sidel and in but a single redirecting cast of of his magick crushed the darkness to earth..
"If anything uses the powers of the unseen realm here, it is my incantation" The arch mystic hackled in a misplaced cheerfulness.
"Go.. i will.. do what i can" Sidel emitted standing back on his feet, still bent forward and in pain.. his faithful scimitar in hand.
And by no warning bumrushed toward Oji che who now had no choice than turn toward him, dropping the incantation and with it the whole army in the plains..
Together they fell to the ground, Oji che with Sidel's scimitar through him neck to chest.. Sidel truly exhausted.
"I will end this, you wont go in vain.." Evrae comforted Sidel.. he himself struggling to stay upright..
"Though it might have killed me too"
"Its fine"... Sidel said in pain.. still trying for a smile.. "right?"
"Just.." "Figo..." "I used to know someone just like you two.."
"Who?" Evrae (Figo) replied..
Sidel groaned as his blood started leaking out from the corner of his mouth in his deadly embrace..
"Ill see him again right?" "Kyigei" "The reason i joined lone.." was because he reminded me of him"
"Lone"... Evrae sighed, and briefly sat down beside Sidel.. "I once wanted to be like him"
"But now ... that im human again... how can i.."... "Sidel?"... "...."...
Evrae rose up.. and turned toward the stairs of the temple..
Sidel was no more, and the eerie silence cryed the louder.
---
-
16> (Ending) The day its night. (Lone confronts Aenimcea) .
"Stop you fucking fiend" Evrae kseres yelled as he crawled through the temple's entrance bloodied..
before him at the end of the well lit room Aenimcea stood tending to his effigy; the glorious mother of all Denimus.
"You are too late" Aenimcea calmly growled. "But i am really impressed you made it through"
"Ready to see the best part, the moment that the Denimus will finally remove the barriers between worlds, space.. and time"
"so coming to a close a grand life of these universae, to return us all to what we truly are.."
"We are not all roamers" Evrae coughed lifting his spear..
"Truly.." Aenimcea answers as calm.. "You still think you can stop it"
Then just for a moment time could convince you it had ceased.. the two men's gaze meet and know there is no other way.
With all his strenght Evrae throws his trident spear right at Aenimcea as he cries out "For Lone i will"
Then his uncursed mortal body smashes into the entrance's pillar behind him, a hole burned through his whole chest..
Aenimcea had in the same moment fired a concentrated burst of blazing light..
Then as the at long last death came to Evrae..
Aenimcea slowly turned around toward the Denimus device...
Evrae's spear had pierced its heart, resting pole deep through its center.
/music end/
-
/following segment after music, in silence/
The day after lone walked through the heaps of dead, pitch black tar bled machines, sanguine field of his family.
"Selen" He noticed her as he pushed onward... "My sweet...Selen"
"Sidel..." He paused at his old friend's body. "I.. should have been here"..
Feelings of immense guilt tormented him as he entered the temple..
"Even Evrae..." He was shocked to find, ridden of his immortal curse, now dead.
"And Aenimcea" ... sitting on the floor still at the Denimus damaged beyond repair..
"Kill me then" Aenimcea sighed.. "What does it truly matter now"
Lone sat down beside Aenimcea.
"It wont"
He realised they were the only two people left in the area, and both roamers.. for some reason regardless of what had happened he felt more at ease not to strike.
Besides, he had quenched his revenge on Somam.
Aenimcea turned his head toward lone and questioned him..
"Do you feel it was just to kill your enemy".. "And have me.. kill your friends"
Lone looked back at Aenimcea .. shortly paused in thought and then replied..
"The true evils of a universe that eats itself are those who witness it".
-
((
Hura.
-
At the edge of the woods sat a man gazing upon the skyline of Dam, behind him a contraption connected to the mountains of Edin.
His posture devastated, his beliefs destroyed, in front of him the distance toward the capital.
Perhaps he had once meant to insult the roamers directly, but his opponent had interpeted these words differently.
His story would have no purpose afterall, as who would mind it if those who had been tormented by it most did not acknowledge it..
One who did cut clean, beside him.
"You were right... Dimudu" Somam cried in existential agony.. then threw himself off the cliffs. ))
-
Fin.