haunting gray color fell over the moon. a floating steel tower, several in fact. Scattered among the sky with its own debris orbiting around it. Long muffled blasts of Hailionite stars colliding and bouncing off each-other with a grave aluminum wobble. Some would get close with an unfit pair and crackle like electricity. It’s echo was dissonant, spreading across the galaxy. A galaxy without starlight absent of common colorful glories beheld in other systems. Astrum-null was a mysterious nightmare.
“The first tower you see is lord Tempest, the smaller one king saffron .and the eastern, king Ramodius. “
“Who are they?”
“Dormant generals of war, they are legions of a superior reserve force ready to be wakened at any hour, but they’ve been asleep for centuries “
"Once the first truce with Dark realm was made. we were told to halt all our weapon productions and focus on peace time operations. coincidently a meteorite found its way to us and once we learned of its power. we could use its cosmic energy to fight wars in the future. the worry of being behind faded from existence. She said, running her hands through the tall grass.
They came up to a small market set up beside a straw hut, in its fenced backyard. small children sized hooded figures gathered around gray fire. A hunched older woman dressed in the same tattered brown rag. extended a tarnished chalice to them. filled halfway with dark red beans. Nexus dropped a handful from her pocket into her cup and the woman backed away.
“What were those?”
“The seeds or the demons?”
Having answered his question twice. he dismissed it and kept walking through the strange world, the light of clashing hailionites above flickered enough light to traverse this world. And like lightning the failed pairs held a stronger flash of light.
“ our technological advances sprung. and allowed us to harvest the enzymes that made up the meteorite. the machine would expose lactic cells to enzymes and destroy them. causing an outburst of energy. we harvested the energy, and a new age of bioweapons had come. The reaper, you can see it there on the horizon “
Large remains of fallen Beasts littered the prairie, horns reaching for the stars. but the gray shards poking at the sky on the horizon were more impressive.
“It’s been abandoned since the old wars “
“What is it made of?”
“Creation stone. a rare ice colored meteorite that holds genetic material, not that you could see it la true beauty in this universe “
She stared out at it as she passed the skull bigger than them both combined. running her fingers along its tall horn.
As they got closer to the colossal deca star shaped meteorite, he began to make out a curved stairwell. leading up to an accessible point of the meteorite that speared high in front of many other massive fanned out crystals.
“It’s as tall as one of your six-story buildings on Earth.”
Getting closer she froze. startled by the upright slumbering figure, its mummified arms crossing one another along its chest. chained inside the rectangle-shaped chamber. that was carved above the second highest point of the crystal spire housing the vials that would collect the creation stones bioenergy.
“He reversed engineered the reaper; it’s making sense now…”
she muttered.
“What?”
She pointed to the Sevorian's body. housed in the siphoning chamber of the meteorite.
“He’s placed where you would normally put the vials to collect energy, there seems to be holes drilled for …
“Feet and hands “Adonis interrupted
“Exactly, it looks like your feet and hands should be placed.
and I guess the siphoning process would start at the top and the injecting phase at the bottom where you will be “
Adonis stood with the machine in his eyes from a distance, coming to understand the procedure he was about to undergo. everything he had done led him to this, to take the place of an ancient warrior. how limited his imagination used to be, never having thought that now he was about to be reborn into the ranks of a distant underworld. and crowned protector of creation. Half of his dreams had finally come true, but Emma was missing and so was his mother.
“This will not be a kind procedure, “she said
“I wouldn’t have it any other way…”
Adonis took off his Armor and left it there by her feet. Approaching the reaper. taking his first steps on the pearly granite stairwell. reaching the holes in the crystal bridge. he took off all of his clothes and took one last look up at the siphoning chamber, the mighty Forefather. chained up inside the hollowed crystal. the light blue creation stone smoked around him like dry ice.
“This is what we have been waiting for”
Placing his feet first in the holes, now locked in by a metallic cuff. locking the second his weight settled. below him awoke the ancient cogs and chains within the reaper. He could hear them clank and turn. and watched the thick
Silver needles shoot out all around the Sevorian,
ready to feed off its preserved genes.
“For glory, for freedom …” it quivered in fear.
Adonis stuck his hands wrist deep into the creation stone, just to be cuffed and bound to the machine.
A buzzing of energy, and then a loud zap and pop startled him. A drawn-out silence, and then the cogs started clunking loudly. as well as the powerful buzzing of energy commencing the process. Needles shot up under his feet and through his heels, his wrists, through the bones in his knuckles. The initial shock set in before the pain. As the machine loudly sucked expelling air and that loud popping static energy. The sound repeated until the mummy above him was thinner and completely siphoned. The reaper began to inject what felt like cold air into his bones and muscles. It felt like the sting of ice but underneath your skin. and then it started coursing throughout his entire body his lower, mid back and chest muscles. eventually he could feel the sensation throughout the top of his head and eyes. A loud hiss released the needles from his hands and feet but before he could drop to the floor in agony. He was speared again in the exact same places. but they opened up as if someone stuck their hand under your skin and spread out their fingers.
grabbing and twisting his skin tightly. it pulled the skin from the top and bottom of his body until a line of blood formed around his entire torso. The flesh from his body was torn in two large separate pieces. waist down and waist up. slurped up into the top and bottom of the machine with a wet whipping sound. He screamed not because he was in pain but the horror of what was happening to him.
Now the machine was sewing at lightning speed The Sevorian’s pale skin to his red muscle. with long metallic arms, to sew parts farther away from the machine like his face and back. the pain began to seize as new flesh started to panel him. and eventually, the entirety of his body. The reaper was done. Retracting it’s surgical claws back up into the siphoning chamber. he hunched over, hairless. pale. from his perfectly white smooth head. horns began to grow out of his skull breaking the skin, curling upward. The spire master, mesmerized as he grew in height and muscle mass. in his new powerful form.
Deep In the southern quadrant of Aethoria, through the teeth of a stalagmitten cave, the way is natural and untouched by mortal hands. Mist still slumbers over the dirt here and the path descends. The only light here are bio-luminous patches on the cave walls and ceiling worms that have created strands of blue glowing silk to catch their prey.
An underground ecosystem, fraught with aphotic life. undated stones that have seen Aethoria in her most primal days
There the grandmaster of the planet thrives in communication and communion with the grandmaster of the universe.
Eupatorus Gracilicornis, the horned god.
Having taken the shape of the earth-bound rhinoceros beetle, its intelligence is striking due perhaps to its evolutionary massive size.
Not only does it know but it’s connected physically bound to the planets signal core by an umbilicus chord. Like many of mother’s grand creations they are grown, handcrafted, perfected. By this chord. the horned god maintains synchronization with cosmic vibrations that it deciphers through vibration as well. Elite Nyxori have been trained to understand the horned god's rhythms, the sound waves are understood as detailed intuitions to the recipient, nothing further outlines or is written of how this dialect was first understood or how it exactly works. And now Adonis is sensing them, sensing the specific guidance of the grandmasters.
Malumbratharros has finally fulfilled its purpose, mother is finally at ease. her tides of rage are slowing down, and her plan can finally begin now that the earth is threatened by the anomaly no more.
Returning to her domain with Adonis as proof of the machine's success, her father prepared his legions for war, giving Adonis one last word before they headed back to earth.
“You have fought the breadth of this fight alone, now let us finish it. find her and bring our sister home “Nyxoriaemon said.
Zachariah was pulled from the lake by his soldiers and was welcomed back with open arms by Orion, but the holy council was furious.
“he’s alone”
“Yes, but I’m sure he has great news “
Orion smiled watching Zachariah find his footing on shore, he squatted down taking a breath. Orion's smile faded and he asked firmly.
“Did you find him?”
Zachariah stood and embraced Orion.
“You know I did, let’s drink and I can tell you the plan”
Inside the bunker the council questioned him doubting him.
“Tell us exactly what you found and why you have come empty handed! “
Zachariah kept walking up the stairs as if he was going to the meeting room but then he saw Emma there in the spare room to his right strapped to a gurney, gagged. her eyes fixed on him.
In a second, Zachariah stepped back and quickly shut the heavy door, locking it and using an empty gun to seal it.
He stood there until he was sure they couldn’t get in listening to their attempts to shoulder it in.
“Leave him there, once the inquisition is over, he will be dealt with “
Zachariah turned form the door and locked eyes with Emma. He unfastened her restraints underneath her bandages were bleeding. they left her wounds unattended for an unknown period of time. he didn’t want to remove the bandages if he couldn’t replace them.
“Who are you?” She asked
“no one important, but you need to listen to me “
She tried to sit up straight but winced in pain, unable to move her arms to do so.
“Can I help you?” He asked
She thought about it, but then let him. and once she was sitting up right, she questioned him.
“You’re one of them aren’t you, why are you running?”
“I’m not one of them. “
Zachariah looked around the room opening the cabinets that were mounted on the wall. . Cabinets filled with canned food, toolboxes, wine glasses, and finally a cut up box of unorganized medication and bandages.
“Adonis is on his way soon and I have a gut feeling that he’s not coming alone, so while the shit storm is brewing outside. We will wait for him here,
Zachariah brought over the box rummaging through the medicine, she guided him on what he could use to help her. When they found something to relieve her, she allowed him to fix her bandages, even with the medication she would still be in a lot of pain.
The council members had broken up pieces of the town and orchestrated a mass inquisition on innocent people. To seek out those who believed like they did and clean those who retaliated and fought back. Those rebels were locked inside their flaming homes or decapitated on site.
June town was burning, its once remote and crime-free state was now a bloody re-enactment of barbaric times. Even when police flooded in from upstate, their training and methods of restraint weren’t enough to tame the masked army. control proved futile, even at the highest peak of forces available. Within hours a reserve United States military force was on the ground, giving law enforcement the edge they needed but still, the dragon order adapted quicker than they expected, and once more overwhelmed them.
A cluster of meteorites made their descent from the sky, into the earth's atmosphere. almost unnoticed by the high stress of battle, but the Army saw it and then the holy one did too. Convinced this battle was about to be over he shouted over the gunfire.
“And there, centuries of war bear the fruits of a sweeter end! The pendulum of time swings in our favor to dash our enemies to the rocks, dead! “
The meteorites bombarded the crescent-shaped tree line, that bordered the city limits. In a repetitive cannonade plunder that stopped the battle on both sides.
A thick screen of smoke and embers stirred at the crash site, dragon order and United States forces waited for what had come down from the sky. would it choose a side, or would it destroy everything?
Emerging behind the smoke, hundreds of green-eyed horned creatures stood tall, their attention fully on the war ahead.
The pale Sevorian warrior and King Nyxoriaemon approached the battlefield. The green-eyed legions followed closely behind with ebony blades in hand.
Adonis halted his army in front of the wall of machine guns. The American infantry seemed to expect to have a battle on two fronts dividing their forces in half to cover their rear as well.
One of the horned legions dropped his weapon, and slowly reached a clawed hand out to one of the soldiers whose finger was wrapped around the trigger. the rest of the horned army dropped their weapons as well. The reaction from the infantry was one of confusion but a brave soldier left the cover of a vehicle, his muzzle aiming down the weapon-less Nyxori. In a standoff he eventually lowered his rifle too. With it in one hand, he approached the darkskinned humanoid. Extending his hand back also until … their fingers were interlaced.
Adonis pointed a pale finger to the holy one, and the legions picked up their swords again. Charging past the infantry who now had the most powerful alliance on the battlefield. There was hope now to retake the city.
who was this race that meant them no harm? they had come
for the ones that brought death to their country. anyone brave enough to defend the fragility of tranquility was easily called friend.
By the scent of her clothes, left at the hospital. The Nyxori’s Hooved and quilled hounds found the bunker. Adonis entered the bunker, a stronghold for the enemy no more. Zachariah stood with Emma at the back of the room listening to the quaking footsteps that made their way to their door.
The metal started to bend outward, and creak in its strain to hold together. and shattered into hundreds of metallic shards. Emma’s eyes were wide with shock and awe at the raw power she was witnessing.
Zachariah took note of his star like glowing eyes, and the absolute mass of the being that had to bow underneath the door to get inside the room.
It stopped in front of Zachariah, it seemed to be studying him and observing the bloody bandages that were swapped out with clean ones. he helped her Adonis thought.
Zachariah still was unsure of what had silently greeted him.
until it went to greet Emma and the sword on his back assured him of who it was. Zachariah spoke his name under his breath and Emma managed to hear it, gazing up at the being with admiring eyes.
The spire master entered the room and stood over her on the opposite side of the bed.
“So, this is my sister “
The spire master reached for Emma’s arms, but Emma seemed unsure and uncomfortable with her body language, moving further back against the bed.
“It’s alright, she can help you.” Zachariah said.
“Who is she?”
The spire master gently placed her hands on her wraps, the wraps tore and fell away. A clear liquid began to stream from the pores of the spire master’s skin, lengthening down her scaly arms to her talons. spreading out across the wounded areas. To Emma, it felt cool and soothing.
“I collected this water from an untainted stream, charged under the light of our moon. fortunately, these wounds are the extent of my knowledge “
They watched her skin regrow at an accelerated rate, healing until she could finally move them.but they were scarred and always would be.
Emma got up out of bed and hugged the spire master. Emma held her hand, and Nexus guided guided her to Adonis. who took a knee in front of her, lowering his head. Emma touched his keratin thick horns. her fingers following the ridges and curves of their beautiful shape.
Lifting a hand to her she took it, and he walked her out of the room to leave the bunker. Reaching The only morgue in town, his legions went into the building and carried out her coffin on their shoulders. They lowered it down and opened the casket. her face was covered in a white sheet. She was most likely disfigured but the rings on her hand barely survived. It was from them they could make out the body. They weren’t just any rings; they were the rings his grandmother had given her and promised to pass on. but they would stay with her now.
Emma closed her eyes and turned away from the coffin. Adonis order the Nyxori to carry it alongside him, but he wouldn’t leave without her. Emma could feel his eyes on her, so She turned towards him. Adonis kneeled before her again, exchanging a stare between one another Emma wrapped her arms around his neck. He picked her off the ground and cradled her in his arms. following the legions for miles while the war was still raging.
Carried her to the spot where they got engaged. veering off the forest path they set her casket down on the flat bolder, looking over a moonlit river stream. The Nyxori Gathered wood for the fire and ignited it on his command with torches.
In his arms Emma watched the casket burn. Adonis appeared completely emotionless but within him his heart was shattered. Yet the blaze in her eyes symbolized the coming vigor he would use to for next battle to come. A battle not based on the number of lives lost and grounds taken but a war for healthier beliefs, to be Formed.
“Returned to you, great mother another maternal spirit. Unbound, Hall bound … into your Cold Aphotic embrace. A pure state and communion wherein which all beings shall aspire to be…”
