Extra Chapter 6 - Accords (Patreon)

Aqua sat in her throne room, listening to the soft splashing and tides of The Deluge that gently surged around.

“Do you have time?” Umbra’s voice asked as she emerged from the shadows.

Aqua pushed aside the prayers she was paying attention to and diverted it to her sister. “Yes. We need to talk.”

Umbra walked over to her sister’s throne and stood patiently, her hands on her large hips as she glared with those red eyes. “You met the monsters?”

“Yes. They are…interesting specimens. But that mage with them is more concerning. Did you know that she has the spirit Affinity?”

Umbra smirked, “Yes. I did.”

“And that she captured one of Lux’s archangel’s souls?”

“Yes. She was furious.” Umbra giggled as she held her hand up to her face.

Aqua shook her head, “I don’t know why you love tormenting her so much. You used to be best friends.”

“Well, that was before we defeated The Void.” Umbra crossed her arms and smirked as she leaned against the throne’s armrest. “Why call for this meeting?”

“I am thinking of the end game here.” She put her hand gently on Umbra’s arm. “Caeli has already lost her mind. We both saw that at the Conflux. Lux isn’t too far behind.” She looked into her sister’s eyes, trying to read a reaction, but finding none. “Ignis and Terra aren’t going to be problematic. And us two are going to be fine.” She stood up and paced to one of the windows, staring out at the ocean in the skies that was her Afterlife. “Who will replace Caeli?”

Umbra walked behind her sister and put a hand around her waist. “I don’t know. Her miracles and changes wrought upon Heimfold – and The Cyclone will fade.”

Aqua thought on the issue as she put her arm around her sister’s shoulder. “We would need to find an Aether Shard with the air Domain. And we’d have to go to Haven and utilize Vythin’s Aether Forge.”

Umbra nodded and gave her sister a reassuring squeeze. “The Destined as you know have a collection of shards they have been keeping for artifact creation. Well, Meir Shimmerblade found another one. And it has the Domain we need.” She smirked, “We even have a New God willing to take the mantle.”

Aqua looked at her sister with shock, “Someone you trust that much?”

Umbra nodded as a smile came to her lips. “The Guildmaster. Isaac Grovesward. The one New God that has shown the most concern about Heimfold.”

Aqua smiled, “That is good to hear. He is even tempered and trustworthy. More so than Vythin.”

Umbra turned her sister to face her and brushed a hair out of her face, “I trust Vythin more than all of them. He might have been a thief before his shard found him, but since then he has strived to make Haven the mightiest and most equitable world across all The Universe.”

Aqua turned back to the twisting, winding waters of The Deluge once more, pulling her hand away from her sister. “You trust him too much.”

Umbra giggled slightly before looking out with her sister upon the vast ocean in the sky, “Pacts can do that to you.”

Terra stood on one of the asteroids that marked the edge of their galaxy, their creation – The Guardian Belt. She stared upon the vast blackness of The Universe, spotting the very faint twinkle of other worlds far off.

But they could attack at any moment. She kept vigil for such an occurrence. New Gods had reseeded worlds lost to The Void – hence their absence from Heimfold. But she knew that eventually they would revert to what mortals fall prey to. Ambition.

A surge of warmth emanated behind her as her brother, Ignis, walked up next to her. “Sister.”

“Brother. How goes your efforts?”

Ignis let out an aggravated sigh, “I am having to send my Forge Knights to keep killing off inventors in Scarhold. They are dangerously close to breakthroughs that would elevate the technology level of the world beyond Caelum’s defined limits.”

Terra nodded solemnly, “It must be done. We know what Caelum said – that technology was the cause of those other worlds’ downfall. Magic is the only way to advance.”

“Indeed. I am having some problems though. Professor Slate is behind some of the advancements.”

Terra glanced at her fiery brother, “The New God that traveled to Haven?”

“He hasn’t stayed there. He keeps coming back and giving blueprints and plans to those in Scarhold. He even had a hand in upgrading The Great Chain in Lestosk.” Ignis crossed his arms and grunted, “Granted, he guided that with the appropriate technology level in mind.”

“Why not just talk to him?”

Ignis put a hand to his chin, “Honestly? I haven’t considered it.” He closed his eyes and Terra felt a wave of Heat pulse out from him.

Moments later, smoky silhouette of Professor Slate – a New God of knowledge, artifice, and fire – appeared in front of them. “To what do I owe the pleasure of Ignis’ personal call?”

The Artificial God of flames and ingenuity cleared his throat before quietly muttering, “I want to talk.”

Terra stepped back so the two Gods could more easily see each other. She gave a knowing glance at Ignis, conveying the message that he should ‘behave himself.’ His subtle nod to her gave her calm assurance.

“Talk about what?” Slate asked.

“You’re meddling on Heimfold.”

“Ahh,” the smoky silhouette walked forward until it was within arm’s reach of Ignis. “You are upset at my attempt at a technological revolution?”

Ignis fumed and smoking flames rose from him, “Yes.”

Terra shook her head and put a hand on Ignis’ shoulder. “We cannot afford conflict.” She looked to Slate’s smoking projection. “You cannot defeat both of us, and I am fully aligned with Ignis. Technology advancing further must be prevented.”

Slate frowned, “And if I refuse?”

Terra’s eyes narrowed, “If you refuse, then I will ensure that this realm rejects your efforts to travel here.” She stood up to her full height – which towered over Slate’s projection, and even had a few inches on her brother. “I control access to Heimfold.”

“But Isaac can bypass that. Plus, we have that portal in Bastion. If I want to be on Heimfold, I’ll be there.”

Terra shook her head as Ignis walked around her bulk. “You don’t know what harm technology would do here! The Void came from somewhere. It didn’t come from Heimfold. It came from other worlds!”

Slate shook his head, “You’re wrong about that.” The projection turned away and Slate seemed to pay attention to something that was directly near him before he turned back to the two. “Very well, I will not try to improve the technology of your world. My clerics and priests will be instructed to cease their efforts there.” He bowed at the waist, “Terribly sorry.” The smoke apparition vanished.

Ignis was caught off guard. “Just like that?” He sounded bewildered.

Terra shook her head, “Someone else is pulling his strings.” She shrugged, “Either way, he gave his word.”

Ignis shook his head, “But it wasn’t a pact. Will you send members of The Stone Circle to accompany my Forge Knights at their station outside of Bastion’s walls?”

Terra nodded, “I will send some clerics to join yours. If Slate goes against his word, we will restrain his followers and send them back from where they came.”

Ignis stared out upon the vast expanse of the universe. “Changing topics; what are your thoughts about our sisters?”

Terra grunted, turning her resolute gaze upon the cosmos, “Caeli’s mind is lost. She needs to stay imprisoned in her Afterlife. I can ensure that this happens.”

“Lux is single-minded, as usual. Aqua is busy keeping the peace. That just leaves Umbra.”

Terra shook her head, “She has changed since The Void was defeated. What are your thoughts?”

“She only promotes desires. I don’t think she is worth worrying about.” Ignis stroked his beard, “But, Lux worries me. You asked for Malvir to make monsters to challenge your clerics, correct?”

Terra nodded, “Correct.”

“And she is focused on destroying all of them. Monsters, undead, aberrations. If there’s no monsters to fight, then what will The Stone Circle do? You’ll have a schism on your hands as the teachings diverge with no threats to face.”

Terra frowned, “Lux needs to get her head on straight.” She balled her hands into fists. “That smug bitch needs to be punched in the face.”

Lux sighed as she manifested her Heat, tapping into the light Domain’s access of knowledge to translate her raving sister’s words from her thick accent to something comprehensible.

“And theytell me I can’t go to Heimfold?!” Caeli summoned torrential winds that crashed across the grassy fields of her Afterlife in a fury. “And youjoined them!” She turned to Lux.

Is this what I’ll become?

Lux saw the way her sister had descended to madness after The Void was slain. Her secondary purpose aside from helping fight The Void was to protect the wilderness and uphold the sanctity of nature. At first, she only sent her worshippers to go and protect the lands and begin conservation efforts. But over the centuries her followers became more and more violent. Eco-terrorists, destroying villages and towns to return life to nature.

But that is not compatible with Heimfold.

Not every race could live in perfect harmony with the natural world. Lux put on her resolute face and walked up to her sister, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Sister. You cannot go back to Heimfold without risking the wrath of our siblings.” She frowned as Caeli met her gaze and the gorgeous, light-green eyes pierced her with rage and fury.

Caeli screamed at her sister, “It’s your fault! You and your fucking kingdoms and their mass farming and inter-region trade!” She slammed her foot on the ground, “You’re ruining Heimfold!” She was in hysterics, tears flowing down her face in sorrow and anger mixed.

Lux held her hand above her sister’s head. Caeli was much weaker than her since her eco-terrorists were slain. She had relatively few followers left on Heimfold. And those who were in The Cyclone had moved on to Last Light Temple, as their desire to roam freely that brought them into her worship took hold. Unlike Lux, who kept those in her service eternally, Caeli still let her followers pursue their own paths. And it cost her power.

In essence, Caeli only had the latent power of her Aether Shards. Without worshippers and spirits to give her Quintessence, she was a shadow of her former self.

Lux manifested her Heat and performed a miracle as she used light to purify Caeli’s secondary purpose. Her sister immediately calmed down and stood, silently, as her eyes dulled over to a dark grey. As if a puppet had their strings cut and was sagging in place as their joints held them aloft.

My suspicion was correct.

Lux had long theorized that her and her siblings were not just called Artificial Gods because they were made from Aether Shards. They were truly Artificial. Without a purpose, they would be useless.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, sister. But it had to be done. I can’t risk you destroying yourself.”

And, by extension, your Afterlife and all the miracles you performed to help reforge Heimfold.

Lux snapped her fingers and in a glimmer of radiant light returned to her throne room on The Sun. She would have to form a small sub-division of her religion on Heimfold to worship Caeli. Just enough to ensure that her miracles would not be destroyed. She called for Azurianth and began the instruction for the new religious sect.

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