King Peolus of Faris looked out of the window of his office. His kingdom, his people, once great, now reduced to… this. His eyes moved from the white rooftops of his city to the golden streets, then to the vibrantly dressed people walking them, and among them the cthul patrols. They had not fully occupied them, of course, on paper they were allied, even though the truth was a step beyond that. It still bothered his people; he knew. Peolus loved his people, had ruled over them for two hundred years, but the weight of it all was catching up to him. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novèlfire.net
Once, they were one of the greatest factions in the core, powerful, influential, important. Now, they served another. Sometimes, he could close his eyes and imagine that the last few decades were just a dream. That none of it was real, that they hadn’t fallen so far, in such a short time. He got whiplash just thinking about it.
The dome monsters had changed everything for Faris; they scoured his kingdom, they turned his people, brainwashed them. Others saw the opportunity to take their piece in the chaos too, like carrion feeders, descending on them.
When the Exalted Empire arrived, Peolus had little choice. His people didn’t want to serve another, he knew that they would’ve fought no matter the odds. Peolus made the choice to save them. He had seen what happened to others in the core that tried to fight. It was fear that made him act that way, but at least he had saved what remained of his kingdom.
The empire’s takeover wasn’t too bad in the end, and his fear had diminished over the years. They had demands, they exploited, they imposed new laws and rules. But overall, life continued; people could live their lives.
Now, the fear had returned, and he didn’t know what to do. It’s been over a month since Peolus had been visited in his private chambers, caught off guard and alone, threatened. Offered a choice that wasn’t a choice at all. He was one of the highest-tiered kings in the world. He had a lot of power. He knew that if he wanted to, he could’ve fought the empire. Resisted them and hurt them greatly even if he couldn’t have won in the end, not with his kingdom being in the state it was after the dome monsters were defeated.
Peolus had never stood before another person and felt like he was lesser, how he was powerless before them. Even when he negotiated with the Herald of the Machine he did not feel that way. But that night… It was only worse for the fact that he was offered what he already wanted. Yet, to make such a choice… He didn’t see how he would know when the time was right, or even understand what the instructions he was given meant.
All he knew was the growing anxiety as the news from the front kept coming back, of the Sect’s advancement. He had to admit to himself that he did not truly believe he would ever need to act, but now it seemed more and more likely.
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Now, those that remained served in far more menial tasks. His people were relegated to miners, to transporters, to grunts that were sent forward to die first in battle. He stared at the symbol of the empire’s rule, as he did every day, trying to burn a hole through the ziggurat with his gaze alone.
Then his wish turned into reality.
The floating ziggurat tilted, then was rocked with explosions seeming to be coming from the inside. Peolus blinked, watching as the empire’s troops and defenses came to life in an instant. Then chaos erupted everywhere.
Stunned, Peolus remembered the words of the Warden. The insistence that he would know when he needed to make his choice. He snapped himself out of his frozen state and moved. It looked like the time was now.
His old friend. It welcomed Ryun in the same way it welcomed everyone and everything that entered its domain; by trying to devour him. But its unyielding desire to consume was not enough to breach Ryun’s protection; it hadn’t been for a long time. Ryun had pulled his being to a small sphere, large enough to carry another person within. Erdania sat comfortably inside, surrounded by Ryun’s existence. It was a uniquely weird feeling for him and Erdania both, but they were close enough that such intimacy wasn’t anything more than what they already enjoyed through their bond. Still, he hadn’t compressed his existence so much without manifesting a vessel before, so it was new. The Void couldn’t get to her inside, its intent was not enough to overcome the meaning of Ryun’s being.
They chose to travel through the Void. They hadn’t spoken out loud since they left his territory; all their plans were already made up while inside. And all their communication was through their bond. They had no idea how they were being spied on, but they agreed to limit any ways that they could be discovered, even if it seemed unlikely.
Traveling through the Void wasn’t instant, but it was fast, especially since it was so closely related to his Axiom. He found that he moved easier through it than he did through other Essences.
“Are we there yet?” Erdania sent over their bond, not for the first time.
Ryun suppressed his first response, and Erdania chuckled.
“Soon, we entered Faris's domain.”
Ryun kept them close to the edge of the Void plane, enough that he could dip a small portion of his being into the Realm and make sure that they haven’t moved off track.
“Oh, great. Can’t wait to get out of this bubble. No offense to you love, but I can do without being smothered by you.”
“Says the person that likes to lounge on top of me with an elbow in my face.”
“You’re like twice my size.”
“What, it’s the truth.”
“You don’t say that to a girl.”
Ryun smiled to himself, or at least experienced the sensation of mirth. He didn’t have a face at the moment to display his emotions, but Erdania could feel them through the bond so they weren’t wasted.
“We’re here,” Ryun sent.
“Finally, let’s start this thing. No time to waste.”