Chapter Three Hundred And One – 301
Unlike other Memories, there was no convoluted array of Vvim's to choose from, twisting about him enough to drive anyone crazy. No, instead after the world around him shattered, Felix had the sensation of falling. Not far, and not fast, but he fell into a darkness that turned from black to grey to a burnished gold. He landed with a slight flexing of his knees, though his clothes puffed outward as if he'd really fallen from on high. Around him the golden light resolved into blocky shapes, refining by the second, until he saw hexagonal columns along tall walls, massive doorways between them, and seven-sided tiles lining the floors. Above the light resolved into a large, faceted dome, carved until thousands of stars were worked into it, until it resembled nothing so much as a fine, impossible lace.
It was beautiful. The chamber was huge, easily a thousand feet in all directions, and he stood in a large flat space dominated only by two small, chest-high platforms and one larger platform opposite. Further afield, golden light bloomed into tiered seating, splitting and rotating around itself until it filled much of the chamber. Everything was empty however.
"This looks like a courtroom," Felix said.
"Because it is," said a powerful voice beside him. Felix twisted in alarm, but found a familiar face smiling ruefully at him. A man stood there, a bit taller than Felix even though he was stooped. His skin was dark and wrinkled, his tightly curled hair more grey than black, but a powerful vigor shone from his grass green eyes. He looked just as he had in the Memory Felix had experienced a week prior.
"Karys?"
The Paragon smiled at Felix, and his teeth were very white and straight. Tempered, clearly. "An honor to meet you properly, Felix."
Felix grinned. "Right back atcha." Before he could say more, another thump sounded and a oxen-sized creature landed next to them both. "Pit!"
The tenku looked both sleepy and surprised, with the latter winning by the thinnest of margins. He looked around with wide eyes of bright gold, and pawed at the nearby platform. His claws passed straight through it, like smoke.
"It's a Memory, Pit. I didn't think you'd be pulled in too." Felix patted the tenku on his neck, feeling the surprise give way to a wary understanding.
I am worried. And curious.
"Same here," Felix said. "Karys, what is this? It looks like a courtroom."
"I suspect that is exactly what it is, only I don'tAh." The Paragon pointed to the stands. "The Memory begins."
Felix followed the gesture and saw more of that golden light rolling down from above, and at each tier of seating it bumped and burst over shapes that had not stood there before. People resolved out of the light, clothed in odd wrappings and sparkling jewels. Weapons sat at their waists and back, staves and swords and odd oblong things he couldn't name. Faces emerged last, and those ranged the gamut of ages, sex, and Race. Many in attendance were darker skinned Nym, though a smattering of pale and olive toned features were there, as well as Dwarves, Elves, Naiads and Nixies, Goblins, Orcs. Geists. All that and more, as the tiered stands filled as much as any sports stadium back on Earth.
The wave continued on, pushing ever closer as it conjured people from the mists of time. It swept down among them, filling the stands to either side and the larger bench opposite with luminescent smoke. Guards, or something like them, manifested first; they had the look of hard folk, worn and tired but veteran killers just the same. The eyed the stands with hands on more of those oblong weapons, and some with halberds that gleamed with more than just reflected light. The stands had two figures, a man and a woman, that was clear from their silhouette, but the features took their time in coming. Instead, Felix focused on the benchjudge's bench, he figuredand a tall, statuesque woman with dark hair, darker skin, and eyes of brightest silver. It was a little shocking, despite all he'd seen, even more so as the woman lifted an arm covered in heavy, battle-worn armor the color of bronze and slammed it down upon the bench before her.
"Silence."
Few were talking, but everyone froze, awed and afraid of the woman. She snorted and tossed back her hair. It was cut short enough to fit a helmet comfortably, and a leather band across her brow was darkened with the sweat of many, many days. Those silver eyes flashed as she took in those before her, and for a terrifying second Felix thought she could see him.
"We have come here to bear witness to the crimes perpetrated by one of our own. One of our own, and he who we summoned through the Void." Murmurs stirred the air, most anxious but quite a few eager. "Who comes before us, Eetol?"
A Geist Felix hadn't noticed appeared at the base of the judge's bench, along with two more guards. Minotaurs. Their huge, hairy heads shook, jangling ropes of jade and amber beads even as they tightened their grip on their massive spears. The Geist, Eetol, stepped forward dressed in a complicated robe of intertwining fabrics and small, ceramic plates. They spoke with a sharp voice, a dangerous sound from something so small.
"Before us are the Accused. Lhel Daughter of Savin Daughter of Peil, of the Nym. And Merodach Son of Anatu Son of Tamzi, of the Nym by Choice, Unbound by Fate."
More whispers and murmurs, the volume rising in pitch. Felix started as the two figures beside him finally coalesced. The man, Merodach apparently, was as dark as Vess and had a nose sharper than most daggers. Dark eyes stared out from heavy brows and a regal tilt to his chin suggested he was only in chains for the moment. And he was in chainsa lot of them. A collar was fitted around his neck and large links wrapped his shoulders and wrists and waist, all of them interwoven as if they were grown rather than forged.
The woman to Felix's right was chained in much the same way, though her chains did not crawl with glowing glyphs. Instead, she stood with her head down and her eyes cast to the tiled floors.
"Is that the Archon?" Felix asked.
"I imagine so," Karys said. Pit growled at the man, though he took no notice.
Felix looked closer, noting how frail the man looked beneath the chains. He clearly never focused on his Body or physical stats. He tried to use his Voracious Eye, but it was like it didn't even exist in the Memory. Felix was curious what level the man was, what his strengths truly were, but there was no way to find out. Merodach sneered at the murmuring crowd, making more than a few people flinch, only for their jeers to come back even stronger.
"What are their crimes, Eetol?" the judge asked. She stared at the two Accused with an unnerving intensity.
"Merodach stands Accused of High Treason. He has been Accused of developing weapons that steal the very souls of our people, of befouling the Eidolon strictures, and of stealing the secrets to their construction." Angry shouts and gasps met each new charge, but the dark skinned man only stood taller. "Worst of all, he has been Accused of delving into the vile practice of Dissonance."
The crowd shot to their feet, screaming at such a volume that Felix and Pit both flinched. It felt like they were moments from charging down and murdering the guy. Even Karys sucked in a swift breath, horror written clear across his face. Merodach, however, merely smirked.
Speaking loudly, Eetol continued. "Lhel stands Accused of aiding and abetting his plans, and provided his forges with the power she sourced from the project in the Western Reaches. Power meant to be shoring our defensive structures along the front."
More shouting, more hurled threats and dark oaths. The woman cowered under the onslaught, weighed down by it all. Felix tilted his head, trying to get a better look at her. Lhel...that sounds so familiar. Then it struck him. The Maw. Felix stepped forward, bending just enough to see Lhel's tear-streaked face. It is her. She's the one that woke the Maw, the one whose Body was stolen by the Primordial. So this...Felix's eyes widened. "The project in the Western Reaches," he muttered. "They're talking about the Essence Anchor. About drilling into the Unending Maw. Holy shit."
Felix stepped back, overcome. Lhel had dealings with the Archon? And the Archon was partly responsible for the Maw's release?
"Felix," Karys gasped and pointed to the judge. "Look." The woman stood, her arm leveled at the Accused. In her hand was a very familiar sword. His sword.
"The Herald," Karys gasped. "Ancient ancestor of the line of Emperors..."
The Herald? Felix raised his eyebrows. "How's that possible? The Herald was around when you were, right? But also when the Archon was? And you didn't know of this sleezeball?"
"I...My memory strains still. It has holes. But the Herald is ancient...was ancient. She was born during the rise of our Empire, when the Founders still lived. She...she is legend, she is myth clad in flesh. It is an honor to see even a Memory of her."
"Okay. So she's really old, was around well after you were put into an Eidolon. And she..." Felix looked at the Herald again. "She has yet to fight the Maw, toe to toe. Wait." Felix thought back to the shadow play the Henaari had put on for them. The Golden Empire. It had said the Maw had arisen first, then the mechanical creations went wild. But Lhel died when the Maw was unleashed. Had the story gotten it wrong?
Felix's thoughts whirled as the Herald continued to list off the terrible things Merodach had done. Most of them centered around experimenting on living, unwilling subjects and experimenting with "Dissonance." Felix had a feeling he knew what that was, too. Profane Sigaldry. He invented it here.
Eventually, the litany of charges against Merodach was finished. The Herald regarded both of the Accused with her fierce, silver gaze. "Unbound, you have betrayed the trust of all who relied upon you. Our hope for an end to this War was in your hands, and you dashed it against the Jagged Peaks. I name you, Merodach, for all of time: Betrayer."
There was the sound of a massive bell tolling twice, loud enough that the floor itself vibrated beneath Felix's feet. A small blue window appeared before him.
Merodach Has Been Renamed!
All Shall Know Him As Betrayer!
No Nymean Territory Will Give Him Succor Or Support!
-100% Relations With All Golden Empire Factions!
"Might I speak?"
Felix hadn't expected the future Archon's voice to be so...melodious. It was higher than he expected too, and Felix began to wonder how old the man actually was. No one objected to the Accused speaking, so he continued.
"I have lived in your world for almost a century, and none of it my own will. I was torn from my home, my family, my people." He laughed and it was bitter. "I thought you were all gods when I arrived in your Temple, but I soon realized this was nothing more than the land of weak fools." More angry murmurs from the crowd, but he didn't stop. "Too caught up in what other's think and feel to do what is right! To make life better for all of those on this Continent, we should seize control of it all, by any means necessary! The only hands that are good enough are our own. But none of you want to see the truth! So I was to make you see the truth!"
Merodach spat more than he spoke, and the fires of madness danced along his Spirit. Felix wasn't sure what else to call the frenetic combination of so much hate and raw desire. A desire for power.
Perhaps because he was watching Merodach's Spirit so closely but Felix was the first to notice when the man's Mana surged, breaking free of his fetters and spearing outward. The power stabbed through windows and doors all around them, and was followed immediately after by a series of staccato blasts of stone and metal. Huge, golden constructs ripped through the entries and exits, all of them exact duplicates of the Archon Felix knew.
"Holy shit," he whispered.
Dozens entered, hulking constructs that easily dwarfed the people around them. Screams and shouted Skills filled the air, but the powers bounced from their powerful metal chassis. They waded forward, fists rising and falling, people hurled to the ground covered in their own blood.
"The Truth comes for you all! I will raise this Empire up! I will claim that which you are all too afraid to embrace!" That madness was there again, brighter than before. "I will make this Continent kneel before an army that can never die!"
The Archons tore through the crowd, though they gave a powerful showing. Lightning, flames, ice, air, colors and sounds burst around Felix like a fireworks display. Karys looked sick, his wrinkled mouth taut at the sight. Pit warbled in dismay, pulsing with a need to help but knowing it was impossible. It was a Memory; they could do nothing to affect it.
Then, in the center of the chamber, a blaze of incandescent flames erupted. Tendrils of fire lashed outward, each one striking an Archon, and where they struck they entangled limbs and bodies. Bindings of flame grabbed each and every Archon, until their violence was halted and their bodies were lifted into the air, utterly neutralized.
Felix marveled at the precision and power necessary to do such a thing. Karys whispered a quiet prayer of thanks. Felix sympathized. He had no desire to watch a bloodbath unfold.
"You think to conquer, Unbound? You do not know the meaning of strength," the Herald scoffed. She twisted her sword, and the lashes lifted and pulled, drawing the Archons to the center of the chamber. "Did you intend on kill us all? It was a pathetic attempt. You cannot even touch the shadow of our warriors, despite your vaunted powers. I should kill you right now, or let them do it."
The Herald pointed at the audience, only just recovering from the attack. People in the crowd surged forward, all them intent on the snarling form of Merodach.
"You will all hold! The Sentence is not yet given!" The Herald glowed like the sun, sword raised. "We will finish this, as it is intended!"
A deathly quiet reigned in the chamber and everyone halted. Merodach was utterly terrified, his confidence shattered and his madness banked. He huddled close, hiding from the bindings of flame that held him still. Felix thought he could smell him charring slightly.
"Magi Lhel is to be remanded to the custody of the Family Ssev for the span of a century. There she may continue her work, but only under the close supervision of the Geist of Shelim." Another bell tolled, so loud that Felix winced. "Know this: that you live is a gift, given only because it is clear you knew nothing of the Betrayer's true goals. If your cross the line again, it will not end well for you."
Lhel nodded, tears streaming down her face, her Spirit a mess of fear, relief, shame, and a dozen other shades of emotion. She clutched at her chains as if that was all that held her up.
"For the Betrayer, I shall grant no clemency. What he has done, what he has attemptedall of it goes beyond decency and well into madness. However, do not let the record show me without empathy. As punishment for violating the strictures of the Eidolon, for defiling the Choices of thousands of innocent souls, Merodach Son of Anatu Son of Tamzi shall taste the fruits of his dire labor."
Merodach screamed, and it was a howl that Felix felt in his bones. Flesh and bone was rent asunder, light and power in liquid flows poured among the viscera that burst into the air. Through it all, the crowd watched, sober eyed and unblinking. This was the price of treachery, the only answer to those who would sabotage the haven they had made. Felix could feel that conviction sweeping through the crowd, so clear it was as if he could read it on a page.
The Memory hazed, and Felix couldn't be sure if it was because his own agonized eyesight or the Memory itself. The details fled, no matter how Felix tried to parse them. However the Herald accomplished it, the deed was done in moments. Merodach's Body was gone, nothing more than scraps of cloth and red smears atop the tiles. Beside him, within the massive frame of an Archon, the fires of his Spirit kindled, weak and sputtering.
"Merodach Son of Anatu Son of Tamzi shall remain within his own work for all of time. His Body sundered, his Mind shattered, his Spirit shall suffer in torment unending, just as all his vile creations once suffered. Do any among you seek satisfaction for his sentencing?"
Utter silence, a silence edged by a hard anger. The Herald nodded.
"Very well. The Empire shall take custody of the Unbound's Archonic Constructs. Perhaps, in time, we might reverse what has been done to them. Perhaps." Suddenly the Herald looked sickened, and her Spirit flared. "Go. All of you. The War calls, and we cannot afford to waste more time."
Felix watched as the room began to empty, the people all but fleeing the spiking Spirit of the Herald. Then it all froze.
"Whoa, what?" Felix spun, taking in everything. "Is that it?"
"Ah, Felix," Karys said. "We have a visitor."
Standing near Pit and his sword-bound friend was a small, brown furred Geist. They were young, perhaps equal to Felix's own age, but the eyes that stared at him burned with knowledge too ancient to be real.
"Vvim."
"Felix Nevarre. If you are seeing this, seeing us, then this one has already passed onto the Ethereal. That is good. It is what this one hoped for."
Felix quirked an eyebrow. "Is this a recording?"
Vvim gave no indication he had heard Felix. "There is much to be said, and you've no time to hear it. This one has...placed a great deal of detail in this Memory. You shall likely not sense it all upon first viewing, but there is much to be discovered."
The golden light around them began to fold and compress. Clouds streamed, compressing all into one point as they spoke.
"Think on this Memory, on what you can learn here. Think deep."
Before Felix could get another word in edgewise, everything compressed into a single drop of golden liquid...before it and Felix dropped, down into an endless abyss. Felix screamed, yet within moments found himself once more in his core space. Before him, his red-gold core spun as a lazy river of flame, and spinning around within it, a mote of white light.
"It's still there," Felix said. "The Memory wasn't consumed."
It seems this Vvim has more to show you than some traitor's sentencing.
"So he said. 'Think deep,'" Felix quoted. "Think deep on what, though?"
Felix returned his awareness to his surroundings, finding the fire extinguished and everyone asleep. Aside from the thrum of the wards, there was little else in the cave to occupy his attention, and Pit had already returned to snoring. More than a little overwhelmed by what he'd experienced, Felix laid down and stared at the ceiling, keeping his senses tight around himself.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow they would reach the Waterfall Temple.
Sleep was a long time coming.
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