by Aeon Solo
“You said something earlier, about wanting to tell me something?” he questioned before he left.
“Another time; save our world!” she pleaded.
He ran toward the site, glancing back to Mara with a smile. She waved in his direction; her smile beamed for him. Viden wasn’t fully gone after all.
Chapter 13
Viden stood in the clearing observing the trees ahead, unmasked. The three remaining Knights approached him from the path behind him.
“You wanted to see us my lord?” Anu-Scherzo said. Viden turned to face them, they shared a tense look between themselves, bewildered by why he was unmasked.
“Things have changed, the Archon is not what he claims to be. He’s a Draco, they enslaved countless worlds as he’s doing ours,” he said.
“And how do you know this?” Anu-Scherzo asked.
“It’s complicated, you must have faith in me,” he said firmly. “Come with me, we will go to that pyramid and finish this,” he walked past them toward the path.
“Finish what? This is treason that you talk, you plan to overthrow the Archon, he was our god, successor of Anu!” Anu-Scherzo screamed with disgust.
Viden stopped in his tracks and twisted back. “God! He eats people! Our people!” he roared. The three looked at one another once more, gripping their weapons.
“You’ve changed Krai,” Anu-Hask said intensely.
“Changed? Really, you are going to continue to serve him. And betray me?” Viden’s rage melted to disappointment more than anything. “I should have known you wouldn’t have the courage to stand against him, if Zvest was here he would stand by my side.”
“You’re wrong Krai,” Anu-Novo responded. “He would stand with us.” Viden nodded his head with contempt.
“This world is only the beginning of his plans, he will wage war across the galaxy, countless planets will be destroyed if we don’t stop him,” he pleaded his brothers to stand by him, with one final plea. They stood aggressively with their weapons in hand.
“I hereby demote you from king of the Knights of Anu, you are a traitor Krai,” Anu-Scherzo stated definitively.
The three began to surround Viden, he almost tittered slightly. “You can try,” he mocked. He unveiled his sword and activated the temperature modifier. The blade roared to life. Anu-Novo attempted a blow which was deflected, followed by Anu-Hask. Viden became enraged, hacking a flurry of strikes at the Knights. After many clashes of blades, axes and spears, an opening arose. Viden smacked the spear out of Anu-Novo’s hands and drove the fiery blade through his torso, he slipped defeated to the ground. Viden pointed his blade which was grasped by both hands toward Anu-Hask and Anu-Scherzo. They both struck down toward him, he blocked both attacks simultaneously, kicking Anu-Hask away to the ground.
Viden parried an attack and Anu-Hask leapt toward him whilst he was distracted to deal a final blow. But Viden parried Anu-Scherzo and in an instant, turned and drove his sword through the torso of Anu-Hask, who was so close to dealing a blow from behind. He swiped the sword away and faced Anu-Scherzo in one verse, one combat. Anu-Hask slumped to the ground. Anu-Scherzo looked to his fallen comrades.
“You can’t win Krai, even if you kill me the Archon will slaughter you!” he screamed in disgust.
“This is far greater than me, it’s not about winning. I cannot let him enslave our world!” Viden bellowed back. The two faced one-another, poised to strike.
“Look at what you’ve done! You are betraying our master and you’ve killed Hask and Novo. You’re a monster!” Anu-Scherzo screamed.
“Please Scherzo you must see the truth, how can you continue to serve him?” Viden exhausted and heart-broken by his actions, begged the Knight to help him stop the Draco. A few moments passed as the Knight considered his statement. He removed his mask; the Knights do not interact with one another without it. Viden was gobsmacked by his comrades’ action. A pleasant female face stood across from him, tainted with rage.
“I cannot betray the Archon,” she said frankly.
Viden inhaled a solemn breath and prepared for an attack. Anu-Scherzo swiped at him viciously but missed. Viden took advantage of her rage and blurred mind, he deflected some attacks and jabbed her in the arm knocking her back slightly. Enraged, Anu-Scherzo continued to strike heavily, each strike being parried by Viden. Conserving his energy, Viden calmed his attacks and defended the blows dealt by Anu-Scherzo. Anu-Scherzo dealt another hit, Viden blocked the attack and swiped his blade across her abdomen, the raging hot blade sliced through her armour like a hot knife through butter. Anu-Scherzo dropped her blade, it stuck into the soil. She slumped to her knees grasping her abdomen, it singed her hand. Viden rushed to her aid and held her head before she hit to the ground. He placed his gloved hand over the Knights abdomen, heat still radiated.
“I’m so sorry Scherzo, if you knew the horrors that I do, you would understand,” he said, greatly upset at the scene as he glanced at his fallen brethren. Anu-Scherzo placed her hand on his shoulder and gripped him tight with a tear in her eyes.
“I don’t want to die,” she whimpered, squeezing him tight.
He reciprocated.
“Why, why didn’t you listen? I didn’t want to hurt you,” he squirmed, holding her tight.
“She tu…she…” she muttered. Her arm slipped away from him. He cradled his fallen comrade for a few moments. Her eyes still open, her life gone.
He gazed at the scene, all his brothers in arms, dead by his hands. He was distraught, shaking erratically, trying ever so hard to mask his guilt and agony.
“Argh!” he bellowed. Her lifeless head dangled backwards, he cradled her more. Gently shaking from his sadness.
“Why!” he shrieked. He lay her down gently, closing her lifeless eyes.
He began to walk to the path to return to the pyramid. He moved his robe and examined Ragnos’ blaster in his holster, pondering on its ability. Maybe this weapon could kill the Draco. But he didn’t know. He looked back at the fallen Knights, he was the only one left, filled with both rage and anguish he rushed to the pyramid to confront his master.
People flurried through the market. Mara was there with them. She saw him exit the forest and walk up the main staircase. She gasped nervously, wondering why he walked alone, but the look on his face and his dishevelled persona explained it all. She feared the worst. He walked into the pyramid and toward the throne room, his face contorted with anger, he glared at the two unmasked guards with distain.
“Where is he?” he shouted with disgust, they growled at him and edged their weapons toward him. He laughed, and equipped the Ragnos blaster to their horror, he fired a pulse of energy to the head of one of guards killing him instantly. The next guard attempted to throw a spear at him but he too, was shot in the head. The two guards slumped to the ground.
A twisted smile glistened accross his face. He pushed the obsidian door open with great distress. The throne room was empty to his good fortune for now. He approached the throne and ogled it for a moment. He walked along the raised ground, sitting in the massive chair before him. It dwarfed him. He stretched his arms along the arm rests.
“This would be nice wouldn’t it,” he commented to himself. He looked at the biosensor beside him and placed his hand upon it. It blurted out a noise and had an unidentified encryption on it, which prevented it from opening. Monstah, who was patrolling nearby, received a notification of an attempted access, so he rushed to the throne room. He walked through the open-door walking past the deceased guards. He looked intently at the scene. He witnessed Viden sitting in the throne.
“Krai! What was this!” he exclaimed, bewildered by the dead guards and Viden sitting in the throne. Viden stood and strolled toward him.
“I’m done serving your horrific regime Draco, I know what you are!” Viden snarled.
“Oh, I’ve waited so long for this!” Monstah responded with intense satisfaction.
Viden unveiled Ragnos’ blaster and fired multiple shots at Mon
stah, but his armour was strong enough to withstand most of the damage. Some of the armour was destroyed and the outer layer of part of his abdomen was damaged. The beast recoiled slightly from the impact of the shots. A further barrage of shots was fired upon him, further exposing parts of his torso. The blasts did not kill him but significantly stunned and hurt him. The blaster appeared to jam from the continuous shots. Viden grunted with dissatisfaction and threw it to the ground, he equipped his sword and activated the poison function of the blade modifier on the hilt. The blade transformed momentarily, revealing a thin purple veil on the blades surface. The two engaged in combat, Monstah’s speed and strength was significantly reduced in his weakened state allowing Viden a chance of defeating him. Monstah tried to overpower his human enemy.
“You’ll die along with the rest of this rock,” Monstah muttered as the two clashed blades.
“You should have eaten me when you had the chance!” Viden yelled.
“You would have been a waste of meat!” he screamed in response, swinging his blade violently toward Viden. Over the couple minutes of the engagement, Viden noticed the continued use of a downward heavy strike. He capitalised on it, predicting the motion. He dodged the attack with ease and drove the blade through the exposed and damaged skin of the Draco warrior. Monstah cried out in pain as the poison ravaged his flesh. Capitalising on this distraction, Viden activated the temperature modifier transforming the blade to a raging fury. In an instant he swiped the Draco’s head clean off his shoulders, the thin armour on the neck unable to halt the scorching blade. His body hit the ground, Viden was stunned that he had defeated Monstah.
“I told I would kill you, you ugly bastard!” he yelled to a now deceased Monstah. He kicked his head across the ground and dragged his body over to the biosensor. With difficulty, he reached the biosensor and placed Monstah’s hand over it.
“Please work, come on!” he yelled aloud pleading with the universe. A different noise exuded and the safe opened from the ground.
“Yes!” he screamed with joy. He hurried through the Archon’s belongings hoping he could find the beacon before the Archon arrived. He saw the circular device which was illustrated in the book he found. He grabbed it and configured a few buttons, remembering the instructions he saw in the book. It was fairly simple; a click of a few buttons and it was activated, he took a heavy breath of relief, sitting back in the throne.
The Archon was strolling through the village, he came across the mask of Anu-Krai on the ground, he knelt and grasped the mask. He raised his head and scanned the area. Anu-Krai was nowhere to be seen. He took the mask and searched for him, when he received a notification about his biosensor being tampered with. He rushed back to the pyramid and to his throne room where two of his guards lay dead outside the obsidian door. He knelt beside them and placed his hand over their torso.
“Who could of have done this?” he murmured to himself, looking at the mask in his other hand once more. He entered his throne room and witnessed Monstah’s decapitated head nearby with Viden sitting in his throne.
“It was you?” he screamed as he walked toward him. Viden stood with great confidence and defiance to his master,
“I know what you really are! Draco,” he snarled in response.
“So, you have discovered the truth,” the Archon said with pleasure.
“You enslave worlds, destroy planets, eat people and for what?” Viden screamed at him, both disgusted and infuriated by the Draco elder.
“Do you want to know why Viden?” he proposed.
Viden paused and nodded slightly in response.
“Evolution,” he said, to a now confused Viden. “War and conflict are the sole drivers of evolution, without it, life becomes stagnant and weak and will perish.” He stopped ten metres away from Viden.
“You’re wrong! How can peace bring death?” he shouted, somewhat confused by the Archon’s position. “You love nothing, no one!” he yelled The Archon became enraged at his last statement.
“Love,” he yelled ferociously, “You have no idea what that concept is! This Alliance destroyed my entire solar system and another because of their super weapon. I have lost everything!” His statement ricocheted through Viden’s mind.
“They did?” he asked with sympathy. The Archon noticed the activated beacon next to the throne.
“You activated the beacon,” he said, softly shaking his head. “Fool,” he added laughing.
Viden was confused by his response. “Why are you laughing?” he pondered, whilst looking at the beacon beside him.
“You think those Alliance ships will defeat me?” he said, laughing further. “What do you think I’ve done for the last ten years, I’ve recreated a substantial military, we have weapons placed across your entire system, I was going to activate that beacon after we conquered Kinana, but we will embark on the galactic conquest now.” Viden’s face twisted with discontent. He thought the beacon would mean defeat for the Archon yet here he stood unphased by the coming conflict.
“Charia, the Alliance have been summoned and when they arrive, fire at will,” he said into his wrist communication device.
He grabbed Ragnos’ blaster and fired a barrage of shots at the Archon. The pulses deflected off his seemingly indestructible armour. Viden screamed in frustration.
“You can’t kill me,” he said calmly despite the barrage. Viden threw the weapon away in frustration to the relief of the Archon. This weapon, if configured correctly, could penetrate his Draconite armour, but fortunately Viden was unaware of this.
“Monstah warned that you would resist eventually, ten years of manipulation and here you stand, what changed? Why are you doing this?” he asked. Puzzled of why Viden had chosen now to resist him.
“Someone showed me that I am better than this,” he responded.
“A female?” the Archon remarked. “Of course, it’s a female that would sway you, as it did him and how did you find the truth hey?” he enquired, somewhat worried on how he had acquired the information he had. Viden opened his mouth to respond when suddenly the pyramid was rocked violently by a pulse of energy fired from an Alliance ship in orbit. The construction resisted most of the impact, but the local area was demolished.
“What was that!?” Viden yelled.
“They are here,” the Archon responded with haste; he was visibly shaken by the impact.
“Charia we are taking damage, destroy them, immediately!” he demanded into his communication device. They could hear screams coming from outside.
“Mara,” Viden murmured under his breath with despair. He sprinted past the Archon and through the corridor leading to the main entrance, the Archon followed behind.
“I told you didn’t I!” the Archon yelled. Viden burst through the exit, eyes glued to the sky. Multiple massive ships roamed above Agarta, some entering the atmosphere. Massive pulses of energy were observed flying through the atmosphere, ships exploding on impact. He looked at the market below, it was destroyed, and people lay dead across the scene. Some screaming in agony, he looked at Mara’s stall, it too was destroyed, and a woman lays motionless on the ground. He almost fell down the staircase with his speed darting to the woman. It was Mara. He fell to the ground holding her in his arms.
“Don’t leave me,” he whispered, his voice riddled with agony.
“Viden,” she whispered with a raspy voice. She regained consciousness in his grasp. “What’s happening?” she asked.
“The Alliance have arrived, I did it. I activated the beacon,” he responded, a tear trickled down his cold cheek. She struggled, but wiped it away as she placed her hand over his cheek, he closed his eyes and placed his hand on hers.
“You did,” she whispered with a smile as she began to lose consciousness. “I need to tell you something, but still…” she muttered, but she passed away unable to finish.
“No, please no,” he said, pleading with the universe with all that remained of his scolded heart. Her head collapsed to the side, he felt he
r lifeforce fade away in his arms, he squeezed her tight. “I need you! Don’t,” he squealed. An eruption of dread filled his soul. He had lost everyone and everything he held dear. His actions, causing the demise of those he loved.
The Archon emerged from the pyramid and analysed the atmosphere with a wretched grin. Most of the fleet was defeated by his space defences. He saw Viden in the distance holding Mara, he did feel something akin to sympathy for his human servant. He approached him from behind, standing tall above him.
“I told you, they don’t care, stay with me and we will bring justice to this galaxy,” he said, releasing his hand as he walked away from Viden, giving him a moment to grieve. Viden ignored his master, holding Mara close. Tears free flowed across his face, the last person he cared for, the person he activated the beacon for, taken from him by the hands of the Alliance. His pain merged with that of the terrifying cries of the maimed survivors. Families torn from the conflict. He had truly never felt so alone, a pain only comparable to that of the loss of his mother. But this pain was a little different. His very soul burned.
Some time passed, he evaluated the atmosphere and witnessed the final destruction of the Alliance fleet. He released Mara, placing her gently on the ground so he could approach the Archon nearby. The Archon was conversing with Charia via his communication link. Viden lumbered over to him, his heart destroyed.
“You knew I would activate that beacon, didn’t you?” he said sombrely. The Archon ended his conversation with Charia and turned to face him.
“I was counting on it,” he responded. Viden rested on a large rock beside him, grasping his face with both hands.
“They killed her! Why!” he said with an elevated tone, ridden with anger and despair.
“I told you, they are not saviours, they are quite the opposite,” the Archon responded. Viden glanced back to the sky and analysed the remains of the Alliance fleet.
“Now you have acquired the truths you so desperately sought and achieved the mantle you desired, you are the most powerful human in Agarta,” the Archon stated. Viden continued to look away for a few moments, he pivoted back the Archon and with a quiver in the lips he responded frankly.
