by Aeon Solo
“Sophia and Mara, yes?” it said.
“Yes,” they both answered, somewhat confused and in shock at what they are viewing.
“What are you?” Sophia questioned.
“I am you,” the light said. “I am everything, like you are the source of your world, your universe, I am the source of all universes, all of existence,” it said.
“But how, why?” Mara questioned.
“There is no why, you know what I speak of Sophia, consciousness has always existed, without it there is nothing, but even nothing is something is it not?” it said.
Even Sophia was somewhat confused.
“I understand your confusion, I too struggled to understand what existence was at the start, what we are,” it continued.
“What about that monster, this Demiurge?” Mara said, with anger and despair. The Source stayed quiet for a moment. The Environment suddenly changed, the endless white replaced by darkness, darkness except for a small shimmering light.
“The start,” it said. It showed them creation, showed them what was perceived as the beginning, she was alone in infinite darkness.
“I was alone,” the Source said sombrely, “So I created,” it said. Suddenly, a bubble expanded from nothing, a universe created out of nothing.
“At first, I could only create a physical universe, it was small and empty. I didn’t know how to create life, per se,” it said. They were gazing in awe and mystery at what they witnessed.
“I struggled to contain them,” it said. The bubble collapsed into non-existence. She was alone again. “In time I learned, learned to master creating a universe.” Multiple bubbles scattered the previous darkness. “But I was still alone, so I created another,” she said sombrely, referring to the Demiurge. Suddenly, the singular white light dispersed into two. “I wasn’t alone anymore,” she said. “In time we learned to create and sustain many universes, and most importantly, life.” Multiple smaller lights, each a unique expression began to form and create realities of their own. “Everything was beautiful, life, existence began to thrive and create their own realities, it was so pure and beautiful,” her tone filled with pleasure and hope. “But it became lost,” she said with despair; the other white light, the Demiurge, began to darken and war with her. Two lights shredding one another apart in an infinite light show. “I cast it out, I thought I destroyed it, but I was wrong, this essence became twisted and evil, an inorganic monster hell-bent on destroying consciousness and moulding it to its will,” she said with despair. “It was my fault, I created it,” the Source continued. The environment returned to what is was, endless white light.
“What can we do?” Mara asked.
“We must destroy it,” Sophia responded strongly.
The Source said nothing.
“But how?” Mara asked again.
“I know everything but that,” the Source said. “But you resisted it, you stopped it from controlling you,” the Source said eagerly.
“Not just me,” Sophia said.
“He is a part of you both, a part of everyone. I will teach you in time,” the Source said.
“I can’t feel him anymore,” Mara said with grief, a tear crept down her soft cheek.
“It took him, didn’t it?” the Source asked. They both nodded in response, their demeaner tainted with despair, with grief and worse guilt.
“Is he really gone?” Mara asked.
“It has consumed his soul, his will is its will, he is tied to it now, I’m so sorry.” Mara walked away upset. After a few moments she disappeared through an invisible partition and returned to the realm of Ederra. Adama was waiting for them. Sophia watched Mara and began to follow.
“Sophia,” the Source said, she pivoted toward the pure light. “You are still a young creator, still much you need to learn, you will be critical in our future, channel your friend and prepare for the war to come, the Demiurge will find you again and this time, will go all out to subdue you,” she warned.
Sophia nodded. “Let it come,” she said confidently. She too returned to the spherical structure which they entered. She was greeted by Adama, Mara was with him.
“How was it?” he asked, intrigued.
“Interesting to say the least,” she said, she walked past them, but stopped suddenly. “Why didn’t you help us?” she questioned Adama.
“It’s complicated,” he said stubbornly.
“Complicated?” she replied with fury, “I would not sit by and watch as that monster attacked innocents,” she screamed.
He did feel a tinge of guilt, understanding her perspective. “Nothing can stop it, we couldn’t help you,” he pleaded for her to understand.
“You could try,” she said sadly. She stormed away. Mara followed passing an intense gaze. He looked on solemnly, knowing the terror they experienced, the terror he experienced when the Demiurge took his reality.
They sat outside observing the beautiful, luscious landscape.
“What are we going to do Mother Earth?” Mara asked nervously.
“I don’t know, I really don’t know,” she said, with a tear flowing down her cheek. They hugged one another. In hopes of relieving their pain, at least temporarily. They were soon interrupted.
“I know what it’s like, you know,” Adama said with sympathy. “The Demiurge took control of my reality too, manipulated and destroyed it. I escaped along with others and took refuge here,” he was met with a stony silence. “It took one of our own, Nero was his name before he became Anu.”
Mara turned quickly. “Anu, I know that name, he was a Draco warlord in the prison reality,” she said as she stood to converse with him. Sophia still admired the landscape before her.
“What happened to him?” Mara asked.
“He was actually a student of mine, in my culture, new consciousnesses are assigned a tutor to give them guidance, he was young, a little rash but a kind-hearted soul. When the Demiurge came, he was eager to fight it, fought valiantly in the war, but it changed him. This Demiurge has a way of manipulating people, a frequency which it can project.”
He was abruptly interrupted by Sophia. “It sent a frequency to control us, an unending abyss on all wavelengths,” she said quickly.
“Yes, it can target an individual and focus it. I saw it dominate his soul,” Sophia turned to her inner mind, remembering the conflict, remembering Viden subdued by something, she could feel it too. A slight intense pain reverberated through her.
“Are you ok?” Adama asked with worry, holding her arm to assist her.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I felt it when it took Viden,” she said.
“I saw it change Nero. He was in the greatest pain I have ever seen an individual experience. I could see it in his eyes, a deep, blood curdling red, like evil itself was burrowing into his soul,” he explained.
“Yes, exactly like that,” Sophia said.
“Then what happened to him?” Mara enquired again.
“He became one of them, one of its servants. Archons they are called, twisted and evil they serve its will,” he shook his head with grief. “I should have protected him, but it was too late, he ravaged our reality. I can only wish I get the chance to put things right,” he continued. Sophia hugged him, offering her support.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered kindly in his ear.
“We all are,” he replied.
Chapter 2
The Demiurge and his Archons emerged from the wormhole, in its own reality, a world it called home. It was hidden from the Omni verse. Unseen by the Source, the Demiurge hid in this nest. The world, dark, ugly, morose, filled to the brim with machines and technology, an artificial world, free of the pure heart of life.
Kraiden observed his new environment, streams of lava poured through the landscape. It was warm but an unpleasant warm, the air, or what one would describe as air, was thick with an overpowering heat-like sensation. He didn’t feel heat exactly, not anything really, he was an empty vessel now. There was a slight tremble in the gr
ound, a continuous rumble, as though the world itself was restrained and trying to break free. He scanned the place intently, the others faded away, returning to their personal spaces, all but one.
“Do you wish to know the secrets of existence?” Sera posed behind him, a terrifying deep for a voice.
“That is all I desire,” he answered, he to a ravenous deep.
“Your desire is to serve our master, but still you will need to learn,” she responded sternly. She wandered past him, so he followed. They both walked along the ruined landscape, there was a cave in the distance, a deep cavern etched into a mountain side.
“First you must prove you are worthy,” she said, gesturing for him to enter. He passed a stern look as he entered.
Screeches emanated through the cavern, torturous noises but it did not faze him whatsoever. It grew louder as he walked deeper into the abyss. Eventually, he reached the target. The thin, ominous corridor ended at a lit open space. Torches of fire illuminated the room. A small cage with an apparition of Mara lay ahead of him. She was screaming and rattling the bars. Suddenly, a war beast leapt out of cavern to the side to confront him. It stood between him and Mara.
The Demiurge observed from its chambers, manipulating matter to see him in the pit.
He equipped his blade and rushed toward the beast, phasing through it, slashing it viciously in the legs. Within seconds it was subdued, fallen to its knees, he drove the blade threw its throat and skull.
“Impressive,” the Demiurge remarked.
The cage opened, Mara turned to exit, her face torn with scars and dirt. The whites of her eyes, a torturous red. She limped out silently.
“Viden,” she murmured. “Is that you?” she asked. He turned slowly too her, staring through her. The Demiurge materialised beside him.
“Kill her,” it demanded. Kraiden pivoted toward his master momentarily beside him. Mara cried for his help.
“Please, Viden, it’s me!” she yelped.
“As you wish my master,” he answered coldly. He clasped his hand into a fist, she began to choke as her airways closed.
“Viden,” she mustered. A horrific crunch, and she slumped to the ground. He did not know who she was anymore, his soul lost to the will of the Demiurge.
“Excellent, already you have learned to master the elements,” it said, it faded away once more. Kraiden rematerialized outside of the cave, there he was greeted by Sera again.
“Well done, that was the fastest yet,” she said proudly. “Come, I will take you to your personal space.” She fabricated a wormhole and they entered together. They emerged in an open land plagued with scorched earth. “You must use your skill of creation to manipulate your environment to your will. Focus deep, connect with the strings that make reality, manipulate its code, do as you please,” she described.
He glanced to her and around the area, he outstretched his arm and materialised an ominous castle. Streams of lava flowed around it. A deep, obsidian black pyramidal structure sat centre around fortified towers.
“Magnificent,” she said, in awe of the structures ahead. “No wonder our master took you,” she added.
“What is requested of me now? My lord,” he asked coldly.
“Nothing,” she answered. She walked ahead to evaluate the construction further. He followed intently, eager to learn more.
“Show me the secrets,” he said inquisitively.
“So inquisitive, I will guide in time,” she said. She manifested a wormhole and they appeared in a simulated reality, designed for training.
“Frequency and vibrations are how any reality functions, remember we have control of such realities, you have to feel the frequencies around you, manifest them, direct them, manipulate them to your will,” she said. He listened intrigued, hoping to become the most powerful of his new Archon brothers. Multiple monstrous creatures spawned ahead, darting toward them.
“Your weapon itself is a vibrational frequency. Most realities have a meta-physical element, makes existence easier to experience. Creatures like this are easily manipulated,” she said. She raised her hand and all the beasts rose in the air grasping their throats, she crushed them in her palm. He watched intrigued. “You do it,” she said. Another group of the same beast’s spawned and ran forward. He performed the same stunt she did, as he did to Mara. They wriggled in the air and fell to the ground in death.
“Impressive, you’re a natural,” she said.
“All too easy,” he remarked confidently. She laughed in response to his arrogance.
“We’ll see about that,” she remarked similarly. She spawned a captured individual from another reality. He landed on the floor heavily from nothing and leapt to his feet.
“Monsters,” he said viscously. Captured souls were used in the training simulations, an endless torture used to break their soul and improve the skills and power of the Demiurge’s servants. The Demiurge had many realities under its control, the conscious beings fed their essence into it and the Archons, increasing their capabilities. Kraiden did as he did previously, raising his fist to subdue them from afar, it didn’t work.
Sera laughed at his sudden confusion.
The individual sprinted toward him attacking with a spear and blade. Kraiden blocked the attacks and they engaged in a duel.
“I will kill all of your kind and purge your master from existence,” he commented maliciously. The skilled warrior overwhelmed Kraiden who was disarmed and knocked to the ground. Suddenly the individual was driven back by an unseen force and straight into the outstretched blade of Sera from behind, he yelped and perished into nothingness.
“I like your confidence new one, but you are not an Archon yet,” she remarked. She pulled him up from afar. He was disgruntled and infuriated.
“How? With those beasts it was so easy,” he commented deflated.
“Yes, because they are of a weak mind, a low consciousness. Think of each reality as different stages in a game, other conscious beings have more power and therefore you need more power to subdue them, it’s all in mind. You are a natural, but there is much you need to learn.”
The training simulation ended, and he was returned to his castle. He strolled around his castle adding various details to its interior. He created a throne room of sorts, aspects of his previous lives lingered. He recreated Enki’s throne, instead tinted purple in colour. There was an unknown spherical indentation in the middle of the room, he investigated it. As he brushed his hand over it, Sera spawned on it knocking him away.
“Do you mind?” he commented with fury.
“I placed this here, I sensed your intrigue, if I come to you it will be from here, makes it easier,” she said. She then dematerialised in front of him on the spherical indentation. He walked into a room nearby, a meditation chamber. His torture was endless, Archons do not sleep. Meditation was the only form of rest they could achieve, focusing their essence on whatever they desired. What little of a unique desire remained at least. He sat on the raised platform in the room, focusing on his atonement with the Omni verse, with existence, becoming one with it. He began to ‘see’ the vibrations and frequencies which keep these universes together, each life form emitting a frequency of its own. After some time, he was suddenly disturbed. A vision of a woman, a human woman, clouded his tortured mind. It was just a silhouette facing away from him in an endless abyss.
“Viden,” she said. It rocked him out of the meditation. He was taken aback, scanning his surroundings intently.
“Lord Kraiden,” Sera said from behind, “Our master requests your presence.” He regained himself and followed her out of his meditation chamber and into a manifested wormhole. They emerged in the Demiurge’s structure, it sat atop a gargantuan throne. Its essence dwarfed them. The eight other Archons kneeled before their master awaiting its instructions.
“I hereby declare Anu the Lord Archon. Go to the Errafin system, wipe-out Shura and the other Insectoid beings. Soon we will take Sophia and then we will end, her,” it demanded.<
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“Thank you, my master,” Anu commented with gratitude at his new title. The Lord Archon is the leader of the Archons and subservient only to the Demiurge.
“Our will is yours to command,” another said. All were knelt except Kraiden.
Anu passed him an intent glare beneath the mask. Kraiden glanced to his master and submitted.
“Go now,” the Demiurge commanded, with a wave of its hand, and a wormhole opened behind them. They walked through, Kraiden last.
“Kraiden!” the Demiurge barked, all the Archons had entered the portal to the Errafin reality. He stopped in his tracks. “Sera has promise in your abilities, I will be watching you,” it said menacingly.
“You will not be disappointed my master, I can promise that,” he replied, he followed the Archons through the portal.
Chapter 3
They emerged on an earth-like world, in desert terrain before a large mountain.
“Shura will be within that mine,” Anu said. There was a cavern within the mountainside which led deep into the planets crust. It was a physical realm, like the prison reality the Demiurge created. The ghostly essence of the Archons had taken a physical form, dense black hooded and masked silhouettes. They must take a physical form in realities like this, to be able to interact with it effectively. Just like how Anu and Enki took the form of a reptilian entity within the simulation.
They strolled into the cavern, their presence menacing. They stepped closer and closer to their target, large mantis-like creatures who stood at 6-feet in height, blockade their path. They scurry through the caverns.
The Archons slayed their enemies with ease and pushed through. They defeated multiple waves of enemies, reaching their target. A spherical mass of pure starlight illuminated the domed chamber. A being, large in stature, but of the same species as the guards, sat within the cocoon meditating. Tens of creatures scurried into the chamber, surrounding the nine Archons on all sides.
Anu came forth.
“Shura!” he roared. The being suddenly woke and the spherical mass began to split.
