by Aeon Solo
“Is it just in the simulation? Where are you having these, visions, these memories?” it enquired. Kraiden paused for a moment.
“Yes,” he said. The Demiurge scanned him once more, it did not sense deceit, Kraiden was masking it.
“Ok, I had worries that you would experience such problems when returning there,” it said. It was manipulating various control systems.
“Return? I had a life in there?” he probed, somewhat upset by this revelation. The Demiurge stopped its task, pivoting toward him.
“Yes, you were a, unique being, a valuable asset so I gave you truth, gave you freedom,” it said. He remained silent.
The Archons have no freedom, they are the most controlled of the Demiurge’s subjects.
They were interrupted by Anu.
“Master,” Anu exclaimed, as he rushed into the room. He was soon followed by Elohim.
“What is it Anu?” the Demiurge asked sternly.
“We are having problems in Hertha,” he replied, somewhat unsettled.
“What do you mean, problems?” it enquired sternly. Sera emerged from the wormhole nearby from the simulation.
“Ugh, that reality is toxic, how did you stay in there for so long Anu?” she commented arrogantly. He gave her an intense glare.
“And how long did it take you to implement Order 99?” he threw back aggressively. Her form twitched slightly from the discomfort of being in the Draco form, she unholstered her weapon.
“The last I saw, it was you who fell defeated in combat to one of them, weak bitch boy!” she roared. Anu was infuriated by the comment, he too unholstered his weapon aggressively. The Demiurge watched, bemused by their confrontation and petty squabble.
“That,” he roared, “Human,” he remarked quietly, his glare switched to Kraiden. “Had complete control of the simulation, and I can tell you this, it won’t happen again.”
He was momentarily struck by a vision, a memory again. From his time as Hathor, the Draco slayer. He saw himself, a human, it was vague, he faced Anu in his Draco form. It passed quickly, he was somewhat disorientated, but the others did not see it. Anu and Sera came closer, itching toward a confrontation.
“See something you like Anu?” Sera said, his hand twitched with the blade.
“Stop!” Kraiden roared. Anu flew suddenly into his grip. Elohim unholstered his weapon, directing toward Kraiden, Sera was gobsmacked, but she hated Anu, so was ecstatic at the sight. The Demiurge glared at him intently, as he suffocated Anu in his vice.
“Kraiden, put him down,” the Demiurge commented menacingly. He didn’t.
It blasted a frequency toward him. Kraiden blocked it momentarily, but soon quailed over in agony. He released Anu. The Demiurge was partly horrified by his resistance, if only briefly. It released its grasp.
“Enough of this petty nonsense, Anu speak, now!” it demanded. They all submitted to their master. Kraiden was still on his knees from the attack.
“Some of the subjects have resisted, like Sophia and her humans did,” he explained. Anu scowled at Kraiden. “They call themselves the 54 Immortals,” Anu added begrudgingly.
“We’ll see how immortal they are,” Kraiden commented with difficulty whilst he regained his feet. The Demiurge pondered for a few moments, thinking on how to proceed.
“All of you will come with me, have you set up the control matrix?” it said.
“Yes, we have most of the beings captured, they will have been placed in Sector D in the simulation. They be located at the Eta Cephei star system. Master, these ones are different to those we captured, two different sources call that place home,” Anu said.
“No matter, I want these immortals eradicated, the rest we keep in the simulation,” it said. The Demiurge manifested a wormhole again, they all entered. Sera placed her hand on Kraiden whilst she passed. A gesture of gratitude for standing up to the new Lord Archon.
Flashback: A young girl, foreign to a human’s eye, tried to blast away some debris ahead of her. She was in a dense forest of sorts, at the peak of a mountain. A sensational landscape view lingered behind her. The land travelled in sight for an eternity around this mountain. She hurled her hand up and grunted, the debris sat unaltered. She did it again, no movement.
“Argh!” she screamed, a terrific blast emanated around her, blasting all away.
“You have quite the fire, little one,” a dark, ominous presence said as it loomed over her at the peak. She wandered up the rocky, makeshift path toward it. The presence wavered its hand behind, the landscape transformed into the base code, the frequencies and vibrations which propagate reality of any kind, the building blocks. She was in awe.
“You must see the code to succeed in your endeavour efficiently,” it stated. She flicked the air, a vibration trickled around, like a wave in a fluid. “You can change reality, craft what you desire, be whatever you want to be,” it added. She was still speechless; she was not afraid of its domineering avatar. She focused intently. She fabricated an altered landscape below. Turning what was a plateau, of what appeared to be grassland, into a lush forest.
“Excellent,” it stated. It crouched down to reach closer to her level, “Do you seek more?” it proposed gently.
Chapter 6
They all emerged on the surface of a world. Anu had set up a matrix system around the star, like the Demiurge did in the Earth system. This reality again, was focused in a single system with two stars surrounding a single, large planet. The smaller star had been taken, the capture of the star weakened those within the reality, everything was interconnected. The star itself is a representation of consciousness, a beaming source of pure energy, which allowed most realities to function and exist on a physical or meta-physical basis. This reality is very similar to Sophia’s Earth system. It was meta-physical allowing matter to be freely manipulated by consciousness. The simulation is essentially a restricted version of such a reality; locking everything into the physical. Anu manifested and created an AI force, which had subdued the smaller star within the system, using it as a base and energy source to further fuel their conquest. Using their own energy, their own power against the inhabitants of this realm.
Kraiden glanced toward the twin suns. One shone bright. The other a dim shell of its neighbour, a spherical matrix sucking the life from it, enveloping it. The four Archons and their master were in a barren landscape. It had been ravaged by the frequency band emanating from the matrix structure. The frequency band which subdued and manipulated consciousnesses. Life here had been brushed away.
“Their leader has created a dome of protection in the distance, master,” Anu commented.
“Take us there,” the Demiurge said. Anu phased into the distance in a flash and the others followed. They stood before the dome of pure starlight which surrounded a beautiful lush of life. Silhouettes hovered closer in the distance. Again, they shared a form like that of humans, they are slightly taller, and had a long-flowing tail behind them.
“Why is everything Bi-pedal?” Kraiden said. The others looked to him confused by this sudden remark.
“It is a desirable form,” the Demiurge answered.
It dragged a blade across the barrier, examining the protection. Kraiden placed his hand over it, he felt the code, the links which kept it together, which kept everything together. He mediated on it, thinking deeply. Fifty-four individuals loomed within the dome.
“Leave this place monster!” one shouted.
“Take me to your leader,” the Demiurge demanded. One of the individuals approached Kraiden and placed her hand over his on the other side of the barrier, her essence disrupted his meditative flow. The Archons watched him intrigued. He opened his eyes, his face covered by his mask. She didn’t need to see his face; she felt his essence.
Meanwhile, Mara was meditating on Earth, drifting in deep thought; she suddenly sensed a glimmer, an ever so slight tremble in the omni verse.
“Viden!” she exclaimed as she was knocked from her meditation. Sophia was n
earby, “Mother Earth!” she shouted, “I know where they are, they are taking another reality,” she said urgently. Sophia was concerned by this news, and her flustered persona.
“Ok, ok, we’ll go to them, help them,” she said.
“I saw him, I felt him, just for a second. He’s still out there I promise,” she urged, begging Sophia to believe her, pleading that they would try and find Viden again. They hugged one another.
“We’ll ask Adama for help, we’ll go to them, we’ll save him, I promise,” Sophia replied pleasantly.
“You’re not like them, Archon,” the female immortal said to Kraiden. He tried to push his hand through the barrier, it repelled him.
“Join us,” he said, “I can feel your connection, you would be valuable to my master,” he said. One of the individuals stole the Demiurges attention.
“I am the one you seek,” she said, coming forth. The Demiurge analysed her intensely.
“Ah yes, you are,” it said.
“It doesn’t have to go this way,” the Immortal said to Kraiden.
“There is no other way, you do not understand the power of the Demiurge, the darkness consumes all, it’s an irresistible torture that none can escape, not even you,” he said. She stepped backward, with a slight tremble of fear.
“Then I will free you from your bane,” she said whilst she returned to the group, “Viden,” she added, pivoting toward him on her return. Her words hit deep within him, it unsettled him to his core.
“Join me, and your people will be saved,” the Demiurge proposed, somewhat gently. Their apparent leader was unphased by their presence.
“I know what you are, what you seek, no one would ever join you, not willingly,” she said coldly.
“You still do not understand, none of you do, I can free you from all this. Give you purpose where there is none.”
“Our purpose…we will stop at nothing; we’ll end your tyranny,” she growled back. The Demiurge slammed its hand on the barrier, stunning some of them.
“You think you can kill me? If she couldn’t, how could you?”
“You underestimate us!” she exclaimed. The Demiurge pulled away.
“So be it.”
The Archons prepared themselves for attack. The Immortals too.
“Well, come and get us!” she roared defiantly. The group entered a group battle stance.
The Demiurge funnelled the most powerful frequency blast it ever could, concentrating it on the barrier in front. It carved an opening, to the dismay of the fifty-four A handful attempted an attack, the Demiurge blasted them away. The Archons phased through the opening, engaging in combat. It was an unrivalled spectacle, individuals phasing and attacking simultaneously in a godly fight. Impossible feats of speed, strength and skill when compared to the restrictive simulated prison.
Kraiden was attacking the individual he was conversing with, he didn’t fight her with all his might, he restricted himself, only defending her attacks. Ten of the Immortals, along with their apparent leader, barraged the Demiurge. It held them back with ease.
“Your control of existence is trivial,” the Demiurge commented. Sera was close to Kraiden, she was dominating her enemies, half of the Immortals perished by their hands. Kraiden allowed his opponent to disarm him, she knocked him to the ground.
“End my suffering,” he pleaded. Sera spotted him on the ground. His opponent looked at him with sympathy, her eyes showed that, her green eyes.
“I release you from your torture,” she said, raising her weapon to deal the final strike.
“No!”
Sera phased instantly into the weapons path. She deflected, but the Immortal sliced through her form in a flash. She fell into his arms.
“Why!” he commented sadly.
“You can free us,” she muttered, she disappeared in his grasp, fading into non-existence. Suddenly, a wormhole opened nearby, Sophia, Adama and Mara emerged. They urged the Immortals that remained to escape with them. Mara gazed intently around. Kraiden looked at her in the distance, locked into each other’s sight. It was quickly interrupted by an attack from Anu. Sophia protected Mara, they fended off Anu momentarily. The remaining Immortals phased toward the wormhole.
“Go!” Adama yelled. “Take them and go, I will deal with him,” Adama yelled to Mara and Sophia.
“I’ve waited so long for this,” Anu commented with glee. Adama breathed heavily, anxiety twisting his core.
“Nero,” he responded calmly.
“He doesn’t exist, anymore!” Anu roared back. “He’s gone, pathetic and weak like all of you, I freed him, I saved him!” Anu yelled.
A tear crept to Adama’s eye.
“There was nothing I could do,” he commented sadly.
Flashback: Adama and his people were engaged in combat with the Demiurge and his Archons. Nero was fending off the Demiurge in single combat, whilst Adama combatted Apollo.
“Impressive young one,” the Demiurge commented.
“You damn right I’m impressive,” a confident Nero responded. They fought, and Nero was soon disarmed, and kicked to the ground. He leaped back to his feet quickly; the Demiurge pointed its weapon toward him.
“Again,” it commented, Nero’s weapon floated beside him, the Demiurge manipulating it. Nero grabbed the weapon hesitantly, confused, but glad he was still alive.
“Your overconfidence will be the death of you, monster!” he yelled. The Demiurge laughed deeply at his attempts to defeat him.
“Valiant, you are, I have a greater use for you,” it commented.
“Nero!” Adama screamed, he tried to rush to his aid. Apollo blasted him to the ground with a frequency blast. He looked up and locked eyes with Nero. A deep fear set into his soul. The Demiurge disarmed him and forced a frequency upon him. Nero screamed an almighty cry.
“No! no,” Adama squealed. Adama darted toward the Demiurge, leaping to his feet. He was clattered away in a single stroke. He watched from afar, defeated on the ground, as Nero’s soul was consumed by the darkness. He could see it contort and twist his soul. He couldn’t prevent Nero’s fate. He begrudgingly escaped with the others, horrified by their defeat. He vowed to save Nero one day.
Anu raised his weapon to attack.
“You’re still in there Nero, please come with me, our Source can save you, please!” he urged. The remaining Immortals were funnelling through the wormhole, Mara glanced toward Adama, Elohim, and the Demiurge approached him.
“Adama! Come on!” she screamed. He disregarded her plea.
“Nothing of his soul remains,” Anu retorted.
“I won’t fight you Nero, come with me, or kill me, it’s your choice,” he said. He dropped his weapon to the ground.
“Then you will die,” Anu said bluntly, he phased forward in a flash pummelling Adama through the chest.
“No!” Mara screamed.
“I’m so sorry,” Adama whispered, gripping on Anu’s form. His spirit ceased to exist.
“Sophia!” the Demiurge roared.
“Your antics will not be tolerated anymore! Vile monster,” she screamed back.
“No! She’s the monster,” the Demiurge shouted back.
Kraiden’s opponent was the last to reach the portal.
“Come on, we’re done here,” she commented to Mara. They went through and wormhole disappeared. Mara glanced back to Kraiden a final time as the wormhole dissipated.
“Master, the collapse of the reality has started, we must leave now!” Elohim yelled.
The Demiurge manifested a wormhole back to Stornheim.
“Thank you, for saving us, my name is Alexandria,” Kraiden’s opponent said to Mara and Sophia, once they reached Ederra.
“You’re welcome, I’m Sophia, and this is Mara,” Sophia answered pleasantly.
“The one you were fighting, did he live?” Mara interrupted.
“Yes, one of them seemed to sacrifice himself to save it, it was different to the others,” she said with a glazed expression.
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br /> “He is a he not an it, he is not one of them!” Mara scowled.
“Can I?” Alexandria suggested, gesturing her hand toward Mara’s hand gently. She looked at her strangely, but let the Immortal woman do what she desired. She grasped Mara’s hand gently, feeling her essence, she meditated on this. Her large green eyes closed, as she saw in her heart, the horrors that Mara had experienced, her painful loss. Mara stared at her with a perplexed expression still.
“I’m so sorry for your experiences, your connected to him aren’t you,” she said.
“Yes, I bonded each of my people with another at conception,” Sophia said.
“It’s very dangerous to do such a thing, these Archons are bound to their master. But I must say there is a glimmer of your friend inside, I saw it, however briefly,” she responded.
“I told you, he’s still in there I know it,” Mara urged with a smile.
“Do not get your hopes up Mara, this Demiurge consumes all, your friend has done well to retain anything, the others have not. Reach out to him if you can, we must stop this evil,” she replied. “I’m sorry about your friend,” she added with sympathy, as she walked away.
“We must see the Source again,” Sophia commented.
Meanwhile in Stornheim.
“What about the resources? We just lost most of our infrastructure!” Anu commented harshly.
“No matter, we don’t need any more in the simulation, they give us what we need. We go for Sophia next. This Earth is far more of an irritant than expected, she must be dealt with promptly,” the Demiurge responded irate.
“Where is Sera?” another Archon commented, as he entered the throne room.
Kraiden slumped with sadness. “She’s gone,” he said.
“What!” the Demiurge roared.
“Yes, I was overwhelmed, she saved me,” he said. The Demiurge darted over to Kraiden, analysing him intently.
