Conquest Agarta

by Aeon Solo

  “Yes, I can get her to full health along with your people,” the Source responded. Mara watched the Source work its magic.

  “It can’t be destroyed, I killed it twice, yet it still lives,” she said sadly.

  “You succeeded Mara, you gave it a good hiding, but now it knows where we are,” the Source replied.

  “I’m so sorry,” she muttered sadly. “Then we need to prepare everyone,” she added urgently.

  “I am relying on you Mara, please protect the others,” she pleaded. She had a plan for Mara, but she must come to the conclusion on her own. If she was a willing sacrifice.

  Amul exited a wormhole in Ederra’s, the fantastic construction lingered nearby. thArchon stormed towards it.

  “Archon!” Mara shouted, she emerged behind him, sensing his presence in the realm.

  “Soon all will submit to the Demiurge, you will find peace, in servitude or death.”

  “If I were you, I’d hop in the wormhole, up on outa here…before something bad happens,” Alexandria said to its right side. Sonje was present on Amul’s left.

  “We have an army!” Amul barked.

  “Well, we have her,” Sonje said, gesturing to Mara. He could see her transformation. Her hammer in hand. Amul attempted a sudden phase attack on Mara, she defended. Sonje and Alexandria joined, the Archon was defending against the three. Mara batted him away to the ground, she leaped through the air slamming the hammer down, the Archon escaped the hit zone. He overwhelmed Sonje, but Alexandria protected him. Mara attacked again. She hurled a frequency from the tip of the hammer. Amul tried to defend but was soon overwhelmed. He slipped to his knees in submission. The blinding light caused Sonje and Alexandria to squint.

  “You belong to me,” Mara snarled derisively. She clasped her hand on Amul’s head. He vibrated with all his might trying to resist. Shortly, he submitted, his head tipped to the ground in submission. She released, he remained on his knees. Alexandria screamed with fury. She forced her weapon through him. He dissipated into death.

  “It was not yours to kill!” Mara said, her eyes a raging fury.

  “You dominated that Archon,” Alexandria said fearfully.

  “Yes, and I will dominate the Demiurge!” she snarled in response to them both.

  “What? The Demiurge has to be killed!” Sonje yelled.

  “The Demiurge cannot be killed!” she exclaimed aggressively. The Source appeared beside them in her godly form.

  “I’m so sorry but, Mara is right” she said to the group. Sonje and Alexandria looked at her despondent.

  “The Demiurge and I are one in the same, it as much a part of us as anything else, we split a long time ago. One light, one dark, essentially,” she described.

  “Then we have to destroy this darkness!” Sonje said.

  “To kill it, is to kill all life,” the Source explained. “We cannot hide from it anymore. Mara do what must be done,” she pleaded as she faded from view.

  “There has to be another way,” Alexandria interrupted.

  “No, there is not,” Mara walked away from the two.

  “Where are you going?” Alexandria shouted.

  “That monster…is mine,” she snarled, and she entered a wormhole.

  “What are we going to do? So long as that Demiurge exists there will never be peace!” Sonje said with a raised voice.

  “If she does it, it might work,” Alexandria proposed.

  “Have you seen her since Viden’s passing? She could destroy us all with such power!” he shouted with worry.

  “I know,” she said softly. She placed her hand on his arm gently.

  Mara emerged in Stornheim. A mass of deadly, monstrous creatures, like death in flesh, along with AI machines, filled the tortured lands ready for war. She scoured the land beneath her, she was atop a small hill. The Demiurge put its hand on her, a tear crept to her eye.

  “You cannot kill me. I will get what I want, you cannot stop that. And when I do, you can be with him again,” it said softly, but with arrogance.

  “You’re right,” she twisted, so it released its grasp. “I cannot kill you,” she said, a tear slipped down her cheek. “But…”

  The Demiurge twisted its head inquisitively at her remark. She forced her hand upon its head, it screamed with fury. With Hellraiser in hand, she enforced a frequency blast to amass the Demiurge.

  “I can get him back,” it squirmed in her vice.

  “You are mine now!” she barked. It was succumbing to her will, it slumped slowly to its knee. “Submit!” she exclaimed.

  “You…I can…get him back,” it said with difficulty.

  She shrieked with all her might. “Now, you will know what it’s like to lose,” she added. A burst of energy emitted around them. The Demiurge was kneeling with its head down.

  “Who do you serve?” she said forcefully, but sceptical.

  “You, my will is yours to command,” it answered robotically.

  “Can you get Viden back?” she asked.

  “There is one way,” it responded, it didn’t lie about that.

  “Show me,” she replied hopeful. Mara and the Demiurge went into the palace.

  “It requires a generator,” it said. Mara placed the hammer in a contraption. A portal was thrown from the artificial contraption, the Demiurge also connected itself to it.

  “What you seek, may be on the other side,” it described.

  “May?” she said strongly.

  “This hasn’t been done before,” it said.

  Mara entered the portal, she was in a small forest, trees covered her sight. A gentle breeze flocked through her hair. Small mammals roamed by her feet playing with each other. She watched them pass by through the low-cut grass with a pleasant smile. She walked further through the dense treeline; a silhouette lingered in the distance behind the treeline. She eventually past the final tree; a plateau of grassland awaited her before a hill. The apparition was facing toward this hill. She approached slowly, eager but apprehensive. She was close, so close now. She clutched its arm gently and turned the silhouette toward her.

  “Viden,” she whispered whilst she performed the action.

  The figure was just black, a dark, featureless apparition. She cried with agony, falling to the ground. The apparition kneeled inquisitively, almost watching her despite its sightless face.

  “What must I do?” she said solemnly.

  The Demiurge was batted to the ground viciously.

  “You told me he would come back!” she barked. The Demiurge crawled back, halted by a wall.

  “I’m not enough to retrieve his consciousness on my own!” it barked back fearfully.

  “Then who can?” she questioned irate.

  “Her, we need her,” it answered.

  Meanwhile.

  The Source was in its godly state. She was observing the beautiful landscape of Ederra. Many people, human and alike traversed around the place.

  “Alex,” she said. She was sitting in the distance.

  “Yes mother,” she replied.

  “Mara will return here shortly and when she does, I will need you to keep her occupied whilst I deal with the Demiurge alone,” she explained.

  “What do you mean?” Alexandria questioned, confused by her statement, as if the Demiurge and Mara were allies.

  “Trust me, please do as I say, I can end this here,” she responded.

  “I could help with that,” a male, human voice said behind them. He approached through the crowd. “I can get her attention whilst you finish that monster,” he added.

  “Oh yeah, and who the hell are you?” Alexandria interrupted.

  “I was her father.” His statement was met by her silence, the Source smiled.

  “Yes, you were,” she said content. “We need to avoid this place. I can’t endanger the lives of others. I have a barren land over the mountain in the distance, we travel there.” She guided them to the location via a portal. They hid behind a protective veil; the Source stood alone in
the desert terrain. She breathed deeply, perhaps she was wrong for baiting Mara with such power. Using her as a pawn as the Demiurge did, to serve a means to an end. But she understood now what to do.

  In Stornheim, “I said, didn’t I? How much are you willing to sacrifice to bring Viden back?” the Demiurge said. Mara halted her response. She was caught in a river of thought.

  “Everything,” she said, “We go to Ederra now, summon your Archons,” she demanded.

  The Source remained alone in the desert landscape, reminiscent of her own separate realm. Barely any features to describe in this landscape. Deep in the distance a mountain side loomed.

  Mara emerged from a wormhole, followed by the Demiurge and its three remaining Archons. Their presence was terrifying to those unfortunate to see. People scurried away. Sonje remained defiantly in front.

  “She isn’t here,” he said strongly. Mara gazed around, behind her above the mountain a large, beam of starlight hovered. She fabricated a portal to that location. She emerged in the blank desert landscape, alone for now.

  “Mara,” the Source said.

  “I need you to come with me. You can bring Viden back,” she said.

  “I can’t do that Mara,” she responded bluntly.

  “I wasn’t asking,” her presence began to darken the surroundings. The Demiurge emerged, followed by the Archons. They all prepared to attack. The Source transformed herself into a fighting avatar, mirroring the Demiurge, but a blinding white instead of a soulless black.

  “Mara!” a man shouted, he walked toward her alone. Coming from behind the invisible veil. Her attention was taken by him as the Demiurge and the Archons attacked the Source.

  “Dad?” she questioned with bewilderment. Alexandria joined the fight; the Demiurge commanded the three Archons to attack her. Sonje emerged from a portal with Alexandria’s remaining immortals, they engaged the Archons together. Mara approached her once father from the simulation.

  “So, you escaped from Bamphia?” he said. She hugged him tight.

  “Yes,” she whispered, blushed with joy.

  “Why are you doing this? Why join with that monster?” he asked abruptly whilst they comforted each other.

  “It can bring Viden back, and when it does, I’ll destroy it,” she said.

  “Viden?” he questioned. “The Knight of Anu by any chance?” They released from each other’s grip.

  “Yes, why?” she asked, confused.

  “I think I knew him,” he said.

  Whilst Mara was conversing with her former father, the Source and the Demiurge fought.

  “I can help you now, listen to me, come home,” she pleaded with it.

  “Never, I will sooner destroy you and all life than merge,” it hurled back viciously. They continued a little while longer. Eventually the Source overwhelmed the Demiurge, in its dominated state. Finally, she had the upper hand, she knew how to end this once and for all.

  “No!” it bellowed with an animalistic cry. She gripped the Demiurge tight, it squirmed in her grip.

  “Don’t be afraid,” she said. It continued to squirm out of her reach but failed. For the first time in its entire existence it was truly, unmitigatedly afraid. “I won’t go back in there!” Their forms were merging, being pulled into each other. It shrieked, it snatched Mara’s attention, her head span back instantly.

  “No!” she screamed.

  There was a sudden flash of light, blinding all in its wake. Everyone was blasted off their feet, a massive pulse of power reverberated across the whole of Ederra. A few moments later Mara recovered, the blinding light remained where the Source and the Demiurge were. She covered her eyes, hammer in hand poised to strike if needed. Suddenly, the weapon was dragged from her grip, it flew into the light. The light dissipated. The Source and the Demiurge became one once more. The combination of dark and light, amalgamated through grey to bring balance to life. The weapon synced with the complete Source. In doing so, disconnecting from Mara.

  Mara grunted painfully, wandering forward disorientated. She cried out, slipping toward the ground, she snatched at the soil, it fell through her fingers. Her face contorted torturously. Her body began to burn inside, the power of the Eternal generators burrowing through her meta-physical body. It was too much to contain. She squealed in agony, the Source approached and transformed into a godly state, genderless in balance.

  “It burns,” she cried, her skin darkening. Tremendous heat radiated from her body.

  “I know,” it said guiltily.

  “But still…Ah!” She crumbled further into the ground, writhing in the soil.

  “You did it Mara, you facilitated our freedom, you made us whole again,” it said pleasantly, easing her passing with its touch.

  “I’m sorry,” Mara leaned into its grasp.

  “I know you are,” it responded gently.

  “I just… I just I need him,” she cried.

  “And because of this, we will never let this happen again. No one will experience such pain again,” it described.

  “Can’t you help her!” her father pleaded. Her father put his hand on her shoulder but pulled away instantly. The sensation of heat was exuberant. Alexandria watched with her Immortals and Sonje, so did the Archons that remained. The fighting had ceased in the calmness. They watched Mara squirm in the soil, unknowing of what to do. Their expressions, gleamed dismay.

  “You have fulfilled your duties, go and please, be in peace,” the Source said to the Archons. They blissfully accepted non-existence with open arms. They evaporated in the sunlight, their lifeforce, of what little remained, returning to the Source at last. They were finally free.

  “Can I,” Mara struggled to speak, still clasping onto the Source with what little lifeforce she had left.

  “Here,” the Source said, offering her a final peace

  Mara woke in a field abruptly. She scanned her arms. They had restored to a healthy peach. The pain was gone. She evaluated her surroundings, standing to her feet. Long flowing grass up to her knees covered her sight all around, a beautiful sun beamed ahead between two mountains. It was bright of course, but it did not affect her eyes. Deep within the light, a silhouette loitered, waiting for her. A peaceful smile gleamed across her face, she drifted through the grass, passing her hand through the strands. She reached the figure. They locked hands, blissfully becoming one with the sunlight.

  She and Viden could finally rest, their sacrifice, freeing all life from its bane.