Everville: The Rise of Mallory

by Roy Huff

  “Will it hold?” one of the Fron asked The Keeper.

  “It will hold,” he said with assurance.

  The pounding, though, did not stop. One after the other, the Alarians wielded their hammers, thrusting it upon the shield. The ceaseless trembling of the ground troubled a few, but there was no sign of fatigue or weakness in the shield.

  The battle in Brackenbone had completely reversed after the return of the Alarians in their new form. The presence of Them and the inability to shift was irrelevant to the attack. The new shape rendered the Alarians impervious to the weapons of the Ubaloo, and the Ubaloo’s smaller size meant that each attack of the hammer killed more soldiers.

  The Alarians soon focused their attack in Brackenbone on the walls of Vermogen. They began pummeling the walls, smashing each section into little bits. The Ubaloo were glad that the Alarians were no longer attacking them, but they soon realized that the Alarians were trying to destroy the ability to control the flow of the element.

  The Ubaloo took solace in the fact that the construction of the final collector took place underground. The materials were already collected, and soon the work would be complete. The walls could be rebuilt, but the Ubaloo could not.

  The Ubaloo were concerned, however, with the monoliths in the land of the giants. They would need to finish the construction of the collector before the portals within the monoliths were all destroyed. With the portals temporarily cut off, they were unable to communicate to Everville or The Keepers.

  In the land of the giants, the Alarians had successfully drawn the armies away from the monoliths. They were about to begin pummeling the monoliths when the Mountain Dwellers, Fwaylan, and additional armies of Them arrived from their rear.

  Governor Jahal was surprised at the additional armies, but he was not concerned. The Mountain Dwellers and Fwaylan were as ineffectual as the other soldiers.

  The Alarians refocused their attack. In a mere moment, they had commenced their destruction of the monoliths. The structures proved surprisingly resilient, no doubt a result of the properties from which they were made. They were not indestructible, though. It took some doing and some time, but the Alarians were eventually successful in the destruction of the first monolith and the portal within it.

  Instantly, the element that was stored within that solitary portal was released and shared equally between Rathlar, Mallory, and the holders of the other artifacts including the Alarians and Jacob. It did not return the flow of the element, however, only released the portion that was stored in the solitary portal.

  In Everville, the Alarians continued their assault on the shield created by The Keepers. The next strike was much stronger. The shield was now being punished with a greater force, and The Keepers knew one of the portals was destroyed. The Fron and others knew it, as well.

  The pounding kept going until once again there was an increase in the force being brought to bear on the shield.

  “Will it hold? Is it going to hold?” many of the Fron asked.

  “It will hold. So long as one portal within one monolith remains, it will hold,” The Keeper replied.

  That was a troubling thought to the Fron. If two of the portals had already been destroyed, it could only be a matter of time before the final portal was destroyed and the shield failed.

  An increase in the strength of the attacks was occurring at regular intervals. It was taking a quarter of a day for each portal to fail. By The Keeper’s estimate they had a day and a half remaining before the final portal failed and the element was no longer contained.

  In the land of the giants, the armies were now aware that the portals were the Alarians’ sole focus. They were powerless to do anything. The Alarians were impervious to the attack of the soldiers and no longer bothered to attack them. Like the Alarians, the giants and the soldiers in the armies of Everville stopped their attack as well.

  “General, is there anything that can be done? Do we have nothing that can prevent the destruction of the monoliths and the portals?” Borak asked.

  “I’m afraid I know of nothing that is that powerful,” he replied with regret.

  Another monolith failed and with it another portal. One by one, the monoliths were obliterated. Half of the armies of Everville, and all but one of the portals were destroyed. Only one portal remained, but that was all that was needed.

  CHAPTER 18

  THE RISE OF MALLORY

  Alvaro, the Alarian who was once Owen Sage, reached his final destination. The Third Pillar of Truth kept his promise. With half of the armies of Everville destroyed, and the departure of Mallory and Rathlar imminent, Owen Sage would have the opportunity to ask Rathlar, as an Alarian, to freely give up the element in order to save Everville and stop the rise of Mallory. He now he had his opportunity.

  The Third Pillar of Truth transported Alvaro to Rathlar’s position, just as he had promised he would once the moment was right.

  “Rathlar, I need to speak to you about something,” Alvaro said.

  Initially, Alvaro tried to speak with Rathlar in the native tongue of the Alarians, but it soon became apparent that Rathlar could not speak the native tongue. Fortunately, the shape shifting abilities allowed the Alarians to communicate mentally.

  “Rathlar, it’s time to go,” Mallory said in frustration, not wanting to be held up at the moment of victory.

  Mallory needed to be able to steal the element from the artifacts the moment the final portal was destroyed. If not, Mallory worried he would not be able to kill Rathlar and take all the element for himself.

  Rathlar, however, was going to finish his conversation with Alvaro. Alvaro was one of his people, and he wanted to communicate with him.

  “Rathlar, there is something you need to be aware of and something that I must ask of you.”

  Rathlar focused all of his attention on Alvaro. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do or what he was about to ask, but Mallory and their departure to the land of the giants was no longer in his mind. There was something about how Alvaro communicated his thoughts to Rathlar that made him understand it was deeply important.

  “Rathlar! Rathlar!” Mallory exclaimed in sound and thought.

  It was no use. Mallory tried a few more times, but he could wait no longer. He would have to leave for the land of the giants and return later after the assimilation of the element and the destruction of the Alarians.

  Mallory departed, leaving Rathlar and Alvaro alone to each other’s thoughts.

  “Listen carefully. I have lived as an Alarian for tens of billions of years, but I was not always an Alarian. Before I became an Alarian, I was given two choices to save my world and what I know to be true and good.

  “The element that flows inside you is the most powerful thing within the known multiverse. It is a byproduct of a natural process. The energy within the universe itself slowly becomes unusable over time. This is what is known as entropy. It is an increase in chaos and random disorder within everything we know. As with everything within the universe, nature seeks a balance. The element is anti-chaos or anti-entropy, capable of restoring anything and doing anything. It is pure, unadulterated power. The more of it someone has, the more power they possess.

  “There is a certain threshold where a person gains unlimited power, but there is always a cost. If too much of the element is concentrated in one place or if too much of it is used to perform certain actions, it will have negative consequences that can be unpredictable and potentially destroy everything we know. It also has the unscrupulous effect of corrupting those who possess too much of it.

  “Before becoming an Alarian, I lived as a human. My name was Owen Sage. In an attempt to stop Mallory from gaining control of the element and taking control of the entire multiverse, I was given a choice. The choice was that I could either destroy you or convince you to freely give up the element. I was told that the only way I could convince you was if I lived my life as an Alarian from the beginning of their existence until the present day.


  “I was also told that I must remain true to myself and my character and not tell anyone of my existence as a human until I had the opportunity to meet with you billions of years in the future from the time I made that choice.

  “During that time I had a family, lived a wonderful life, had children, and raised my children’s children. I deepened my understanding of friendship and honor and trust. I learned that what was most important was to be true to one’s self and to have a strong foundation of good character. I understood the true value of friendship and family, of love and of loss, of happiness and of pain.

  “Above all, I learned that one of the most important virtues necessary in all this was patience. The lack of patience is one of the reasons some pursue absolute power. Instead of hard work, endurance, and learning slowly over time, some desire a shortcut to happiness. Like many shortcuts, however, there are consequences.

  “When our universe was dying, most chose to stay behind and welcome the end, but a few wished to live on. Because of my need to convince you to give up the element, I chose to leave our dying universe, and with it, the love of my life and most of my progeny that I had spent a near eternity with.

  “I had to wait tens of thousands of years, patiently, for the chance to meet with you. In the beginning, the pain was almost unbearable. If I’d had the choice with no consequence, I would have died with my wife, Chesna. As with everything in life, though, all actions have consequences. In the end, our life is simply the sum of all our consequences resulting from the sum of all our choices.

  “I did my best to patiently await the chance to meet you, and I did the best I could to make the most of my remaining years, spending it with the few offspring of mine that remained. Regardless of how I felt, the right thing to do was to be honorable and patiently wait for this moment.

  “I do not expect the knowledge of my life to sway you, but I do want you to understand that the being you know as Mallory is not what you believe him to be. Mallory has decided that his sole purpose will be the collection of power for the sake of its collection alone. He intends to destroy both you and all the Alarians after the destruction of the portals. Once the flow of the element is restored and The Keepers have been killed, there will be nothing to stop him from attaining absolute power.

  “At this moment, only you have the power to stop him. Only you have the power to do what is right. By giving up the element within you, balance will be restored and he will be defeated. The Alarians in the second city who chose not to fight against the armies of Everville and the giants will be spared and they will welcome you in their land. Those that fought against those in Everville will have to live with the consequences of their actions.

  “So I ask you, will you freely give up the element?” Alvaro asked.

  Rathlar was still very young, and it was difficult to understand the complexity of the ideas that Alvaro had spoken of. He did, however, recognize certain basic truths.

  Tears flowed from the dragon’s eyes. He felt tremendous sorrow for the loss of Alvaro’s family and the pain that he’d had to endure. He also recognized that having the patience to wait for a near eternity in the hopes of convincing Rathlar to freely give up the element required unfathomable discipline and pain. Rathlar was ready to speak.

  “Yes, Alvaro, I will give up the element. It seems that all I have known in my short existence has been a lie, but you, Alvaro, you have been the solitary truth.”

  Rathlar released the element that was in his body and Alvaro was transported back to The Third Pillar of Truth.

  “Well done, Owen, or should I say Alvaro. You have discovered The Third Pillar of Truth, patience. As with the Two Pillars before, courage and humility, patience is a virtue that will continue to be required of you in the future,” The Third Pillar began.

  In that moment Owen felt an unimaginable combination of joy and pain. The pain he felt was for the knowledge that he would soon forget the love and joy and experiences of an infinite number of human lifetimes. The joy he felt was that the intense pain that he’d had to endure for the thousands of years after the loss of his wife and family would now be over.

  The Third Pillar continued. “I made several promises to you in the event that you succeeded in your quest for the true understanding of The Third Pillar. I promised that you would forget your life as an Alarian, but that the wisdom you gained from those experiences would make you a better man and would be retained in your inner self. I also promised that you would have the awareness that you succeeded in your quest and the knowledge of what that truth was, namely, patience.

  “When you walk back through the bluff those promises will be fulfilled, but there is more. Now that the element has been freely released, the element within the Mallory, Jacob, and the Alarians’ artifacts will also be returned to their rightful place in the universe. The battle that ensued in response to Mallory and the Alarians’ quest for power will be ended.

  “Further, the element that was released from the dragon goes back to the battle within The City of Worms. The power of the element is unique in that it is the opposite of entropy. It has the power to undue what has been done. As such, all events that transpired since the beginning of the transfer of the element that gave the worms sentience can be undone, and those that should, will.

  “Your success in finding The Third Pillar of Truth was something that only you could do, Owen. The results of that fulfillment are many. The first consequence is that the death and destruction that occurred at the battle in The City of Worms and the battles that have since commenced in Everville, Brackenbone, and the land of the giants will all be undone. The lives of all those lost will be returned, both in this realm and on Earth.

  “This includes both the worms as well as Samil. Those who have been taken by Jacob will be returned, and the physical damage that was done as a result of the improper use of the element will also be reversed, including Cleophas’ mental state and the years of living in a coma for those who had their lives robbed. This also means the return of Dala, who Cleophas loved a long time ago.

  “In addition, those who fought in these battles will remember the battles that they fought and the lives that were lost. This includes Zee and Samil. Those on Earth, however, who have no connection to our realm will not remember, and their memories of those events will be replaced with an alternate history. Those who had their lives or mental states restored will retain the old memories in parallel with the new ones that will have been created upon that restoration,” The Third Pillar of Truth stated.

  Owen experienced a rush of joy that he had not felt since he was an Alarian who’d feasted upon a myriad of wonderful emotions when he started his family billions of year ago.

  “Be warned, though, Owen. Your quest for the truth is just beginning. Your friends are not safe, and there are battles in Everville that are still to come. Don’t be complacent. Be on your guard, stay true to yourself, and continue to surround yourself with people who are honorable and just. You will retain the memory of what I’ve just spoken, but your memories of your life as an Alarian will be no more upon your exit. Now turn around and walk through the bluff,” The Third Pillar of Truth commanded.

  Owen paused, pondering the consequences of losing his Alarian self. He knew, though, that it must be done in order to stop Mallory. After taking a few moments to reflect on what he was about to lose, he passed through the mountain bluff in the Black River Valley. Just as The Third Pillar promised, his memory of his life as an Alarian was gone, but he retained an instinctual wisdom that deepened who he was. He felt no different. It was as if that wisdom had been present in him all along.

  Owen also remembered the fulfillment of promises and the warnings that The Third Pillar of Truth gave. He held the words close to his heart and promised himself not to forget.

  Owen had exited the bluff seconds after he’d gone into it. It was so quick, his companions wondered if he had just immediately turned back around after he entered.

  “Owen, is it there? Is it
the entrance to The Third Pillar of Truth?” Asher asked.

  “Yes. It’s done. I passed the test. The dragon freely gave up the element. Mallory is defeated. The battle is no more, and we can return home!” Owen said triumphantly.

  “What was the test? What was the test?” Felix asked repeatedly.

  “You know, all I did was walk around the dark for what felt like a really long time. After a while, The Third Pillar of Truth appeared and gave me a warning and then told me the rewards of succeeding in the quest,” Owen replied to Felix.

  “What are the rewards? What are the rewards?” Felix asked.

  “Oh, come off it, Felix!” Asher said. Then he asked, “What are the rewards?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough,” Owen replied.

  “I want to know now! I want to know now!” Felix exclaimed.

  “Come on, Felix. Have a little patience,” Owen said smiling.

  Grenmar jumped up high into the air, giving Owen a few squeezes. Owen rubbed Grenmar’s furry head as they walked along the valley and started back the way they came.

  Owen and his companions journeyed the long way back, taking a couple extra days to return. Eventually, they arrived near Keeper Varstock’s location.

  “Are you going to visit Varstock and transport back to Everville?” Asher asked Owen.

  “No. Varstock wants to be left alone, and I think I would enjoy spending a couple of extra days with you guys traveling back to the land of the giants,” Owen said with joy.

  “Yeah!” Felix exclaimed.

  Asher nodded his head in agreement, grateful that Owen chose to spend some extra time with them. He felt as if he had a new friendship with Owen, and in fact, he did.

  CHAPTER 19