Legend of the Empyrean Blacksmith

SANCTUM\'S END (VIII)

Eldon didn\'t think as he threw himself, still tightly holding Alana, into the vehicle . Reli, as well as another pair of arms from the inside, helped him up as she flung the doors closed behind him, shouting right after .

"Go! Go! Go!!" the engine revved and the tires screeched as the ancient vehicle turned and began moving .

After settling somewhat, Eldon looked around and realized that there were quite a few folks besides Reli inside -- three more to be precise, two men and a woman . The latter was of similar appearance to Reli, and though Eldon never met her in person, he quickly realized it was her younger sister, Elta .

Though he didn\'t recognize the other two men, it wasn\'t important; one was in charge of the wheel up front while the other was the one that helped him get inside .

"--how?" Eldon asked, the tiredness finally overcoming him as he began drawing short breaths .

"We went to your apartment complex, but you weren\'t there," Reli explained . "We spotted you on accident as we turned around . "

" . . . " though Eldon had many questions to ask, he had no strength to do so . Alana wiggled out of his embrace and sat up, fixing her disheveled hair, angrily glancing at her father .

"Where are we headed?" she took the role of the questioner as Reli giggled lightly . She\'d only met the girl once or twice, yet that fierceness still remained intact . "To the research facility nearby," Reli replied . "One of my close friends works there and has contacted me, saying there are several operational ships . " though she spoke with a certain sense of calmness, it was impossible to miss the shock and terror inside her gaze . While the world around them was collapsing, they hung onto the last straw of hope .

"--can . . . can we escape, even with that?" Alana asked with a somewhat lowered tone .

" . . . I don\'t know," Reli replied honestly, sighing . "But . . . what other choice do we have?"

That was true . Adur was headed to the collapse -- not a figurative one, but the literal one . The planet would cease to exist . The atmosphere had already begun collapsing slowly, meaning that even if, by some miracle, the body held together, every living organism on the surface would die from exposure within a year at most .

However, chances were that before that transpired, they would be flung into the open void and left to the cold and desolate destitute of infinity .

Eldon managed to recover somewhat, sitting up and inspecting the insides once more; the vehicle had two compartments, the front, and the back . Elta and the driver sat up front, the latter furiously spinning the wheel as the world in front of him continued collapsing .

The backside also had seats, but also some room in-between that seemed to have been used for some minuscule storage . The other man and Eldon sat on that opening, both leaned on the doors, while Alana and Reli sat on the leather seats .

Gathering some strength and courage, Eldon lifted himself up with a grunt and looked outside the window . Something immediately got stuck inside his throat; the massive behemoths were collapsing into ruin, flayed like the tiny houses of cards . The debris rained upon the world, most of it infernal, as fires bellowed out from all sides . He didn\'t even understand how the driver was operating through this hell .

" . . . thank you . " Eldon mumbled faintly as he sat back down, glancing toward Reli . "You . . . didn\'t have to . . . "

" . . . I couldn\'t have just let you die, now could I?" Reli replied, smiling strangely . "Ah, these two lads are also family -- the driver is Elta\'s fiance, Artur, and this serious-looking fella is his brother, Itor . I myself lucked out quite a bit since the three decided to visit me today due to some wedding plans . . . "

" . . . what happened?" Eldon asked . "To our defenses, I mean . Did . . . did they really destroy everything?"

" . . . yeah," Reli\'s expression sank as she thought back to a few hours ago when their vanguard met with the strange creatures . It wasn\'t a fight, not really . It was similar to what was happening right now . "They didn\'t even pause . I don\'t know what those things are . . . but they\'re definitely supernatural . "

" . . . " everyone fell into silence, as there was little else to say . Right now, they hung onto the last hope; chances are, they wouldn\'t make it out alive . They\'d be buried with the rest of their world . Forever forgotten .

Ataxia and Lino watched the vehicle flying through the inferno, floating somewhat above it . Ataxia had a remorseful, pained expression, while even Lino was unable to stand indifferent . After all, he was witnessing the collapse of an entire world . An entire planet, one much larger than Noterra, with the population being at the very least a hundredfold . Though true they didn\'t have Qi like the people of Noterra, they had technology that surpassed even the Humans of Earth .

Pondering for a moment, Lino realized that something similar could have also happened there . But . . . why? What was the point of all this? If he projected why people warred from the surface onto the cosmos, it had to do with conquering resources and land . But, that clearly wasn\'t the objective, otherwise they wouldn\'t simply destroy everything without saying a word . At the very least, Lino expected them to take slaves . Yet, not even that . They killed everyone without even a hint of remorse .

" . . . this is bigger than I imagined," Lino mumbled as Ataxia glanced at him . "Are they really just doing it for the hell of it?"

" . . . I don\'t think so," Ataxia replied . "Though my time with the Edifice was short-lived, it did say something about the galactic conflicts . Perhaps this was simply one of them . "

"No, I get the warring part," Lino said . "Think about it . If the Emperors from Noterra had the ability, wouldn\'t they do to other planets what they did to the other nations? Just bring them under their banner, no?"

" . . . " Ataxia nodded after brief thought .

"But, this isn\'t really warring or conquering," Lino said . "If the point was to simply destroy, why bother waiting for so long? Why even wait for life to spring out? No, wait--that\'s it . "

"What?" Ataxia asked as he spotted the glimmer of realization in Lino\'s eyes . The latter suddenly laughed strangely, shaking his head .

"Goddamn, the entire fuckin\' cosmos is fucked up . "

"What?" Ataxia asked again, curiosity swelling within him .

"Aren\'t they doing what I do as well?"

"Hm?"

"Killing to absorb Vitality?" Ataxia\'s eyes also lit up at that moment as his entire body shuddered . "If we look at it like that, it makes sense . It makes sense why they left you alone, why they suddenly attacked, and why they didn\'t leave anyone alive . "

" . . . so . . . you\'re trying to say that all the people of Adur . . . were like the livestock to them?" Ataxia asked as anger surged through in his voice . It has been eons since he last felt this emotion, yet he couldn\'t help himself . At the very least, all this while, he believed there was some higher purpose to his home being destroyed like this .

"I imagine it\'s not the only world like it," Lino said, his eyes growing more resentful . "If I really had gone mad and started murdering everyone, I imagine my strength would eclipse the boundary of even what I\'m capable of doing now . It\'s not hard to assume that someone else in the cosmos -- nay, many others -- have developed similar ways of empowering themselves . However . . . " he added, his brows crumpling into a frown . "I feel like there\'s something more to it . If the point was to simply raise lifeforms as livestock, wouldn\'t it be simpler to literally grow it? Instead of scouting the entire cosmos and hoping you run across a world inhabited by the living? Or the world with a mere potential of being inhabited sometime in the future and waiting for it?"

" . . . " Ataxia also relented to the last part of Lino\'s conclusion, entering deep thought for a moment . "Wouldn\'t it be easier if you asked the Edifice?"

"--it already used up its reserves by making me its Agent," Lino said, stroking his chin . "Looks like you were right -- I\'ll really have to rebuild it . "

" . . . aren\'t you a bit frustrated?" Ataxia asked as a cheeky smiled fluttered on his face .

"Hm?" Lino glanced at him, tilting his head .

"You always despised being used as a puppet, yet, lo and behold . "

" . . . it\'s different," Lino said, smiling faintly . "You were simply an Agent-in-making, and I imagine the last resort . "

" . . . ugh . " Ataxia grumbled, yet couldn\'t retort .

"It\'s difficult to explain, but my autonomy hasn\'t been compromised . If anything, it increased since I no longer have you regulating me . I inherited all your functions, and though it will take time to unlock them, it shouldn\'t take that long . However, I don\'t have the restrictions you had . I don\'t need a vessel, nor do I need to use insane amounts of Chaos Qi to manifest myself into a body, or use shitty means like Alladin to form the body . "

" . . . ah . So you already figured out how I became my own bearer . " Ataxia chuckled . It seemed like Lino had acquired far more during the brief moment he became the Agent than he let on at first . "How strong are you anyway? The moment you became the Agent, I couldn\'t read anything about you anymore . "

" . . . hmm, fairly strong," Lino chuckled, glancing at him . "A few tiers above you, actually . "

"Me?" Ataxia tilted his head in confusion . Did he misspeak? After all, as far as Ataxia was concerned, even if he didn\'t die, he\'d at most just regain his mortal body from before he became the Writ .

"I didn\'t rob you of everything, old relic," Lino rolled his eyes . "I already figured some shittery will unfold, so why would I lower the number of people who could help me? Hmm, if I assist you for a bit, I suppose you should reach roughly Ella\'s level . After that, however, it\'s up to you to work out . "

" . . . you . . . you can fucking do that?" Lino glanced at the shock Ataxia and realized something, causing his eyes to turn into slits . Was . . . was this the first time this idiot cursed? Fuck! I should have recorded it . . . aaiii, why do good things always happen to the unprepared? Shit . . .