-^-
Tragedy had struck when Joan finally returned to the tower after three long weeks of securing the exterior of the city.
That large pyramid-structure where she had trained, the tower of New had been attacked during the battle in her absence when she encountered the leader of the vampires attacking,
One stayed behind, slipped through the cracks, wreaked havoc, killing many humans in his way.
It was deliberate targeting them, albeit none were armed, for they were there to fight for their gods, of the highest who were holding positions, Astaria remained.
Now she sat alone, weeping for the losses in a great chamber.
Whereas Joan was to be prepared, repairs and medical treatment for her broken and battered body.
She can’t recall when she arrived here
The Mechra and her also wept for what was lost.
“Things will be different; amongst all, you are even amongst machine hope. When they return as we predict, you must be ready.”
Joan was refitted in her armor, save for this time it wouldn’t be removed, painted black with accents of red, dark with the blood of the saints, her people.
“Astaria demands you report to her once you recuperate, that is approximately one day for now.” The machines dismissed her as her new helmet went on.
This armor was strange, it was mechanically placed, not equipped normally…she wouldn’t be able to take it off herself.
She bid peace to the helpful machine and automatons in this section and entered the series of halls and wandered, deep within the gigantic pyramid-like structure she was in the far extended underground section.
Lingering holes, broken doors, and lingering silver scrap.
Cleaning had been done but it seems a singular individual infiltrated and caused incredible damage.
^----^
Joan’s heart ached at the losses, millions lost in a single battle against a meager pathetic hundred thousand, not counting the nearly million who had been fighting in the city, not counting Mechra casualties.
They were worse off up until then, it appears they hadn’t even managed to kill one of them….
She witnessed that first-hand…
‘Zeta….’
Joan’s heart leapt from a skyscraper again… a crushing weight closing in on her
Yet this time as she leant against a wall, a shadow darkened over her rather than pass by, Delta in his form towered over her in one of the silver hallways. Likely looking for her.
She weakly started as she began to look up, “Yes– “
“Come with me.”
And so, she did, she didn’t hesitate, she was shamed, had lost so much and failed her mission twice, Hera and Miriam had died, and her aggressors would likely return….
‘I should’ve just beheaded them quickly.’ She lamented as she passed through the interior with him, until she turned down a hallway, she never thought they had.
Walls with holes, stained blood (recent), and worst shell casings ejected…
This section was strange, it was one she did not recognize, and as she went further down, there was a more ancient door, the materials of decrepit oxidized silver, hallway easing into a pastel bluish crystal-like metal pattern, a pristine but ancient gate ahead.
When she saw Astaria standing up, she knelt quickly.
“This is where hallowed ground shall be made when we ascend, you are the first Polarie to enter, I wanted you here Joan.” She seated herself
“I-I’m stunned, what is this place?”
“This is what you’ve all been protecting, this is the chamber where many of us have met, including David, your uncle... He has perished.”
Joan was stunned, clutched her chest, “So…you’re showing me this because–.”
“I want you to know what you’ve protected, we are running out of time, we’ve lost too much, it appears our goal of reaching the Quantum Crisis has been delayed.”
Astaria’s finished speaking and Joan’s head snapped up, relocking to Astaria more closely locked with the elder woman’s eyes.
“The Quantum crisis!?” Joan repeated but inhaled deep breaths greedily.
Astaria gave a questioning head tilt goading Joan to go on.
“I know nothing of it truly, goddess, but if I am here, it sounds that I may be involved...” Joan’s heart was twisted, she was honored to be likely involved in it now but after such failure.
She had to be unworthy.
Astaria rose her hand up, “It is the trigger by which the birthright of mankind will be attained, and we will ascend into our perfected state.” She stretched forth a hand, holding it high into the air
Joan gave a slow nod; all their beliefs were now leading to this. She had a vague idea that something important was going on, but her eyes stretched to that monolithic device center.
“With this.” Astaria, as if on cue, pointed to it. “The soul of man will be separated and through our faithful servant, the Mechra, at the very least I and all other survivors can be brought to ascendance, but our efforts have been slowed.”
There were more lingering signs that there had been some incursion, the fight had occurred; some walls were scorched. Most notably, surrounding a large monument in the center
Joans hand was already over her chest, clenched harder until nails cut her palms and crimson trickled from her fingertips.
“Oh goddess, tell me what is the…. Quantum Crisis?”
Astaria looked down.
“It’s what the Mechra have sacrificed for, what you have all sacrificed for, you understand we are gods, right Joan?”
Joan swiftly nodded her head, but stopped as Astaria’s eye twitched in response, Delta seeming to watch the exchange from afar.
“We require a new physical body, but how could one be reborn anew? They can’t.” Astaria stood and turned. “Lest they need have their soul torn from their body and placed into a suitable home, that is what we intend.” Astsaria finished
“The Quantum Crisis will bring about an event an event of boundless potential that will facilitate the final apex of man, a body that can’t die.” Astaria speaks.
Joan contemplates everyone who’s died up to now all the losses and how it might all be rectified with what little she’s understanding here be accomplished…
“We as your gods will be as we were meant to be rightfully always, as the gods of war with all power.”
Astaria pointed to a mural above the spear. And the Mural became clear she’d seen it before, but here now it meant everything.
Mankind stretching forth a hand from a spiral representing the Milky Way, and outwards came the Mechra, pulling light from a woman.
“The energy and genesis of mankind will be unleashed through the tools present, through the great ship in the sky, I know you’ve seen it...” Delta spoke simply ahead of Astaria, who pursed her lips with a hand out, cut off.
. “It was indeed magnificent. I-Is it a carrier?” Joan inquired? She had indeed seen the ship and was left in awe; it dwarfed a moon, and what had to be maybe billions worth were stationed on it.
Delta shook his head. “You’ve seen it from below and its compartments, the ship contains a star.”
Joan paused, “A star!?” It blew Joan away. “Is that…what shall bring this Quantum Crisis?”
Astaria spoke, “It is but a piece…” She gave a slow nod.
Astaria seemed to lightly pause, but Delta stepped forward. the robot's head was bowed, though he still stood tall, towering over her. Astaria waved her hand and stepped aside.
“Everything all life was created by one event, mankind as we are, the true gods of this universe, but the Quantum Crisis that one singular event, made manifest.”
Joan was astounded, “Th-the…. the big bang? How could that be possible?”
Delta pointed to the spear in the room, Astaria began to speak again
“The alien heretics before us seemed to align unknowingly to our preparations…when the Vampires sent us, their human servants, here to colonize it to expand the amount of blood they could gather, they pacified the alien species,
The Vampires hunted them for the technology they held initially, in ignorance of our divine nature, we allowed those lesser to stand beside us and through years and of course proximity, they interbreed having refuge in the more ignorant ancestors who colonized this world…”
Astaria clenched her hands together and looked upon that spear as it glistened with life
“For that gift those descendants hadn’t even know they had given us.” And faced back to Joan “and for now carrying human blood”
“The Mechra saw you as Nephilim...”
“I thought She-Nephilim was a term created for the warriors...” Joan answered
Astaria slightly laughed, “Before you and your parents, it was to the Mechra and to humans before us, man who hath mingled with the divine.”
Joan seemed to pause for a moment, she knew there was much beyond this world, they were in an entire Galaxy but she hadn’t ever imagined there was other alien life beyond who she descended from or that they’d been victims…But if they were victims of the Mechra they rejected mankind’s divinity. They must have...
Joan steeled herself.
Astaria was speaking boldly, proclaiming as if she had read the Quantum Crisis purpose like a scripture of mankind.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“The spear, this device is not a large primitive device the aliens sought originally to “ Astaria seemed to stop speaking not having words.
Robotically Delta answered, “The Spear is an injection tool; the nature of the spear is to artificially separate the ultra-dense singularity of matter.”
Astaria’s eyes rose wide quickly “Bu-but…” she at least knew one question “How would you compact all matter and time into one ultra-dense point? Does the spear?”
Delta answered, “It won’t condense all matter to a singular point, that’s not what we need it for, but the energy unleashed, and nature of the spear will allow us to nearly assure this one thing, we will fundamentally have enough power to utilize the spear for a second unintended function we’ve prepared it for.”
Joan stiffened at what it may be.
“To separate mankind from their body and unleash an infinite amount of energy upon their separated soul.
Joan and Astaria looked.
Joan looked in awe “The soul?”
Astaria looked dead on to Joan “That perfect shell which holds all of us, all of us divine humans.”
Joan was hardly in disbelief; she felt as if a horrid revelation was being made to her, but something nagged at her…to run away, but she persisted, and with it her fate from then on was tracked this way.
She almost bowed her head but Astaria shook her head before Joan could even think of it.
The room grew heavy with the weight of the spirit of thought, Astaria was dropping onto Joan.
“And we have befittingly given you to the task, the one who has faced the enemy and survived in all encounters.”
“But goddess, couldn’t we start early, with such power, could you not-“
“Our preparations are not yet complete.” And her head once again shifted to Delta in authority, but a hint of an idea almost crossed Joan’s mind Astaria had no idea.
“Separating the divine body of mankind of course will have us utilize the spear in creating the local scaled event of the creation of the universe, the compression may inadvertently destroy much around it.”
The room was silent for a moment
“An unacceptable condition.” Joan thought she heard herself say in a double, but Delta said it too, if the machine with no face but only an angular knight-shaped headpiece could show awe, he showed it.
Joan herself was in awe at how her faith revived, brought forth what she had been fighting for to her mind again. Ascension wasn’t vague...
... Are you ready to carry with you in joint hands with the Mechra the souls of mankind?”
Joan took deep breaths, it was dropped on her the sacrifices of everyone, of her people, of everyone who had died, they were to unleash infinite power upon mankind should this work, at this moment it became revealed to her those vampires were demons to step in the path of something so great, perhaps if they had never attacked they could be joined in this as servants as she was…but she was to protect mankind from this.
Joan reconciled at that moment with her failures; she now had a clear task and faithfully was going to carry it out. Her eyes blazed like fire as she took a fist upon her chest, clenched with zeal.
Astaria saw Joan steel herself; what was unleashed upon her pushed her into becoming more resolved. It only assured Astaria she’d made the right choice, although there were better candidates, none had suffered as much as this survivor.
None had shown more faith.
“Are you prepared, Joan? To defend this sacred temple where we shall recreate blessed absolute genesis, as what always owed to man is granted?” Astaria lost the words like scripture.
Joan saw in herself victory; they would need to prepare. She was being asked to lead and being told something so important… She was entrusted; she was now an Archangel of the
Ascendancy.
“I am ready.”
|3050AD New Persia|
Aleph’s pride and spirit had not survived.
So few had survived, he didn’t hear anything from Juno, nor Anna, but from the shocktroopers..
They hadn’t been informed, it came to his knowledge by then, they were not under jurisdiction of the Imperial military, he had to stand in the way to stop them from killing Kommandant Krul for sending what was children, brothers and sisters on a mission, with no equipment, no plan, no objective.
Worst of all, he heard nothing but bitter words.
Aleph exited the ramp, he had many curses spat at him, none hurt more than that benign, dull ache all over his body
Aleph was on a platform near the space elevator, gravity was light here, and he sluggishly walked along the ice; he could not breathe, and it was best not to.
The icicles that would form in his throat if he opened his mouth would be negligible, not even pain to most vampires, but much pain for them; it brought a reminder of where he was going to go…
THAT elevator
In it, he almost became someone almost immune to the feeling of pain,
But now a new pain was felt, it made him feel weak, as if the boulders he knew he could lift back on Fracturia would instead crush him.
He stepped into the elevator, the electronics flickering, leaving it unmoving for a moment
The doors closed, and they just stayed, giving him a grand view of the organized lights and prison that was the grand city of New Persia for the undead and humans alike.
‘Arianne was there, it hasn’t been that long, but I could see her…if I don’t consider...’
Aleph almost considered that, but a fall wouldn’t kill him, and something in him, that same thing that made him fight harder, would stop him from turning a barrel on himself, but he considered…
Aleph had so much riding on him, the hope, his unique ability, which holds him here in this elevator in a darkened prison
He rides it alone, the last off the ship, having ensured Krul was not dismembered by his elders…
Here he was, realizing he never got better, that if anything, the humanity held him back…
‘Should I have never saved those humans…if I had instead sacrificed myself…if I had shot that child back in the tower…. If I had the sensibilities of the undead, to think, to be an unyielding beast…. I let the drive for blood lose me...’
Aleph pondered why what allowed his escape wasn’t in him before, that moment he could become something far from human, ditching rifle, handgun, blade, to unleash raw ferocity…It came too late,
Too late to save anything that mattered.
Only saving his life
So many vampires had needlessly died under his command…
Under the authority of a fool with all the failings of a man……
Asaph had died brutally in his sight.
Once again, he remembers the nature of his vampirism every day, rolled into one, the day he left Arianne, he had that argument, the compounding failures of the past, the day he landed.
Are all present, even now he sees the face of Asaph melt in his armor, that faint gurgle he held in, the melting body…Asaph asked his brother if he had any was gone...
And he’s in the dark, barely a vampire, more like a weak human…. grieving…
In an otherworldly hell.
-
Aleph was past the entrance
“I should’ve left you back with humans.” Delara had her helmet on, but there was pain in her voice
Aleph was past the entrance, past that old forest, he couldn’t even remember making his way through the city, the rusted streets, the habitations of humans, he’s lost as to what happened to the humans, he’s saved…
Now he was in the facility he’d trained at, stepped into the entrance, yet this time the walls did not scrape at his mind, the interior did not speak to him, nor did it hum with life; it was dull, nothing spoke to him, not even to torment.
But Delara was there, and her words were a bit cold.
Her words faded through his mind; it was a scolding, but he couldn’t make out what she said, besides.
“With me.” She commanded curtly
Before he fully stepped further in, he looked back toward the entrance he came from, to see, the anchor that held it separate from current time was broken somehow…they weren’t given the benefit of time…
-
Aleph went a strange way, even as a Vampire, his mind and eyes saw a wall, but stepping forwards, it was some sort of illusion, carefully crafted when they trained here…they went through a maze of corridors.
“Aleph, you lost too many…. too many….” Delara chastised
He winced upon hearing that, holding his gut, he didn’t respond, and she appeared to be awaiting an excuse…
She sighed when he didn’t give it.
She continued without him as she spoke, her eyes on his broken armor
“You all were an experiment, but one to be lost so quickly, a last-ditch effort.” She revealed stepping up to some form of bulkhead,
“The nature of that ability Krul mentioned you told him of, that the others informed me of in their reports…you were an experiment…and you failed.” Delara declared bitter a huff…
He couldn’t see her eyes, but a mist came from the ventilation of the helmet, obscuring her head. –
Aleph didn’t get to say much, the bulkhead slid open, the blackened doorway leading him to view the way of the interior, ahead of a figure standing in front of a window,
blackened like negative space, even with his ability to see within oppressive dark as a vampire window staring toward him.
Past the figure, he could just glance at the place he’d fought those machines in when he first learned of the depths of his dual nature…. strangely, he could pinpoint their new figures training…
‘Likely replacements...’ His heart caved...
That shadowy, elusive presence he’d almost say was inhuman even for them…. – This woman, he gazed past but now fixed his gaze on,
rose her left palm and faded into his reality it seemed, strange, blackened dress like a lab coat, and strangely scars…something that should be impossible for any vampire to have.
She pointed toward herself with a thumb
“Magellan.” She introduced herself in a monotone
-
Now with Aleph seated he had more time to look her over as they sat in silence, she was assessing him, but he was only simply looking her over…She reminded him of Juno… Or did Juno remind him of her…
She had long black hair, and a faint orange glow which highlighted her already fierce eyes, dark pits around them…
-
Magellan started
“The humans you have brought with you…” She let it sink in, and Aleph thought.
‘God, I ask for nothing but their safety…’ He prayed internally…he lost so much getting them off, he wouldn’t have been emboldened to try and leave if he’d never met them…...
To some degree, he regrets saving them, but now that they’re here, he hopes he won't regret it further…he taps his foot under the table, rhythmically. The most silent room is filled with noise.
Krul upturns his nose…Aleph’s tick is something he’d seen many humans do when he interrogated them...–
“As I’ll tell you…The nature of this enemy…the cult we encountered…”
“Cult?” Krul questioned first, but it was a shared question of Delara and Magellan, who were in the room.
“As you see…the people I brought, under my own authority…are Believers in a God like the humans who raised me,” Aleph stated.
Magellan nodded. “Don’t explain such to me, I was on earth during the Second Great War of what you all call the ‘dark ages.’ Magellan stated simply.
She shook her head, agitated, and spoke as if correcting, “They’re Christians, to be specific.” She examined her nails.
Sharp.
Aleph flinched and, to a great degree, gripped the seat he was on, tapping his foot quicker.
The authority, the scars, the presence, the expectation of being informed, and a calculated posture…
She was ancient…more than anyone else here…she’s from the Milky Way…
Born on Earth…...Yet those that ancient…were all once human…Aleph hardly believed that, he wouldn’t think it if she hadn’t confirmed her origin…–
Aleph’s voice was tense now…and Krul, already aware, straightened his posture, almost leaning but now reminded. But Delara remained unchanging.
“The cult…ran in opposition to the beliefs so strongly, they sought to kill all of them…
“And why is that?”
“I’m unsure, I presume the Believers must have been preaching against them. The Mechra seem to believe they are bringing man to Godhood…”
Krul laughed, “The cattle species that they steal from us and experiment on?” he had palpable disbelief; he’d seen what the Mechra do to humans after a world is cleansed of Vampires.
Leave destruction, mutilated forms…
But Magellan answered differently
“How far ahead are they in this? Is it related to the new type of battleship above Fracturia?” She inquired.
“This…project they’re doing…the ship above…It’s not meant for war.” Aleph cut into their interrogations. As he spoke, now the depths of what came to him in that hivemind were coming to him.
Krul slammed his fist. “I knew I should’ve used what was left of the evacuation fleet to beat that ship…. I was too focused on…” Krul held back from almost admitting that, to some degree, he was afraid to lose the Shocktroopers he hated so much
Those shocktroopers, specifically, he had a responsibility to train.
Magellan pressed further, “This war against the Mechra is not just present on Fracturia…” She started, then continued
“Even before you were born, countless human servants in our empire had been massacred by them, in organized experiments, turned into…” Magellan stopped, but Delara seemed to be reminded of something, her fingers twitching.
“We’ve discovered this when heading back to the many worlds, stations, and isolated moons retaken. We’ve known they’d been attempting many experiments…. Are you claiming this is the end goal of it?”
Aleph quickly nodded, “They’ve perfected it now. They have a heavily guarded facility, a tower of sorts like a pyramid on Fracturia.” This made Delara fully stiffen, and her helmet's visor VLIR or monoeye, shot toward Aleph locked on him.
“They are far enough along to have cities dedicated to it, it appears…” Aleph recalls the city they walked through, the sort of parade and party streamers strewn about..
All those celebrations…likely would’ve been for that…and it implies some level of this was widely known in the human population.
Magellan seemed to take a rickety seat at this cold table, Aleph could now smell blood, as she was biting her tongue hard enough for it to trickle down.
Aleph had no such reactions; he couldn’t grow into them….
Magellan, for a vampire, grew cold. She sat, and there was an expression of emptiness on her face. “This was one consideration…...the markings, the nature of their appearance…”
Krul’s eyebrows raised. “I want clarity…again…th-is this true?”
Aleph tightened his posture, but before either Aleph or Magellan could seek to confirm... Delara did…
“When my entire generation was lost, we fought something…Something horrid, that your caste sent us to die fighting.” Delara seemed to cast judgment toward Krul, who shrank in his seat.
The armored woman raised a fist and clasped it, “There was a tower there too…”
Krul shook his head. “That was what? Almost a more than several decades ago…we may already be lost…A counterattack may be impossible.”
“But Delara survived, she made it out...” Aleph cut in, he was in awe at this revelation and dropped on them.
Magellan shook her head. “Delara’s generation numbered thousands…”
Krul was silent for a long while, and it settled in for a while...
Aleph spoke, “That’s not the issue; they’re going to do something…akin to seeking to separate the soul of mankind.”
“Impossible,” Magellan spoke quickly, pausing again this time to wait for Aleph to finish, but he didn’t, he just stared toward her….
Magellan sat up “…...” The realization settled in her: “By God, how are they going to do it?”
Delara gave a nod. “One of those under Aleph’s command gave me the quick report…” an alien spear, it didn’t have the mechra’s markings, the size of a building...”
Aleph was further insulted after landing, these reports weren’t given to him to give in chain, the survivors of the 144,000, what may as well be 70, told the other superiors…
“You are dismissed.” They told Aleph sharply…and it gutted him..if they weren’t going to tell him anything further…they didn’t need him…for whatever attempt to stop them would be made later…
