Magnus Imperus: Dawning Glaze

## **Prologue**

An elderly man sat in a dimly lit hut. A small
campfire threw jagged shadows across the room, and his creased features were
gently focused on a small girl sat beside him, whose eyes reflected the embers
dancing upon the flames. Both possessed skin of a grey hue, and although the
man had long since lost his head of hair, a meagre white beard adorned his
chin, and the girl possessed vibrant blue locks. Atop a table, one of the only
furnishings in the simple hut, was a plaque with the words, written in Makori,
"Token of Honour-Erthus Korlas, Hybrid of Hydrogen". The stamp of Kilaro
Flamalius signed underneath it.

"Grandpa, how did you become a Kilaro?"

The old man chuckled, and looked upon the fire
fondly. "Oh, you don't want to hear a bygone citizen ramble on about his
exploits, honey. I have a much more interesting story for you."

The girl titled her head, and her delicate hair
flitted over to the left. "Is it about how Makori are made?"

The old man's turquoise eyes glinted with mischief,
and he said, "Oh, that's simply far too boring for you, too! Besides, I'm
sure your mother could answer that far better than me...No, I have a story how
the first Kilaro was made, honey; the first of everything, in fact. The stars,
the moons, the planets, the Rahi, the oceans-"

"The first Makori, grandpa?"

He smiled softly, the gesture coming naturally to
his worn face. "Yes, honey. The first one of you." He sat back, and
put his hands in front of him to make gestures. "In the times of legend,
legendary-"

"You already said a word like legendary,
grandpa."

He huffed, then said, "Yes, yes, well, how
about this: In the time before time..."

She giggled, and said, "Kilaro Maltemus tells
us stories beginning like that when he comes to our school."

"Yes, and he told me stories like that when I
was a Makori too, as he did many M Makori before me."

She pushed his knee, her dainty hands and fingers
barely budging the cracked, unpolished teal armor. "Come on, tell me the
story before mother comes back and makes me go to sleep!"

The old man chuckled, then said, "Alright,
alright. In the time before time, legendary lifeforms, greater than any we
could imagine, made our worlds, with all our powers, our society, and our
people. We named them Magnificentus, for indeed, anything capable of achieving
what they did must be magnificent indeed. Some say we would have known them
today, but there were...complications."

## **First**

Meremas stood facing his workbench, several vials
of strange liquid in racks hanging from the walls. He had a ragged sheet of
papers beside him, lettered with complicated calculations and words bearing no
significance to anyone not well-versed in biological research. He tinkered with
some mechanical parts on the workbench, occasionally referring back to his
notes, and aggressively mashed together the components haphazardly strewn
across his station. Without warning, an orange light flickered on, and the
creation beneath him slowly tilted its head, before the light flickered off and
the head disconnected from the body.

"Fa'shaya, callandous meridaxi..." Meremas
angrily uttered, and a head appeared around the entrance to his workshop.

" Meremas, you really shouldn't curse like
that, you know. If Zenus were here to listen to that..."

"Yes, well, luckily for all of us he never
leaves that colossal throne of his."

The other being shook his head disapprovingly, then
sighed, and ambled in. "Still working on your plans for biomechanical
life?"

"Barkas, you needn't tell me for the eighth
time that it won't work."

"I might not need to, but I will anyway-It
won't work."

Meremas looked up at Barkas with a scowl on his
face, and the standing Magnificentus attempted to hold back an amused smile.

"I just know I can get it to work. All I need
is more time..."

"You know that if you don't make some results
sooner or later, the Divine Council will cut support and they'll go with
biological life after all..."

"Bah,
biological life is so boring, so simple, and so...*lazy*. The modus
operandi of our people is meant to be innovation, not slacking."

"Sure, but I don't see any other elemental
beings in this universe just yet. Do you?"

Heremus sighed, and squeezed his eyes shut in
frustration. "Dammit, man, why do none of you understand that this is to
be our legacy to the universe? This life will seek us out, try to figure out
who we are, and maybe when they're ready for intellectual ascendance we'll
actually meet them. What if they learn they could've been so much more, but
were left as so little?"

Barkas picked up an arm, wincing at the grotesque
imagery. "You know as well as I do that it won't be us ascending them.
We'll just be in the background, making it seem like being one of us is normal
and that we don't do anything special."

"All the more reason to make the most of what
we've got. Besides, several million cycles is long enough for a Multiverse
Master like Zenus to make up his mind, isn't it?"

"Could've fooled me."

"Could've fooled us all."

The two turned to the doorway, with a third, much
smaller Great Being idly leaning on the door frame. "Letalitus, no one
asked for your wit. If you start spitting riddles or prophecies at me whilst
I'm working again..." Meremas warned, but his threat went completely
unnoticed.

"Crafting the future begins in the past. The
Veins predetermine all, and cause sometimes comes after effect."

Meremas groaned, and hit his head on his desk.

## **Break-One**

"Grandpa, isn't Letalitus who used to be the
avatar for Erthus Lapatus before he...died?"

Korlas nodded gravely, remembering many years back.
"Indeed, at the Battle of Midnight Ridge, both Letalitus and Lapatus met
their deaths. I'm glad you weren't alive then, honey-it hit us all hard, most
of all us hybrids, as Lapatus was the only one of the Primis Major who accepted
us unconditionally and fought for our cause."

"We're safe now, though, aren't we,
grandpa?"

"Yes, honey. Things changed, like they always
do. Now, as I was saying..."

"Grandpa?"

Showing no signs of exasperation, Korlas said,
"Yes, my dear?"

"Don't we have mech...mechan..."

"Mechanical, honey?"

"Yes. Don't we have mech-can-ical things
today?"

"Of course, but they aren't like what Meremas
had in mind. They are robots, and they aren't sentient-I mean, they can't make
their own decisions."

Understanding dawned on her face, and she said,
"Oh."

Korlas itched part of his beard, then said,
"Now then...On with the story. Sometime later, Meremas found himself
dealing with some unpleasant business..."

## **Second**

A conglomeration of Magnificentus, all dressed in
richly colored fabrics and clothing, argued in a hall flooded with blue light.
Glass pillars dangled in perpetual free-fall, and desks illuminated by a
kaleidoscope of color reflected off of every surface, creating a room which
seemed to be eternally lit and saturated, with glass prisms adorning every post
between each desk.

"We cannot ignore this tear! The fabric of
reality does not merely "flinch" as you so describe it,
Cardocitus!"

"Oh, please, Monakos; it is common knowledge
that you've wanted to mobilize for inter-universal war and conquest since the
formation of the Divine Council. One insignificant hiccup in the quantum
structure of the universe is hardly cause for a full reformation of the God
Engine."

A neutral party put up their hand to silence the
argument, wearing a golden helmet with two huge horns either side of the
cranium. "Commence your discussion on the matter at hand, and maintain
concurrent relevance in your statements, or you will be evicted from this
council."

"I respect thee, oh speaker, but I simply must
add that what I spoke of was more than relevant, and hardly not to do with the
discussion."

The doors to the chamber creaked open as Meremas
entered, flanked by Barkas and Letalitus. The speaker hit their staff upon the
ground, and shot a bolt of light up at the ceiling. "Late-comers to the
council are to be deducted of one percent of their energies for the next twenty
cycles." Several specks of light came from the palms of the three, and Meremas
felt very slightly more tired.

He gritted his teeth, and responded, "I beg
thee for forgiveness, oh speaker."

The gold-helmeted speaker tapped their staff on the
ground, and gestured to their seats. Meremas bashfully sat where directed, and
observed, with interest, the debate between the two. They were known to be key
personalities in the council, and it believed great amounts of court intrigue
went one between their disparate groups.

"Cardocitus, I needn't remind you that Zenus
entered to our universe through one such tear. The Hallowed One, Ascended is
He, could hardly want for more masters of the multiverse to enter and put a
wrench in His plans. The reformation of the God Engine is in His favour as much
as ours."

"Should another master enter through, I am
certain our Lord Protector will deal with them accordingly."

"Should Zenus be indisposed with the other
master while their army pours through into our carefully designed and closely
planned universe, what should we do? The God Engine would buy both us and Zenus
valuable time."

The speaker tapped their staff on the ground.
"I hereby declare this discussion's circular irrelevancy, and a vote will
now proceed on the subject. They who declare themselves in favor of the
reformation of the God Engine shall arise. Those against shall remain seated.
Those who abstain shall enter the middle path."

A handful of Great Beings entered to the middle
platform, and three quarters of those left over stood. Cardocitus slammed his
fist on the table, and rose to leave. "You have damned us all. My faith in
this council wanes with each passing cycle." He and his supporters marched
from the room.

"At a majority of sixty seven percent to
twenty four, with nine abstaining, the vote for the reformation of the God
Engine shall hereby take place. Monakos, as previous director of the Engine and
he who chiefly demanded its reformation, the responsibility shall fall unto you
to guide the reformation and usage of the engine."

Monakos placed his arm across his chest, and bowed.
"I decree thus, oh speaker, that I accept this mantle."

"The Divine Council is adjourned. The
following shall remain for post-council discussions: Meremas, Letalitus,
Barkas."

Meremas’ blood turned to ice and Letalitus,
diminutive as he was, somehow managed to shrink further into his seat. Barkas
sat confidently, hiding his terror behind a facade of assured intent. Meremas thought
on his biomechanical experiments, and dreaded this may be his intervention.

## **Break-Two**

The girl sat with her mouth wide open at the
thought of the council chamber, having not paid much attention to anything past
that. Korlas' eyes glinted with some forgotten memory, but it faded into the
reflection of the flames in his eyes.

"Honey, don't sit there like that for too
long, or perhaps the wind from a Jagavian Wasp's wings will trap your face how
it is."

She closed her mouth immediately and curled up,
bringing her knees into her chest. "I saw a Jagavian Wasp once. It was
frightening, grandpa."

"I don't like them either, my dear. But don't
fear-we won't get them all the way out here in Flumpidus." She relaxed a
little, sitting closer to the fire.

"I heard we have sharks in the bay,
grandpa."

Korlas chuckled, and replied, "Heresay, I tell
you. If there were sharks in that bay, why, I would already own one!"

"If you caught one, grandpa, could I pet
it?"

"Sure, I'd keep a cybernetic hand spare just
in case."

She squealed, and he ruffled her hair. "Honey,
if only you knew what great glee it gives me to see how innocent you
are..."

She tilted her head quizzically, but lost interest,
and said, "Go on with the story, grandpa! What happened to Meremas, and Letalitus,
and...Um..."

"Barkas, my dear."

"Yes. Bar-kas. What happened to them?"

He sighed, and moved his legs into a different
position. "Well, honey, they got a discussion, but, luckily, not in the
way they thought..."

## **Third**

Meremas anxiously rubbed his hands together as he
stood in front of the colossal doors leading to Zenus' throne room.  The
gates were adorned with gold and multi-colored gemstones, with silver lines
depicting heroic actions etched onto them. The Speaker stood to one side,
keeping their staff firmly planted upon the ground. Letalitus looked at the
doors quizzically, and shook his head.

"What one finds in gold shall spin to
dirt."

Barkas gave Letalitus a knock on the head

Letalitus went to retaliate, but the heads of the
three swapped to the doors as a loud screeching preceded their opening. They
swung open slowly, deliberately, as if dragged by colossal ropes. Blinding
light flooded forth from the throne room, and Meremas put his hand over his
eyes. Barkas dropped to one knee, and Meremas followed. Letalitus stayed
standing, looking directly into the light.

"What opens in light will close in
darkness."

A powerful, commanding voice boomed forth from the
doorway, "Thou doth speaketh unto mine presence, riddler. Hold thine
tongue, lest thine tongue become unfounded."

Barkas took Letalitus' shoulder and forced him to kneel.
"Take the hint this time. Shush."

Letalitus scowled at Barkas, but remained quiet.
The Speaker pointed his staff to the three, and said, "Zenus, Most Divine
One, Champion of Ruling Light, I do call upon thine grace, my lord."

"Thou wisheth mine grace? Thou shall haveth
it, Speaker; thine service goes unshrowded."

"Thanks unto you, Zenus, oh Mighty Legend, you
of Power and Divine Grace. I gather the three for your council."

"Oh yes, ye of such service, I do see thine
intentions. Ye seek to create that formula which doth elude thine senses to
this time. That of life, melded in such ways, with machine. Machina, et
bacillus. Oh yes, who doth create thine newest nature, stepeth forward. Unbow
thineself."

Meremas glanced at Barkas, who took a deep breath,
and stood, standing straight. "My lord, Zenus, Heavenly Protector
of...Heaven." Meremas winced. "I am he who attempts to create that
new life."

"You? He who doth possess no other merit, he
who doth speaketh unto me as if a marvel?"

Meremas took an involuntary step back, and bowed
his head. "I beg your forgiveness, my lord, Zenus, Boundless
Guardian."

"You shall haveth it. And I declare thus else;
thee shall have reward, as ye do seek it."

"My...reward? Um, my lord, Zenus, Godly
Id-"

"Cease. Thine reward doth follow; thine
assistance I do giveth to thee; the creation of new nature can be done; I have
seen such, foreseen it thus; you shall have mine power. Thine work respected, there
may be the path to paradise."

The Speaker bowed, and the doors closed. "Our
Lord Diviner, Zenus, has declared you worthy of his support. You shall receive
a small fraction of his power to assist your construction of biomechanical
life. Your cohorts are to support you."

Letalitus shrugged Barkas' hand off of his
shoulder, and said, "That which is given in purpose has its own
motive."

Meremas heaved a sigh of relief, and suppressed a
smile. "Well, it looks like we've got some work to do. I guess it will
work after all, huh, Barkas?"

"Don't tempt me, oh wise creator of life. I'll
take one of those arms and shove it right up your-"

The Speaker hit his staff upon the ground, and
Barkas bowed his head. "My apologies, oh speaker. We shall be leaving,
now."

"See to it that you do. Return to your
workshop and commence the divine work that has been authorized."

Meremas nodded, and practically skipped from the
room.

## **Break-Three**

"I wish Nima was here to listen to your
stories, grandpa."

An expression of sadness flickered across Korlas'
features, and he said, "Ah, well, she is, you know. She goes to where all
the other sleeping Makori go, honey."

"Where's that, grandpa? I thought she was
underground."

"They were; you see, Tathos the Clockwork
Dragon takes them all to Acridius’ Paradise!"

"Is that where daddy went too, grandpa?"

"Yes, my dear. He and your sister are in Paradise
now, being protected and cared for by Acridius."

The little girl looked down, and itched her hand.

"Will I go to Acridius when I go to
sleep?"

"Yes, honey. We all will."

"Is Acridius a nice place?"

"Yes, very nice. The water there is so clear,
so refreshing, that they say that's where Acridius gets all his powers. There's
butterflies which glow and pulse with a rainbow of colors, and bright flowers
everywhere."

"Are there Jagavian Wasps in Paradise,
grandpa?"

"No, honey. There's no wasps anywhere near Paradise."

"Good. I don't like them."

Korlas ruffled her hair, and kissed her forehead
softly. "I know, my dear. Now-let's get back to the story, okay?"

She huffed, and looked up at him, her sapphire eyes
burning intensely, like cobalt stars in a pure white sky. "Will you tell
me more about Acridius later, grandpa?"

"Yes, honey, but after we find out what Meremas
does next. Okay?"

"Okay."

Korlas took a deep breath, and smiled softly.
"Now, then... Meremas and his friends went back to start work on their
project, but there was trouble brewing with the Magnificentus..."

## **Fourth**

"Pass me the blueprints, Letalitus."

Meremas held out his outstretched hand, clenching
it slightly to gesture for some papers on the opposite side of his workshop. Letalitus
groaned, and stood down from his stool, his delicate feet making a soft clap on
the ground.

"That which commands the servant shall serve
his sentence."

"I'm asking you for a sheet of paper, not the
plates off your back, Letalitus."

"Size matters."

Barkas guffawed, and said, "Well, you'd know,
wouldn't you?"

Meremas held up his other hand. "Constructing
a new form of life isn't easy, you know."

"Who said it was? Besides, he had it
coming."

"Time flows relative, and the coming of things
goes as it may."

"See?"

Meremas sighed, and quickly snatched the papers from
Letalitus. "Barkas, do me a favor, and find something useful to do. You two
arguing isn't helping my concentration."

"Well
hey, master maker, it's not like Zenus only asked *you* to construct these damn things. Give me
something to do, I don't know what you need."

"You know that experimental power core design
you were working on?"

"The one which could power an entire planet?
Sure, but why do you need it for one of these?"

Meremas tapped his head. "The mind is
complicated, and to make such a complicated machine work, we'll need a strong
power source."

"What powers the body powers the mind. We are
but minds, and the rest, an appendage."

"Right. I can make the body perform some basic
motor functions, sure, but for real sentience and self-control, it'll need a
mind."

"If you say so. I'll go get that power core
working."

Letalitus went to follow, but Meremas snapped his
fingers. "I need your help carrying stuff, Letalitus. I can't stop holding
some of this, otherwise it'll collapse in two."

Letalitus scowled. "A beast of burden will
rise up against its master unless properly reared."

"I'll
put my foot up *your*rear in a minute if you
don't cut out the obscure references for a minute."

Letalitus threw a foot at Heremus. "Do your
own...footwork." He chuckled, and sat on the stool, contented with his own
joke.

Barkas went near his workshop, but overheard two
war ministers discussing, and decided he wasn't given enough recognition to not
eavesdrop now and again, opting to listen in.

A deep, gravelly voice was doing most of the
talking. "...a communication from someone who calls them self the
"Demonkin". They say they're here to take what we have and "add
our universe to his infinite empire"."

"That's
absurd. Us, along with the God Engine, *and*Zenus? Bah.
I'm not buying it. It's probably one of the newly-formed trying to enact some
kind of sick prank."

The more senior Magnificentus darkened in tone, and
said, "Zenus himself confirmed that this "Demonkin" intends what
he says. I wasn't on the Divine Council Lead meeting, sadly, but supposedly,
Zenus told them that this Demonkin is a master of the multiverse, like himself..."

"Oh, so what? It's not as if this
"Demonkin" player has an army to go with him. Even if he did, all it
would take is one use of the God Engine, and that would be that."

"Maybe...But at least Manakos gave us that
opportunity. Cardocitus will lose quite some favour in the Divine Game for the
next few months, I imagine."

"I hope so. He's nothing but a fear-mongering
airhead."

"Indeed. I must take my leave-the God Engine
must be prepared for combat."

"Goodbye, Eintaken."

"Safe travels, Agoncas."

Barkas put his hand above his brow, wiping away a
bead of sweat. "Ye Gods..." He ran from his room, carrying the power
core plans, and into Meremas 's workshop.

"What's the matter, Barkas? You're whiter than
usual."

" Meremas, we must get this project
finished..."

## **Break-Four**

"And you see, my dear, Meremas was white as a
sheet, like Barkas, after that-"

"Grandpa?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Is the Demonkin real? He
sounds...scary."

"Oh, you needn't worry about him, honey. He's
just a folk story, like Furocemp, made to scare little Makori before bed."

She thought for a moment, then twizzled a curl
around her finger. "Grandpa, if the Demonkin isn't real, does that mean
the Diabolith aren't, either?"

Korlas sighed, and said, "I'm afraid, my dear,
the Diabolith are very real. But don't you worry-The Erthus Apex, Erthus Titan,
and Erthus Primis Major are the mightiest heroes in the entire galaxy, and they
protect us from the Diabolith."

"Grandpa, have you ever seen one? I heard
there were twelve..."

He looked into the flames, and felt a pang of pain,
running his hand along a scar on his arm. "My dear...That's another story,
for another day."

"Okay, grandpa."

There was a moment of silence, and the little girl
said, "What happened next, grandpa?"

Korlas regained his composure, and said, "Ah,
what happened next was very exciting, but also very worrying for the Magnificentus.
They thought they'd have more time, you see, before the Demonkin came in.
But...Things didn't quite go according to plan."

## **Fifth**

Meremas snored as he rested his head on the chest
of his biomechanical creation. The past few days had been filled with frantic
constructions and planning-even Letalitus had stopped quipping his usual jokes
and riddles in order to focus on the task at hand. Barkas was limp beside him,
leaning up against a desk, and Letalitus sat cross-legged in his stool. The
latter had a bad habit of sleeping very rarely, and opted, instead, to think on
matters and come up with more cryptic statements, most of the time. This time,
only thinking was involved.

"What opens in light...shall close in
darkness."

Meremas
groaned, and sat up. “Letalitus, do you *ever* sleep?"

"Rest for the wicked is appreciated, but the
noble never slumber."

"Thanks for that. I'd almost gotten used to
not hearing your damn riddles these last few days..."

He felt his arm get jogged, and saw the arm of the
being had been knocked out of place. "Bah, dammit, I'll have to fix this
motor system..." He pushed it down, and looked back at Velika, only to see
another movement out of the corner of his eye. "What in Gods is wrong with
this blasted-"

"Wake me, creator."

Meremas stopped, and Letalitus' head snapped to the
creation.

"Did it just...speak, Letalitus, or was that
you?"

Letalitus was silent, and Meremas slowly turned
back to the creation. Its eyes lit up, blue orbs staring out of an unmasked and
un-decorated skull.

"Am I...Alive?"

Barkas' eyes fluttered open, and he looked at Letalitus
and Meremas, bewildered. "What? What'd I-" The biomechanicaloid sat up,
and stood on its feet. "Ye Gods..." Barkas gasped.

"We did it," Meremas whispered
incredulously. "We made new life..."

"Am
I novel, creator? I have seen you for cycles, and had no way to talk. I had
thoughts, but no lips to speak. I had arms, but no movements to make. Now I do,
and I say-*I am alive.*"

"We need to take this to Zenus immediately! We
could populate the universe before the Demonkin gets here, we'd have a real
chance at life surviving-"

"What God made turned to his weapon."

The created being looked at Letalitus, then at Meremas,
and said, "Am I to be your...weapon?"

Meremas 's expression drooped, and he turned away.
"That's...A good question. Zenus may well mass-produce them just to fight
the Demonkin..."

A bell chimed, and an echoing voice boomed,
"Denizens of "Magnus Imperus", as I have deemed your universe; I
am to be your ruler. I am the Demonkin. Your lives, as you know them, are to
end. I have no need of Gods in my empire-and this universe shall be wiped
clean." A ringing sounded, and another voice boomed across the realm.

"I do call upon each of thee; total war is
nigh. I have defined myself as protector of thee, and now, thine debts must be
repaid." Zenus' distinctive voice was instantly recognizable.

The bell stopped ringing, and Meremas looked at his
creation, which quizzically tilted its head.

"Total war...I won't let our creation get
dragged into it."

Barkas sighed, then said, "What a fine mess we
pulled ourselves into."

"What mess is created, only the fallen
clean." Letalitus solemnly looked down, and the three stood, contemplating
their uncertain future.

## **Break-Five**

Korlas seemed absorbed by his thoughts, almost as
if it was a personal recollection.

"Grandpa?" The old man didn't answer,
totally out of touch with reality for a moment. "Grandpa!"

Korlas quickly arose from his stupor, and said,
"I'm sorry, honey. Sometimes I remember how it was...passed down in my
family, is all. I just need some thinking time to remember how things
happened..."

"I understand, grandpa." She yawned.
"I'm tired."

"If you want to sleep, honey, you're welcome
to."

She thought for a moment, then shook her head,
saying, "No, I want to know what happened to Meremas, and Letalitus, and
Bar-kas."

"You sure, honey? Things get a little unhappy
in the story, now."

"Yes, grandpa. I want to know."

"Well...Not much interesting stuff happened
right after they heard the Demonkin. It was mostly just cleaning up their
space, and making sure they were ready when they were called."

"Then why were they worried, grandpa?"

"Because they didn't know when they'd be
called..."

## **Sixth**

Meremas, Barkas, and Letalitus ambled down a
glistening boulevard, carting a box which concealed their creation. On both
sides, columns of Great Beings, arrayed in formations and tooled for war,
marched in various directions. One ensemble, led by Monakos, pulled a huge,
white chunk of what appeared to be marble with wheels, with a colossal chimney
sprouting up from the top. Several smaller spouts jutted out from the center,
and all around, the atmosphere of dread was palpable. Whether or not some of
the Magnificentus had desired conflict, they still had not imagined odds of
this scale, and even Zenus, whose schedule of irregular speeches was designed
to inspire faith in the Magnificentus, had long since abandoned his public
appearances. The Speaker answered what questions he could. For the likes of Meremas
and his cohort, there were no answers.

"A war in heaven will cause a paradise
lost."

“Letalitus, not now. We don't need more attention
than we already have..."

Barkas nudged Meremas. "Look. The God Engine
has been fitted into place."

The marble mass was now rooted into the ground, and
alien circuits which ran along the form like veins glowed teal, with a gradual
humming increasing in both pitch and volume. The chimney in the middle shook
and trembled.

"It really is all out war...I'd never even
seen the God Engine since the Times of Entropy."

"A God builds his Engine to work their people
dead."

Barkas hushed Letalitus, with the latter shaking
his head.

"What lives in the body shall be arrayed
against the head."

Meremas quickened his pace, and the three gradually
left the crowd of Great Beings marching in opposite directions, with only a few
lagging behind to prepare defenses. "We're almost at the transportation
pad. If we can get to the space fissure and get to Magnus Imperus, we can set
her down and work in secret. The Demonkin won't come looking for us on that
misbegotten planet."

"You shall not leave this place."

The three froze and turned around. Behind them
stood The Speaker, resting his staff on the ground.

Meremas broke from his stupor and stepped forward.
"Speaker, the Demonkin will destroy everything we've accomplished. We have
to keep a record-find a safe haven for our constructions..."

"Zenus decreed total war. You shall not
disobey."

"We can't let our work get turned into a
machine of war."

"Then you shall be punished for treason."
A beam of light shot forth from The Speaker's staff and hit Meremas in the
center of his chest. "The penalty for disobedience of our Lord Protector
is execution."

The Speaker began to step forward, raising his
staff above his head. Meremas was critically injured, and looked up at The
Speaker with disillusioned horror. Barkas was thrown into action, and he dived
at The Speaker, the latter's staff clattering as it fell to the ground. Caught
off guard, The Speaker received a few quick blows, but rose from his confusion
and, with a colossal bang, punched the Great Being ten feet into the air, who
then tumbled down. He stood, clutching his arm, and roared as he charged at The
Speaker again, who batted him away with a flick of his wrist. He picked up Meremas
and Barkas by the throat, and held them up.

"The Divine Grace shall not be disobeyed. The
Demonkin will be removed, and his tools used to fuel Zenus' interdimensional agenda.
It is far easier to conquer when the Protectorate does not suspect it."

Just as Barkas and Meremas felt their grip on
reality slipping, they were suddenly released, and The Speaker let out an odd
gasp. His own staff was speared straight through his chest, and behind him
stood a short figure.

"Conquest of the innocent shall be met by
revolution." Letalitus jumped up and kicked The Speaker down, falling back
on the staff.

The Speaker spasmed and fumbled with the staff,
trying to remove it, but to no avail. The Speaker flashed once, then twice, and
disappeared in a pile of white, glowing dust. Barkas picked up a handful of the
dust, then threw it away.

"Who's speaking now, you top-heavy
bastard?"

He looked at Meremas triumphantly, but his face
dropped into shock. Going to the limp form of his friend, Barkas held Meremas
in his arms.

Meremas chuckled weakly. "You always did say
this mechanical stuff would be the death of me, old friend..."

"
Meremas, get up, damn you! We need you-this universe needs you-*she* needs you!"

Letalitus stumbled forlornly over to Meremas, and
placed his hand on his chest.

"Rest for the wicked is appreciated, but the
noble never rest. You have been so very noble."

Meremas cracked a small smile, and gazed at Letalitus.
"It only took me winking out to get you out of those riddles, if only for
a sentence..." He reached into a pocket on his robe, taking out an object.
He took Barkas' hand. "Barkas, I'm not needed anymore-I did my part.
Biological life is inevitable now, but we owe it to her." He placed the
object in Barkas' hand. "Keep her safe. Protect who we have made. No one
else will."

Meremas smiled one last time, and then he closed
his eyes, fading to golden dust. As the ashes of the great creator flew away
into the wind, Barkas stood, clutching the object in his hand, and looked at
it. It was a key, designed for access to the interior workings of the
mechanical life. Meremas had never parted with it, fearing it might fall into
the hands of the War Council-now, Barkas was its guardian.

" Meremas...I shall create your legacy in the
life of this universe. I swear it."

Letalitus picked up the staff, and held it out to
Barkas.

"The Herald of Life will face death, and bid
it to leave."

Barkas looked at the staff for a moment, then took
it.

"Let's move on. There's work to be done."

## **Break-Six**

Korlas rubbed his eyes, and the little blue girl
beside him tried desperately not to cry, little tears escaping from her eyes.

"Why did Meremas die, grandpa? He was good. Do
good people always die?"

Korlas was silent for a moment, then said, "My
dear, the good don't always die. Sometimes they simply go missing, and when the
good become legend, they are immortal forever."

"Does that mean Meremas is alive?"

"No, honey, I'm afraid not. But in each of us who
hear this tale, Meremas still lives-even today, even now."

She sat silently, and looked at the fire.

"Shall I go on, honey? Or do you want to sleep
now?"

The embers of the flames danced and flitted about
in the hut. Shadows were cast over the walls.

"I want to know what happened to Bar-kas. He
and Letalitus have to make it out safe-Letalitus didn't die yet, and he's
immortal in these stories too, right, grandpa?"

"Yes, he is, my dear. Alright, then-Let's get
on with the story. Barkas knew what had to be done-He knew he couldn't conduct
all this whilst the Demonkin was about. Now was the time to finish everything,
and provide a safe future for his people. There was only one way he could
guarantee life would still arise."

He paused.

"The God Engine."

## **Seventh**

Barkas and Letalitus dashed from corner to corner,
avoiding contact with any and all Great Beings still in their area. The latter
held the hand of the biomechanical creation gingerly, pulling it along when it
was time to move. It had a bad habit of being inquisitive when the time didn't
demand it, and as a result required constant supervision.

"Curiosity killed the Acridius bull."

"But, creators, is curiosity not the
foundations of knowledge?"

Barkas rolled his eyes as they sat in a dark
crevice in order to plan out their next move. " Letalitus, look what
you've done. You've got it spouting riddles at us now."

"Place the blame where it is deserved, or that
blame will entrap you."

"I *am* placing it where it's-" He stopped, and
sighed. "You know, Meremas would've interrupted by now to try and cool
things down."

Letalitus looked down, and said nothing. The
creation perked up.

"Is my creator...dysfunctional? Perhaps one
could repair it, as I have been so many times before?"

"I'm afraid we're a little different than you.
We can't fix Meremas in the same way."

She looked down, and Barkas noticed an odd number
on the back of her neck. He looked more closely, and it read, 00-1. "It
looks like Heremus intended to make several prototypes-I never knew he was
going to go on with more. I thought he would just mass-produce your form."

"Indeed, I possess the schematics for all five
hundred and seventy six organisms my creator had planned."

Letalitus
looked up, and Barkas stopped dead. “You have the instructions needed to *construct biomechanical life?*"

"I suppose one could say as such, yes."

He looked at Letalitus, and said, "If we used
the God Engine to transport us away, we could use some of my battery designs to
store energy to create more life once we're safe."

"We shall reap what is sown with the waters of
life."

"That we shall, my friend. Let's keep moving,
then-The marching columns should leave their patrol routes in half a cycle, and
that'll be our move to the God Engine."

"What is this 'God Engine' you speak of,
creator?"

Barkas took a deep breath, and said, "The God
Engine is an interdimensional weapon created by Zenus to help safeguard his
realm. It tears a hole in the fabric of subspace-effectively creating a small,
local black hole-which completely annihilates anything within a certain radius.
However, it has a transportation mode too, hooked up with the co-ordinates of
every habitable planet in the universe. It leaves no record, either, which
means that if we use it the chances of being caught are next to none."

The creation nodded, then asked, "Creator, am
I male or female?"

Barkas got up, and gestured for the two to follow.
He then responded, "I'm not sure what Letalitus had in mind for you. I
imagine you would have been female-something to do with the first woman of some
story he'd heard somewhere-but I guess it's up to you."

"I shall emulate my creator's viewpoint and
address myself as such. My registration would suggest a name such as Nyl would
suffice."

"In the coming of darkness, the awakening of
light shall be received."

"Creator, I also wish to be blue."

Barkas stopped. "That’s an odd statement. And…Blue?
Why?"

"That is color of your armour, and my creator
respected you immensely. I would honor his memory."

Barkas continued his movement, called over his
shoulder (not altogether seriously), "Well, if that's what you want, I
suppose we'll find some appropriate plating on the way to the God Engine."

"Thank you."

Some time passed, with the three keeping low and
quiet when other Great Beings drew near. Eventually, the God Engine was in
sight, and the three waited patiently for their moment. As the guards wandered
off on other patrols, with a brief respite from hiding, Barkas quickly made his
way to the weapon and tinkered with the controls.

"Spatial co-ordinates 08-04-7704; galactic
grid, 8-dash-7A-01..." His fingers danced frantically over the controls,
and he began to sweat every second longer they remained out in the open.
Finally, the console beeped in recognition, and Barkas heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thou wouldst disobey my divine grace? Thou
wouldst dishonour mine servant?"

The three turned, and Barkas took an involuntary
step backward. Towering ten feet above them stood Zenus, a Master of the
Multiverse, with his full wrath directed at them.

"Thou wouldst beg for thine death. Oh, ye
shall have mine execution. Ye shall perish."

## **Break-Seven**

The little girl was giggling at the name of the
creation, but she squealed and hid inside her clothing at the mention of Zenus.

"Grandpa, what will Bar-kas and Nyl and Letalitus
do? He's too big..."

Korlas placed his arm around her shoulder.
"Hush, my dear. They'll make it out-besides, we all know Letalitus must've!
He isn't-I mean, wasn't dead, was he?"

She shook her head, but was unconvinced. "What
if Bar-kas didn't survive, grandpa? What if he died like Meremas and this is
the legend story and now he's-"

"Honey, trust me-I think Barkas made it out of
this one."

She looked up at his turquoise eyes, and smiled.
"Okay, grandpa." She giggled again. "I find her name funny. She
has the same name as me!"

"Yes, my dear, that's because your parents
named you after her!"

Her
jaw dropped open in amazement. "I'm named after *her*?"

"That you are, my dear."

"I didn't know...That's cool, isn't it,
grandpa?"

"Yes, my dear. Now-should we get on with the
story? We're almost finished, and it's just as well, because I think I saw your
mother arriving by transport..."

She pushed his knee excitedly and said, "Go
on, grandpa! Finish the story quickly!"

Korlas chuckled, and said, "Our heroes'
journey was coming to an end, but one last barrier stood in their way-Zenus,
the God to end all Gods, and who was the most powerful being in the universe.
Well...thought to be, anyway..."

## **Eighth**

Barcas, Letalitus, and
Nyl stood frozen with fear at the sight of the giant in front of them. With the
prisms of his armour reflecting light in every direction, he appeared like a
furious sun, casting his judgement over all of their kind.

“I am he, Divine Idol,
and thou shalt not disobey my command! Mine Speaker, turned to ashes by thine
ignorance and disobedience, shall have wrought the woe I give to thee.” He
opened his palm and crackles of technicolor lightning emanated from the fists.
Discharges shattered glass from the magnificent spires around the square of the
God Engine.

“You have wrought your
own woe, “Idol.””

Zenus furrowed his brow
and turned. In an indignant tone, he said, “Whom dares utter such blasphemy in
my presence?”

As a murky black cloud
began to form and become tangible behind Zenus, he took a step back as
comprehension dawned on his face.

“You! The Great
Betrayer!”

Horns, wings, and claws
began to take shape as the mass became closer to an understandable image.

“You were the betrayer,
Zenus! You who would not accept my rule-my mantle of domination I had
rightfully earned! Now, I am no longer your brother-for of Demons, only, are
they my kin! I am the Demonkin, your apocalypse, your doom, and you shall kneel
before me!”

“Come then, Demonkin!
Witness mine divine omnipotence!”

As the two charged and
torrents of destructive energy exploded outwards from their titanic struggle,
spires around them began to collapse and fall to the ground, killing escaping
Magnificentus. Unable to stand and watch, Letalitus broke away from Barcas and
Nyl to render aid using his powers.

“Letalitus! We need to
go *now*! Get back here!” Barkas
called, but it was futile; Letalitus was too far away and pre-occupied with a
group of younger Magnificentus.

“My creator would have
done much the same, I should think.”

Barkas looked away, and
began typing into the God Engine again. “I think he would have, too. Let’s
honour both their memories and get you to safety.”

The console attached to
the God Engine hummed slowly and three small coils began spinning beside the
monitor.

“WARNING: MAINFRAME
COMPROMISED. TELEPORTATION COILS DAMAGED.”

“Creator, should we not
wait until the system has repaired itself?”

“We’re out of time, Nyl!
Just hold onto me and don’t let go!”

A glass pillar began crumbling and falling towards
them. With milliseconds to spare, the two were transported away from their
realm.

Barkas’
eyes fluttered open, and was forced into an immediate squint by bright
sunshine. The slow, steady sound of waves and beach birds was a stark contrast
to the near silence of the Realm of Might.

He
sat up, clutching a wound on his chest, and looked at his surroundings. Yellow
sand, palm trees, and a deep blue ocean indicated they were on a beach of
island of some sort. In the distance, great chunks of glass were floating amid
the ocean-remnants of the spire which almost collided with them. To his right,
a little distance away, lay Nyl, completely still.

“Nyl?”
Barkas called uncertainly, and stood up groggily. He stumbled over to her, and
lifted her up gently. “Nyl, are you alright?” She remained completely
still-even her limbs were locked in place.

Barkas
fumbled with the key Meremas had given him and opened up her chest. Inside, the
power core made to keep her living was winking out, and hummed tiredly. He
tinkered with it, but could not resolve it. He looked at his hands.

“There’s
no other alternative. To save Nyl, I can be Magnificentus no longer.”

Placing
his hands over the core, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Torrents of
energy immediately exploded outwards from his palms, being quickly absorbed by
the power core. With each passing second, Barkas felt weaker and weaker, until
finally, the power core stopped accepting energy and began to glow as fervently
as it once had. Barkas sat back, watching his once formidable powers flow away,
but directed his gaze towards Nyl’s inert form. She spasmed once, and then
opened her eyes.

“Nyl!”
Barkas embraced her delicately, but did not receive one in return.

“Who
are you? Where’s my mommy and daddy?”

Barkas
broke off and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Your…what?”

“A
big man said he was from the “Veins” and that I was lost…he said I had a mommy
and daddy…”

Barkas’
eyes widened, and he said, “You met the Veins? You…” He shook his head, and
said, with hesitation, “I know your parents. They left you with me for now.”

“Are
you my grandpa?”

“No,
I-I mean, yes, I’m your grandpa, Nyl. My name is…” He thought for a moment. “My
name is Korlas.”

“Grandpa
Korlas?”

“Yes,
Nyl?”

“We’re
safe, aren’t we? From bad people?”

“You
are with me, my dear.”

## Break-Eight

Nyl sat in wonder, her
mouth agape, and asked slowly, “Is that…is that story true, grandpa?” Long
forgotten memories seemed to begin to rise to the surface. “Are you…Barkas?”

Korlas looked at her,
entirely straight-faced, and then burst out laughing. “Oh, my dear, I only
wish! I just got a little carried away, honey-I’m too old for these stories, I
keep getting lost in…memories.”

Nyl looked down with a
disappointed sigh. “That’s a shame grandpa. But…grandpa?”

Korlas smiled softly.
“Yes, my dear?”

Nyl leaned in and
whispered, “I think you’re as cool as Barkas, grandpa.”

Korlas closed his eyes
and embraced Nyl. “Thank you, my dear.” A rapid tapping at the door interrupted
their tender moment.

“Nireen? Is that you?”

“Yes, Korlas, it’s me.
Who else would it be?”

“Who knows, maybe the
Primis finally came to arrest me for crimes against the state.”

“Korlas, it’s freezing
out here.”

Korlas stood up with a
groan, cracking his knuckles. “Yes, yes, I’m coming.” The door creaked as he
unlocked it, and a tall woman with fluorite-hued armour walked through. She
ducked her head under the doorway.

“How’s Nyl been?”

“She’s fine.” He turned to
Nyl. “My dear, go grab your things whilst I talk to your mother.”

“Okay, grandpa.”

When she was out of
earshot, Korlas whispered, “Her memory is fading, as always. She barely remembers
my time as an Erthus anymore. I tried to stir some kind of memories with the
story, but-“

“You told her the story?”

“I did.”

“Did you confirm it to
her?”

Korlas sighed, and
looked at his feet. “No. I know she can’t know. She has to found out
herself-she won’t be safe.”

“It’s for the best,
Korlas.”

“I know. I just wish
Meremas was here to see what a vibrant young thing she’s become.”

“We have you and him to
thank for giving her to us. So long as she exists, Meremas is always here.”

Korlas looked up, and
smiled. “I know. Thank you, Nireen.”

Rapid running came from
the other end of the hut. “I’m ready, mama! I’m ready, grandpa!”

Korlas turned around to
receive Nyl, who ran into his arms with glee. “Steady on, my dear! I’m too
frail for such an exciting animal like you!”

Nireen chuckled, and
took Nyl’s hand. “Come on, Nyl. You need some sleep for studies tomorrow…”

Nyl yawned, and
complied, letting go of Korlas and turning to face her mother.

“You be good for your
mother now, Nyl.”

“I will, grandpa.”
Nireen smiled one last time at Korlas before leading Nyl from his hut. As Nyl
walked away, Korlas could see the faint imprint of numbers on her neck.

“You be good for all of
us.”