Rise of Time Chapter Three: Technical Omens

Obyrion shook his head in disgust at the meeting he was just in. *Humans!* As usual, they had been demanding mining rights within the Oblivion Ravine. Of course, the Techno-Imperium would have been more than glad to allow them safe passage to mine, but only if they remained in control of the island. And only if they made some of the profit. *We can't just hand out everything for free or give up control! We need those resources!* But no! The pesky Humans just had to have all those ores to themselves!

Muttering about Human greed, the Cydroid Techno-Lord strode to his throne seat within the Great Ship of his Forge, the Dark Forge. For a long time, the members of his Forge/family had been the greatest in all of Titania. But that had all changed years ago, after the end of the Titanic War. He had been the one to urge the Cydroids to start the war. The Imperium needed more space, he had argued. Its population of humans couldn't stay in Oblivion Island and its ravine. It had become too crowded, plus it was a rather desolate place. Because of this, the amount of food available had been plummeting. These issues had forced the other Techno-Lords and the Greater Mind to agree with him. With the Greater Mind's permission, he led the war to take the continent. At first, it seemed victory was guaranteed. The technology of the Imperium was vastly superior to that of the crude other races. None of them could match the strength of a technological empire!

But then that blasted Songsinger and his allies had come. They had fought against the Cydroids. Slowly but surely, they turned the tide against the Cydroids. And in the end, the Imperium had been forced to retreat, losing the war. Since the Dark Forge had convinced the others to commit to the war, it took the fall. His forge was blamed for the war since he dragged everyone else into it. Now, he sat in the rubble of defeat, instead of the glorious fame he had dreamed of. *And to think. I had been so close to ending the Songsinger once and for all...*

Now, Obyrion sat on his throne, pulling in his mechanical jet wings. Scowling, he looked down from his throne balcony and to the workers on the ship. They scurried like ants, and Obyrion sighed in boredom. He was just about to shut down for the day when the air filled with ozone. Thunder shook the sky, and two beings appeared right in front of him.

The first being looked like an average human. A decent bit over five foot with tan skin. He wore blue clothes and had normal brown hair. However, his eyes glowed pure white, as though this person was charged with unimaginable power. The person next to him was humanoid-shaped but had the features of a wolf. Obyrion raised one eyebrow at the new arrivals, his surprise well concealed. Calmly, he tilted his head at the human. "So, what brings you here, human? Perhaps you are another diplomat sent to plague me with your economic issues?" The human shook his head, a chuckle raising from his throat. "No, no. I am Herobrine, and this is Lycaon. He alerted me of a...dangerous situation. I am here to ask for help in dealing with this threat."

The Techno-Lord snorted. "If you are indeed the Titan of myth, what makes you think we would help you? I do not see how this threatens the humans of the Imperium. Thus my protocols do not press me to do anything about this." Herobrine nodded. "I suppose you need more tangible reasons for this proposition." When Obyrion nodded, Herobrine continued. "You are well aware of how your race came into existence and how it had to flee its old reality that was home?" Again, the Cydroid nodded. "Well, then I can work with the past here. You see, it was a certain demon, Lucifer, who corrupted the men and led to the female revolution. And when he was defeated, he unleashed the Null to destroy the world. Both times I, Herobrine, stopped him from succeeding. Because of this, I am owed a great debt by your people." Reluctantly, the Techno-Lord agreed. Sensing his advantage, the Titan pressed his argument further. "Now, both the Dark Titans of his kind and Lucifer have teamed up to take this universe. Unless they are stopped, everything will be destroyed and threatened. If you want to obey your protocols and protect the organics under your protection, he will have to assist me in defeating the threat of their combined strength. I must be free to deal with the child and Titans, thus I have no time for the armies that Lucifer will send."

Obyrion nodded, and Herobrine gave a relieved breath. However, Obyrion held up one hand patiently. "Indeed, I cannot ignore such a threat, but how I deal with it is up to the Greater Mind. I could just prepare, or I could oblige with you." Herobrine tensed, before speaking carefully. "Yes, that is true. But if you do follow me, you will see proof as you scout out my mission." The Techno-Lord nodded his armored face. "Perhaps I would, perhaps I wouldn't. But how we respond is up to the Greater mind." Obyrion got up, his metallic form clanking on the floor. Lycaon gave him a questioning look, and the Cydriod explained what he was planning. "I must contact the Greater Mind. If what you say is worth direct investigation under you, then I will get my permission. But if not, then the answer will be no."

Using his messaging protocols, he used his mind sensors to send an urgent message to the Greater Mind. He waited a few minutes before the reply came in and he heard the Greater Mind's voice in his head. *It is him...and he is right. We owe him a debt, and we cannot let Lucifer corrupt what is left of our hopes for life. Go on Herobrine's mission to see if what he says is true.* Obyrion nodded and turned his attention to the Titans. "She has spoken. I will do one mission for you to see if you tell the truth about this threat." Herobrine, relieved, gave the mission. "Near the Draken Mountains, demons under Lucifer are starting to get ready for a ritual to summon him. Your job is to take a squad there and get rid of the demons. Can you do that?" Obyrion grinned ominously. "Oh, we can. Because of what they did, My kind have created weapons capable of destroying them utterly. We shall go and deal with them if you tell the truth that is."

Herobrine saluted the Techno-Lord. Then, with a flash of lightning and a peal of thunder, both he and Lycaon vanished. Just as they left, Julia came into the balcony. Julia was medium weight, with a pudgy face and a haughty attitude. As one of the many Ladies aboard the ship, she was by far the most annoying. She was constantly complaining and making Obyrion's day harder. Now, she complained about her room service. "Obyrion! I have a problem with my staff!" Obyrion sighed. "What is it this time?" Ignoring his tone, Julia continued. "My servant Cydriod, CD-9988787, served the wrong wine today! He needs to be decommissioned! How old is he anyhow?"

Taking a deep breath to keep his voice steady, Obyrion responded. "CD-9988787 is 118 years old. At this point, minor quirks will be found in his behavior as his mind circuit begins to deteriorate. He has two more years before he will be unstable enough to be decommissioned and replaced with a new model." Obyrion fired up the star core in his chest. "Now, if you have a complaint on model lifespan, I would suggest seeing the Overseers, not me. Until then, I would go back to my pampered existence with your companion model CD-7892656750 and let me take care of some important business." Julia's mouth hung open at the attitude the Techno-Lord showed. But before she could respond, Obyrion activated his star core and was gone in a flash of light.

For a second, the world was but a fleeting rainbow of color. Then, in another flash of light, Obyrion found himself in the command center. All around, technical computers flashed with readings on their screens. It was here that the ship was operated and directed. It was also where you would find the military officers. One of them, Click, stood around with two squad commanders. All of them shared the same look as all Cydroids. All of their armor was unique and grey, covering them from head to toe. The eye area and the core, as well as some of the armor areas, glowed with the color of the Dark Forge (Purple). Underneath, they would look like mechanical humans with metallic skin and hair whose eyes and veins glowed. Click snapped to attention. Obyrion nodded to him. "At ease. I need you to get two squads of demonslayers to lead an assault on Mount Draken. We have intel that a demon incursion is occurring there, and the Greater Mind has tasked us with dealing with them." Click nodded and went to a command console, typing a summoning order. As the command became a flurry of movement, Obyrion stared out at the vast expanse. With a grim smile, he made a private musing. *Your time is nearly up, demons. You broke us once, but you won't do it again. The clock is ticking, and your time for living is almost gone. Enjoy what breath you have left, because I'm about to steal it!*

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Violet had fallen asleep just a few minutes ago. Now, she entered a realm of dreams, where reality was far off and the mystical was possible. She had never quite had such a real dream as the one she was studying now. In this one, she stood in an area of blue sky, on a floating island with bluegrass. In front of her was a throne made of copper. Slowly, she walked around it. She was curious. For a dream, it felt so real. She could feel the wind rippling through the air. She could smell the pitcher plants and torch flowers around her. Underfoot, she could feel the soft grass on her bare feet. It was magical. She turned to leave but suddenly felt the presence of another. She turned to see that the throne was now occupied by a stranger.

Violet trembled, confused. She didn't know this being, yet he was familiar to her. Could it be the one the white-eyed cosmic thought of? The one named Kronus? *It must be.* But what did he mean? What temple? But before she could interrogate him and demand he revealed his identity, the dream dissolved. The ground became the Void, and the darkness suffocated her. Within, a cruel voice laughed. A white-eyed being of darkness shook his head at her. When he spoke, it felt like he was drawing the words from her. "Go ahead, child, try to raise him!" Then, as he closed in on her, her eyes snapped open. Taking deep breaths, she strangled her bedsheets. Voltar looked at her in concern, but she shook her mother off. "Just a nightmare." *But was it? Or was it real...* She couldn't help but wonder as she stood up and began to start her day.

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