The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]

There are many who write about unknown worlds or hidden treatises. In the realm of magical theory, it is common for these charlatans who think they are going to revolutionize the wheel by aiming to reinvent magic from first principals to appear every few years. Of course, their work is farce, the most they contribute to actual advancement of the magical arts is a reminder on why certain lessons were taught, or a rediscovery of some ancient, inefficient method that had long been abandoned for modern magic.

‘But we need to see where this leads!’ The fools cry. Of course, anyone with half a mind will ignore these idiots. Elassa herself was there when the magical experiments they claim as “discoveries” were already being done, and I am there to see any decide to step down my path. And ultimately, none do. Even when I prove the existence of sorcery and its power, I still get those hesitant walk down my path.

But the part of me that is truly confused is about the elders in the small room. All who know what I write about now will know immediately what I reference. All who do not will never know. I do not see how it is possible to disappoint the elders on the first time round. On the second… Well, none who have attempted a second signing of the Pact have ever returned. I do not know if there is a test, if the elders simply decide to kill someone, or if they do not let the soul return. Nevertheless, all who have gone down twice die.

They do not go insane, they do not lose their powers. They simply struggle for a time, and then they die.

The King’s Pact is forged onto a stone. I do not know what material the stone is, nor how hardy it is, nor anything of its properties, yet I am certain it is stone. And whereas the assumption is purely speculation at this point, I shall say it just to make sure it is said. On Arda, when a pact is made into stone, when that stone is shattered, so the pact becomes worthless.

I would have long gone back to the elders had ever one person ever returned. It doesn’t matter whether it was through stupidity or bravery or power. If it was done once, possibility would be proven. And once possibility is proven, I could do it.

Yet it has never happened. Not once. Not even a failed attempt where one almost gets out of there and then is recalled back in.

- Excerpt from “The Knot”, written by Goddess Anassa, of Sorcery.

Endpoint was the most secure, ass-end of nowhere, location in the entire Empire. Arascus had personally made that one of the requirements to the facility. There was no chance this place could be built in the middle of Epa, it had to be far from civilization. After all, if worst came to worst, the plan was nuclear hellfire first, then Elassa and her cohort of magicians, then Olephia annihilating this entire region of Arda. There would be no second chances when Endpoint housed…

Well, it housed the endpoint of Tartarian civilization. An extermination bomb that would make sure the threat was removed once and for all and that Tartarus would not return.

This Surface War was Tartarus’ second chance. They had blown it. Both in failing to open up with diplomacy, and in failing to defeat the Empire. Arascus didn’t even know which of the two failings was more pitiful, but he knew that when he started something. He finished it. It didn’t matter if it took one year or one thousand years. There would be no third chance.

But the FPN-1, the Nene as it had been codenamed, was not the reason that Arascus had actually come here. The God of Pride stood before the massive steel gate that was the entrance Endpoint. That was the last line of defence for if the Nene got out of control, and Arascus didn’t know what it was supposed to do. The first line of defence after all were Iniri and Baalka, and if the voracious disease that those two had created managed to get past them, then it should have no issue with a steel gate.

It was for that former Goddess that Arascus had come though. Of Nature was another Divine from the Age of Gaia. If Irinika did not know anything, then Iniri was the second closest. If both of them were unable to give information then… Well, it could be assumed then that Neneria would also be blocked from answering. These conversations were always better done in purpose, especially when it was about a topic that they didn’t even know if they were allowed to speak about.

Arascus waited as locks disengaged, the men who had come with him put some distance between themselves and the God of Pride. They would not be entering Endpoint. Inside, automated turrets in the ceiling automatically turned towards him, their black barrels shining against the light bouncing away from the snow that covered this area. A pair of guards stood there too, in full uniform and with loaded rifles. Arascus imagined that security was not this tight always, but things would have to be properly going to the dogs if the Empire did not put on its best face when the Emperor was coming to visit.

Arascus walked inside, the door started to close. Then he went through an airlock. Another airlock. A set of stairs, a dozen steps down, then turn and another dozen steps down. No elevator in this place, an elevator was a moving part, a moving part was a point of failure. A point of failure, as Leona had proven during the Great War, would fail eventually.

And when the fate of the world was at stake, there was no such thing as a that could be accepted.

So no elevator here. And at the very bottom, there were more airlocks. A corridor split the rooms up. Here, scientists had once apparently worked although not anymore. Any element that could pose a risk or a threat had been removed from the premises. The humans were not unpredictable, although they weren’t needed. And thus, there was no reason to keep them. With that, most of Endpoint’s lower level was going unused. Arascus heard chatter, although both Iniri and Baalka were stood ready, at the front gate of the containment chamber.

Behind them, an army of empty desks, seats and monitors all turned off. Behind that, a thick sheet of armour glass. And behind that, a giant seed, easily as tall as Arascus and twice as long. Its edges were smooth, it sat suspended by vines in the middle of the room. “Baalka. Iniri.” Arascus said. “I’ve come to inspect the Nene first.”

“It’s ready.” Baalka said. “There’s nothing more to be done, we even have the shell ready. Iniri grew it, it was her idea.”

“There’s actually a vacuum inside.” Iniri said as she smoothed down her green dress. Both of the Goddesses had taken to wearing green dresses and not the official Imperial black. Arascus had not come here to critique them on fashion choices though. “The roots will activate when they touch air or…” She looked at Baalka.

Of Disease shrugged. “Well, when they touch anything really.” Baalka said. “It won’t activate as long as it’s in a vacuum.” She looked back to Iniri.

“You just have to crack it. The scientists are working on a design. The shell is tough but it’s not that tough.” She mimicked pulling a trigger as if she was shooting a gun. “There’s these nail guns? Bolt guns? A spike comes out.”

“You mean what’s used to stun cattle?” Arascus asked.

Iniri nodded. “One of those should do it easily. One crack and it starts growing.” Arascus nodded. “Excellent then. Good job girls.” Baalka smiled, huffed, then took a step backwards and collapsed into her chair. Arascus only then noticed the amount of mess that was here. A crate was stood next to the door, it bore a…

It bore plants. Winding and twisting stems that somehow fused into one, or maybe they were just so spiralled that it was impossible to tell where one ended and the next began. Different leaves, different branches and plenty of fruit hanging off it. The sweet smell of fruit was in the air in fact, along with… Was that rotting? Arascus looked down at the box from which the smell was coming from. “Can you smell that?” He asked.

“We put out skins and seeds in there.” Baalka said and Iniri nodded.

“It’s good for the soil.” Arascus sighed and rolled his eyes. Well whatever, he wasn’t here to pester them about how they lived. It was the Goddess of Nature and the Goddess of Disease. Expecting cleanliness from them would be like expecting Irinika not to wear black, or maybe for Fer not to be wild. It simply did not check out.

“I’ve not come here for that.” Arascus stared at the two of them, then crossed his arms. “Well, apart from inspecting the Nene.” He sighed. Should it be done with Baalka here? Well really, the question was whether it was easier for Iniri to speak if Baalka was here or not. And the question to that was rather simple. “Baalka, can you wait outside for a moment?”

Baalka’s eyes narrowed, then she looked at Iniri, then at Arascus. “What is this about?”

“I’d rather Baalka be here if there’s anything going on.” Iniri said. Arascus looked at her for a moment, he realised that she was suppressing a tremor. The poor girl was actually terrified.

“I’m not here to hurt you Iniri.” Arascus said, then moved out of the way of the door. He nodded for Baalka to leave, his daughter finally did take a step forward. The first one was hesitant. The second faster. The next few led her out the door and Arascus was left alone with just the Goddess of Nature and the seed which bore a world-destroying floral-plague within it.

“What is it?” Iniri asked quietly, one arm curling around her stomach to hug her other elbow. “I’m not in trouble.”

“No.” Arascus said. “But we have some bad news.” He looked at the seed through the glass. It was the colour of pale wood. “And I have to ask you about some things.”

“I’ve not done anything.” Iniri said. If Fer or Malam said that, then that meant they had in fact done something deserving of a scolding. But Arascus didn’t bother pressing Iniri on it.

“Paida returned with the Aris expedition.” He brought out a few images. “I know you can read this language.” He gave her one of the photos of those runes which no one could read. “Olephia told me you translated what written on the dwarven axes.”

Iniri’s eyes grew wide. “Oh.” She said. “Yeah. I…” She blushed and let go. “Why did she go down there?”

“Long story.” Arascus said. “But she found lots of things.” He watched Iniri murmur something to herself in syllables even he couldn’t place together. Her brows furrowed again.

“I can read it but I can’t understand it.”

“What?” Arascus asked.

“It says In the shadow of the Divine.” Iniri moved her finger down. “In the light of our own making.” And to the next line. “The…” She trailed off. “Envelopment?” She looked up at Arascus. “It’s more like hug but that’s not the word for hug.”

“Embrace?” Arascus asked.

Iniri rolled her eyes. “I’m stupid.” She whispered. “The embrace of darkness no more. The cover of its safety. The fires of our making are hot.” She pursed her lips. “That’s a rough translation though, that word isn’t hot but that’s the rune that looks like hot, it’s going to be something close it.” Arascus took a deep breath. They were getting somewhere, even if he still had not worked anything out.

“Thanks.” Arascus said. So that was one thing, she could read things that have been found. That was already a step further than Irinika, although Irinika couldn’t read that alphabet. “What do you think that means?”

“I don’t know.” Iniri said with a shrug.

“How do you know what it means though?”

“I learned from the druids of that era.” Iniri said.

“Oh.” That made sense. Arascus almost struggled to believe that something like this had such an easy reason behind it. “Do you know about this?” He brought out the image of the underground crystalline city, with the tree in the middle. Iniri stared at it, her brows furrowed and then she shrugged.

“If I saw it, I could probably give more details. I don’t know of crystal trees.” She trailed off. “Well, not naturally occurring ones like this.”

“Do you think it could be not naturally occurring?” Arascus asked.

“Probably not.” Iniri said, she turned around to the seed. “I would say I can go down there, but…”

Arascus knew what she was going to say. “But Baalka won’t be able to hold that alone.”

“No.” Iniri confirmed.

“What about…” Arascus wanted to see how far he could push it now. But all the other ideas were not… well, they wouldn’t reveal anything to actually solve the issue. He just went straight for the kill shot that he assumed would stop her. “Do you know what happened to the Monsters.” Iniri pursed her lips.

“I…” And nothing more. She glanced upwards, something Arascus knew very well at this point. She was looking at the sword. So everyone from that age had it. What about Helenna and Malam then? They were more open… Those were the next targets.

“Why could you explain the image then?”

“Arascus.” Iniri took a sad sigh. “No there is no way for me to explain this without sound mad. I’m being dead serious but I cannot share the knowledge I’m not supposed to have.” Arascus stared at Iniri for a while longer. That wasn’t the surprise, it was that she had given him something more than what Irinika had said.

“Knowledge you’re not supposed to have?”

“This.” Iniri tapped the images. “This is known.” She tapped her own temple. “What is in here, I know, but it is a truth I cannot share. And trust me on this, because I would not lie to stop you for no reason. I simply cannot share it.”

“Iniri.” Arascus said. “I believe you, I won’t press it.”

Iniri nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”

“But if we find more, you’ll be able to read them?”

“Arascus.” Iniri said. “I…” She shook her head. “To explain it, I know information. I know it cannot be said. And what I know does not make sense to me, but I cannot say it anyway.”

“So is it true?” Arascus asked.

“I am certain all of it is true.” He asked the final question.

“Do you have a sword above your head?” Iniri’s cheeks grew pale, her green eyes wide and she looked straight up.

“How do you know that?”

“Iri has one too. As do I.”