Chapter 101: Prince Homebody
Two figures moved through a war-torn snowfield. The clouds that perpetually enshrouded the world were parted, revealing a radiance of the sun; a sight alien to the inhabitants of the planet, who haven’t borne witness to what lay beyond for centuries.
Blackened obelisks of ice stood tall — some were large, while others were only small chunks, lying around like shrapnel. The cut-stone ground, revealed by the parted snow, had multiple scars on it’s surface.
Looking over the snowfield — which was actually a mountain — was a mangled behemoth of ancient technology. The Engine of Creation’s head was nothing but warped steel, and it’s entire chassis was littered with impaled spikes of darkened ice. It stood unmoving, as if it was never awake to begin with.
Clara squinted her eyes, her vision shifting as she saw a singular, blindingly radiant anchor of light deep within the robot’s chest. That anchor had thin, illusory cables that stretched all across the Engine of Creation, providing it with fuel despite it’s current state.
She felt an ache in her skull. Pressing her red sleeve to her head, strange ravings began to speak to her. Unclear, yet familiar.
After a few moments, she lowered her arm. Looking back at the Engine of Creation, she turned to the towering figure beside her with a tentative expression.
"Mr. Svarog... how old was it again?"
The singular pink eye on the cyclops an automaton’s head flickered, as if he was blinking.
"The Geological Reconstruction Unit was built during the time of the first Supreme Guardian. A minimum of seven hundred years."
Clara was silent for a moment, a strange glint in her eyes.
"I see..."