Unyielding Fame

Abraham Elsiary gave me access to the palisades archives for my accomplishments that day. I borrowed piles upon piles of books from there for myself and Sophia, and Deluge’s samples assisted her research. Her work on the Obelisk Program advanced her studies even further, progressing our goal of eliminating soul forging.

As much as Sophia hated the palisade, she didn’t deny their ingenuity. Before the other nobles learned of my origins, sophia and I discussed the palisade’s most puzzling find.

Sophia wanted a view of the capital as she ate, so I carried her as I leapt onto the edge of the palace’s wall. Having finished my sparring with Solomon and learned of Deluge’s battle with Kade, pieces of thought rummaged around like a swarm of seagulls diving for fish. A quiet talk with Sophia sounded like a break from all the endless reading and training under Solomon’s wing.

So we sat at the side of the alabaster wall, both our feet dangling from the side. The wall warmed under the sun, so despite the coming cool of night, Sophia and I remained comfortable and at ease. The lights and torches around the city each ignited one at a time, so within a few minutes of sitting there, Sophia and I glanced at a sea of stars set in another ocean of orange. The white marble, the steady hum of city chatter, the hum of golems, and even the electric purr of the enormous dome around us made this city feel unmoving and invincible.

We sat in silence as I leaned back onto my elbows, my head hung behind me. I soaked in the rejuvenating calm after a long, hard day. That genuine relaxation always amazed me, yet I understood why I could rest there.

Nelastra owned a near gravitational force. The city sucked you in if you stayed long, and by then, both Sophia and I enjoyed it there. I already loved that city, despite it’s pressing flaws. Living a life there could please anyone, even spoiled royalty. Having children there with Joan, few things would have please me more.

Yet something inside me urged me forward. Deluge wanted more than just a cozy life. He wanted a legacy, and even though I sound content, I needed a goal as well. The palisade wouldn’t stop until after the Darkened One had been obliterated, and they’d darken the world to do so. They already had.

Sophia interrupted my wondering mind as she said, “They found something.”

I turned towards her, “Who?”

“The palisade. They’ve discovered a meteorite.”

I leaned closer, “And what revelation did they find in the hunk of rock?”

Sophia bit her lip, “More than I’d like. The star...It had some kind of metal in it. It’s too hard to break or snap or even scratch. They chipped a diamond in the first day.”

I frowned, “Sounds like they can’t use it.”

She shook her head, “Not now, but maybe later. I think it’s what Aether’s made of. This is a big deal, Jack.”

I rolled my eyes, “Bah, its a hunk of something indestructible. As long as it isn’t enough to make another golem, we’re fine.”

She nodded, “I agree, partially at least, but it’s shown some rather unique properties. It holds souls perfectly, just like alexandrite, but it has no limits with the amount that it can hold or use either.”

Sitting upright, I said “How’s that different from Alexandrite?”

She grimaced, “It bonds to any living thing that touches it.”

My eyes widened as I walked on the edge of a discovery. I silenced for few seconds of thought, “Sounds too dangerous to use.”

Her brow wrinkled like an old rag, “They’ll use it anyway. They already have.”

My eyes widened, “What happened?”

“Whatever they let touch it, loses it’s mind. That rock’s like an endless supply of madness, but they won’t stop trying to use it. It allows anyone to use their soul as energy.”

My chest hollowed. Dread pricked my skin, and I trembled before I asked a question, yet I already knew the answer, “What are they going to do with it?”

“They’ll kill us all. They’ll make a mindless army hellbent on killing everything. We can’t let them continue this. Everything, and I mean everything will become this horrific nightmare that we can’t wake up from.”

Her hands shook as and a her eyes twitched, “I don’t...I don’t know what to do. They started making human golems that use their own souls. Some people tried speaking up. They put them on that thing. I can’t do this. I won’t do this.”

I laid a hand on her shoulder, “Sophia, calm down. This is a pretty simple fix. We could get Aether to pick it up and move it. I’m sure they had Golems move it there right?”

She shook her head before saying, “It absorbs the souls of normal golems.”

I frowned before saying, “Alright, I’ll pick-”

Sophia shouted, “No way in hell are you touching that thing. I won’t watch your mind be destroyed.”

I nodded, “Of course not. I’ll put some material between me and it, then I’ll hide it somewhere.”

Sophia turned at me and screamed, “They can find it. It’s over. Everything’s-”

I snapped my fingers, “Sophia, stop.”

“But they-”

I interjected, “Do you remember the day I took you from your room at Mareovosa?”

She blinked before I continued, “You looked so eager, like you were going on a camping trip with friends. Luke had this dumbfounded expression whenever he saw Aether, didn’t he?”

A reluctant laugh escaped her before I continued, “At that time, my secret had been exposed. They knew that I was there so called Darkened One. My entire life fell to pieces in an instant.”

I pointed around us, “Look at how that turned out. I’m heralded as a hero now in Bastion’s most beautiful city. I’m surrounded by friends at all sides. Things worked out then, they’ll work out now.”

She bit her bottom lip, “How can you know that?”

I shrugged, “I don’t, but I have faith in us. Have some faith in us as well.”

She laughed again, “Alright, but how are you gonna move that giant boulder?”

I gripped my hand, “I think you already know the answer.”

She rolled her eyes, “Sounds like it might involve some improv.”

I beamed a bright, confident grin, “But of course my dear.” I stood and offered a hand, “Let’s go. Joan’s lonely without us.”

After leaping from the gate, we reached in front of Solomon’s house where several nobles banged on his doorway. As I walked up, they turned and stampeded towards me like a pack of starving coyotes. Shouts bled into a single booming drone before I roared,

“Quiet. This is the immortal Saint’s home, not some dirty brothel. Leave.”

After a short, sweet silence, a mumble began after a feminine voice said, “He does sound like a noble.”

“Ah, he does. He looks like a Blackiron though.”

“It’s in poor taste to comment on a saint’s appearance. You know that.”

As I passed through the murmuring mob, they opened a pathway towards Solomon’s home. After opening the doorway, Galen stood with Joan and Solomon as a short, blond haired girl spoke to them. White armor like snow hung on her dainty shoulders while she spoke with a high pitched tenor. She floated on her feet like fairy, and she drew the eye with a magnetic pull towards her. Despite her pleasant appearance, her words sliced like hidden razors digging into your throat as she said,

“So you had the heir of another empire being coronated as a Saint?”

Solomon replied, “No. He is simply Saint Jericho. If he wished for the Donovan’s patronage, he’d no doubt have it. Let him be, Ara.”

She placed a finger on her cheek, “Hmm, we’ll see.” She turned to me before a grin bloomed on her face, sweet as honey and piercing as pain, “Ah, there you are Jericho Donovan. We’ve got quite a lot to discuss.”