« If the truth belongs to the victorious, then there is really only one thing to do. »

A few hours went by since I’ve left Nilie by himself. I kept repeating to myself that he should be fine now, that he safely returned to his home to see his family and his friends and whatever else the mortals felt attached to. Besides, I even gifted him a charm imbued with another of my strong protection, a handy chalice filled with the benediction of safeguard to prevent the wearer from being harmed. It should suffice to appease him and maybe give him a little push in a short future.

I copied and improved the technique from the pool of knowledge I gathered from the many educated mortals I crossed in the streets, covering both of us under a veil of disappearance to hide my uncalled aggression so the guards wouldn’t interrupt me again whenever I was collecting a handful of surprisingly useful intel on magic and its uses.

As every soul displayed many different keyholes due to variation in the personality and the environment the mortal grew in, the method to unlock its mechanism couldn’t always be replicated on each individual. Some were softer, other appeared to be quite nervous, while a few seemed like they’d put the utmost security on the pointless details, like financial management or fidelity issues.

Then, I learnt many things regarding the soul and magic, like how one is capable of transporting his spiritual body into another place or minor enhancements to physical bodies. I must admit, the mortals did put a lot of research on this subject, so much that it actually surprises me about how I myself knew so few about it that I felt kind of ashamed.

In the past, I was already more-or-less aware of the summoning of magic, the unnatural transmutation of nature one was able to accomplish, yet I never could have guessed the usage of this tool could impact so many domains in reality. The soul was an important asset, it was the required condition to possess one if somebody desired to cast a spell, but of course that wasn’t all. Just because it was an intangible utensil concretised with the objective kept in mind to allow the user to alter reality in order to better his life, it didn’t mean it would be that easy to use it. Such a tool asked for delicacy and precision.

Thinking again about the soul’s utilization made me remember its early days as a prototype.

At first, the whole thing was a mess, a sand castle made of pure volatile mana which kept disintegrating and evaporating in the air. The structure was too fragile and the membrane couldn’t manage to envelop the organs and prevent it from merging with the outer mana, finally resulting in an ephemeral shape born from obscure tendencies.

It took us long and exhausting years until we managed to sculpt a decent something out of mana, but that wasn’t all as the lingering mana was too brut for any mortal to consume it as they see fit. So we added an engine to refine the mana, then a pocket to store the refined product, alas only temporarily before it had to be expulsed from the system before it eroded everything. We then pulled all the gears together for the clockwork to function on its own. It was quite comparable to a waterwheel, the mechanism could roll only thanks to the flow of mana circulating from one way to another.

In brief, we created a motor made of mana, and transplanted it on mortals’ physical body to allow them to use magic.

But now there was something both funny and intriguing. I have collected the knowledge of many mortals during my short stay in this city, I have learnt many theories and applications thanks to their constant curiosity and struggle to unfold this world’s mysteries. They tried to answer many of their questions regarding the nature of this world and tested the limits of magic as if there was no tomorrow.

However, so far I have never met someone who asked himself “Why do we possess a soul?”

The reasons were multiple, but simple.

First, the objective was to give mortals a tool to manipulate the mana residue filling the atmosphere of this planet, a wrench which can help them fix their own mistakes by themselves. After what happened following the Fall, I thought it was the right choice to permit everyone to correct their own path with their strength, or maybe I only tried to repent for my folly through this small present.

Second, it was because this entire world was akin to a wonderful garden to us. Life flourish, civilisations rise and fall, nations were built and stories turned into legends. It was our world, our home. Protecting it from any cataclysms was the mission have I been entrusted with by my friend, but maintaining its balance was the world’s inhabitants’ role.

That was right, my role purely consisted of getting rid of any sort of impending doom which threatened this world, but I have yet to find any clue about this world-threatening doom. Nothing about the danger I was supposed to face, but I did find another mortal walking alone in the street.

Leisurely walking alongside the buildings, the human’s humming resonated through the air, betraying the surging joy which radiated from the aura he gave off. He was gleaming with happiness, blinded by the sheer festivities brought by a happy event. In comparison, my usual self would appear quite dismal, maybe unflashy or lacking this spark of freshness. I wonder when was the last time I felt such glee.

A few more steps towards me, then the mortal suddenly halted himself to confront my existence.

“Oops! Sorry gramps, I almost didn’t see you.”

“You seem quite happy, young man. Did something good happen?”

He was about to leave, but my words made him top in his tracks, surprised by my intervention and my obviously unforeseen question. Thankfully, he kept his head cool, and answered me with a large smile and beaming eyes.

“Yup, something really good. Do you want me to tell you?”

I had to admit, I was curious as to what could bring a man to attain this level of happiness. However…

“No, I don’t need to…”

I extended my hand, first to pat his head in a way to congratulate his well-being, and then to safely imprison his soul between my clutch.

“… I can get the answers by myself now.”

As if everything before was an illusion, his face was now devoid of any natural emotion an intelligent being, born with a face full of expressions, could publicly display. You frown when you’re frustrated, you smile when you’re happy, serene when you’re sleeping or tense when dealing with a severe injury. As for this young man, his visage didn’t express such instinctive or complex emotions, he looked aghast or maybe… Brainless, after I remove the consciousness to forbid unnecessary struggle during my excavation.

As a secondary measure of prevention, I quickly conjured an immaterial sphere to surround both of us, a barrier which effectively turned us invisible –Or should I say inexistent- to the rest of the world. Now that nobody could bother me during my investigation, I sent a probe inside the mortal’s spiritual body to look for the entrance to his memory. I could easily break the soul’s walls and forcefully plunge my hands in the vessel, but the last time I did the destruction had a regretful impact on the victim’s sentience. I had to quickly recraft most of the mess before I could let him go.

It didn’t took me long before spotting what I was looking for: the seal to unlock the soul’s shell, or if I was using his vocabulary: the “keyhole” to open the “machine”. Once found, the procedure to undo the seal was child’s play, however, I tumbled on another unexpected surprise.

So much for learning anything from this mortal, because the soul’s inner work was corrupted. Or rather than corrupted, it was rewritten, turning the whole machinery into an abstract study completely arcane to me.

I couldn’t search inside his soul, leaving me with both a feeling of disappointment and of irritation. Disappointed, because I felt betrayed, like when finding the book with the title corresponding to my research, yet the content was scribbled in a lunatic’s language, rendering the entire content unreadable. And irritated, because the author of this hugger-mugger was none other than Eendis, which meant this mortal was a member of the Cult of the Black God, a mad organization which seek to unify reality with the Limbo.

In other words, this mortal was a traitor. And I didn’t need any traitor in my pure world.

His skin slowly darkened, charring under the intensifying pressure from my influence. The epidermis brightly glowed in random spots over his body, slowly expanding across the surface of his skin like an accelerated erosion. The eyes slightly bled, before almost instantly transmuting into crumbling charcoal falling piece by piece to the ground. I maintained the erasure of the mortal’s existence from this world, until nor the flesh, nor the bone, nor any spiritual residue tainted by his signature were left before me.

At last, this world was freed from another of his enemy.

And now…

…

… I was alone in the night. Nor the stars could shine behind the thick clouds obscuring the sky, nor the magical bulb from the streetlamps managed to brighten the place for I wished the darkness to conceal me, at least for a while. Until I was done pondering on the reasons which pushed a part of the mortals to go against me and my duty.

Power, prestige and wealth. Those are the common objectives they focus on during their short lifespan, the main goal they tend to dedicate their resource and effort all in order to achieve a greater sense of accomplishment.

I warned them. I warned them multiple times about the risks of endeavouring on such a path, the dangers and the threats accompanying the oath they were forced to make before joining the cult. I mean, why would the mortals so naïvely believe the forces dwelling in the Limbo would not jump on the occasion to devour this world?

…

It was about time I fulfilled my own duty as this world’s guardian, but I had yet to notice any sort of danger which could harm this place. There was no demonic invasion, no sign of the earth shaking, not even an appearance of those cursed deities. I was missing something… I haven’t been made aware of the threat I was supposed to face, but maybe my friends knew…

I looked toward the grand tower, the immense and ancient edifice where the smell originated. I could sense it through all the fibres from my body, and thus there was definitely no doubt about it: I have found Qalendra.

Maybe it was…

I flipped the continuity of space to instantly travel at the front gate of the tower. This was as far as my power could take me, before facing the impregnable wall, the only one who withstood the Gods’ wrath when our civilization fell to the ground.

The gate was left unguarded, supposedly untouchable with the mortals’ magical enchantment growing all around the wood and the metallic frame of the double doors.

The runes were made to extend the tower’s protection to this newly built entrance which allowed the mortals to explore its interiors, enabling a definitive wall which permeated the building with the intention to block any external threat.

The protection itself was a blessing from the old and now-gone divinities, a mixture of arcane technology and tangible materials to anchor their hollow and transcribed energy into a plane we could both understand and exist within. It was supposed to protect us from any harm, in case nothing else could protect us from a world-ending menace. Alas, the structure could never fulfil its duty, and was now left there on the ground gathering dust and misunderstandings amongst the mortals who infiltrated it, repurposing its goal as a house of science and education.

Funny, how things could change after a few millennia.

… And how others remained the same after the same period.

I glanced at my gauntlets, those manacles which frequently disturbed my personal flow of mana, those chains which could never be severed, not without the assistance of the departed gods. A handicap to stop me from guiding this world, a restraint to try and disable me, to knock down my dream of peace and serenity.

Sometimes, I wonder if they were defective, for I still could use my power to some extent.

I dared not waste more time on vain thoughts.

I pushed against the doors, forcing the path to open before me.

Of course, the enchantment made it so I could not. But this obstacle could not discourage me from pursuing.

Qalendra was behind this indestructible rampart. Frail, alone and hurt. And I will save her.

Even gone, those cruel gods were still trying to harm her. And I will not let it happen again.

I’ve already fought against them once. And I’ve already won once.

I will NOT be pushed back by some toy left behind by them!

I WILL save this world, AGAIN!

*CRACK*

… The doors were open, and the blinding light which painfully reacted to my aggression was now gone.

… The path was open. It would soon be over.

I’m coming, Qalendra.

***

The lights were suddenly cut off inside the office and a small rumble like a weak earthquake could be felt. The petals of the flowers trembled under the short quake from the incident of unknown origin.

The lamps, configured to consume mana in order to produce light, could not function any longer. After a short inspection, it wasn’t caused by a coincidental malfunction. The cause was rather hard to believe, but it is what it is.

The mana in the air disappeared, like a fire extinguished by a storm.

It was an omen. An omen announcing a scenario he knew about long ago already.

He is here. Haliaetus has arrived.

***

I sensed the disturbance like a predator sensing a prey drinking the water from the lake he was slumbering deep inside.

From the room I was residing in, I opened the window and gazed at the tower. A mere glance was sufficient to tell the enchantment protecting the structure was gone.

The tower was now nothing more but a shaking tower of cards, a fragile pile of rubble meant to entomb him.

The plan was still going smoothly, now it was only a matter of time before the fool fell in the trap.

A short hour longer, and the Fallen would meet its demise.

At long last. The Fallen will perish.

***

I closed my eyes in exasperation. Not that it mattered, for my form nor displayed nor actually possessed such convenient organs such as eyes.

Yet, I still could not help but feel tired when looking at what he has done.

The tower of Lagida was now nothing more than a standing pebble atop a cliff, waiting for a violent squall to make it fall.

And inside of it, the main protagonists were about to meet face-to-face.

Unfortunately, it took me too much time to finally locate Haliaetus. By the time I knew where to find him, his eyes were already set on the underground of the Academy, looking for Qalendra to set her free.

I can’t stop him anymore, he would never listen to my words.

I can’t prevent this disaster, for now it was too late to intervene.

“You mentioned a plan, something like luring Haliaetus inside Lagida, then make him enter the tower to neutralize his ability to bend reality to his will with the power of the gods, and finally jumping on the occasion to slay him.”

I turned to face Chaalith which showed me the embarrassment of the defeated.

“What part of ‘bending reality to his will’ did you not understand?”

“But the gauntlets, the chains attached to his wrists, they were supposed to restrain him! And the tower was supposed to amplify its effects!

I… I don’t understand…”

“There is nothing to understand here, Chaalith. The gods did a poor job in their attempt to choke Haliaetus’s power.”

I stared again at the figure of Haliaetus, powerlessly watching him entering the defenceless Academy.

“Let me go. I can stop him!”

“No, Chaalith. Nobody can stop him.

Nothing can.”

Maybe there was a way, or maybe there wasn’t any.

How could they believe such a being could be restrained, even with their power?

Nobody can stop him, even I would struggle to fight him. But perhaps I can…