[Chapter 3 part 2] Rose - The HEAVENLY DAO and the Dark Age

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“In general, the HEAVENLY DAO prefers subtle means. For instance, it sped up evolution four thousand years ago. New species pop up at a hundred times the pace they used to. In the deepest reaches of the Green Hell, this phenomenon is taken to extremes. The outward migrations every few decades are a pain.”

“Is there anything it doesn’t mess with?” Dawn asked.

“Free will.” Simon answered. “It’ll never alter a person’s beliefs or force them to act contrary to their nature. The HEAVENLY DAO considers this essential to the ‘integrity of the story’.”

“Aside that exception, it intervenes extensive, especially via incentives. Consider ninjas. Those who adopt their guise are empowered to use shinobi techniques.”

There must be many more like Light out there… Recalling the novels she’d read, Rose wondered what other fictional characters she’d meet.

“Fame is similarly encouraged. As someone gains notoriety, they grow stronger, move faster, and age slower. While stardom doesn’t grant immortality, it greatly facilitates the process.”

Spreading their names would be a top priority in the future. Dawn will be thrilled.

“There are also many power-boosting special statuses that the HEAVENLY DAO recognizes. You should study them later.”

“Can you provide an example?” Silver asked.

“The ‘sole survivor’” Wise answered unexpectedly. “The last living member of a clearly defined group.”

That’s dire. At the table’s end, Simon had gone rigid. I understand the feeling. Since Wise rarely spoke up, it could be unnerving when he did. Sometimes his foresight-driven comments hit close to home.

“Correct.” Simon eventually said. “Anyway, at the pinnacle of all this is the path to immortality. Once someone has sufficiently impressed the HEAVENLY DAO, their names are inscribed on the Wall of Legends, and they’re granted eternal youth, the rarest prize.” And our current goal.

“What else to mention?” Simon reflected briefly. “Ah yes, probability. It’s statically proven that the ‘boring’ die first. If a boulder falls on a crowd, you’ll find the least exciting person under it.”

Which one of us would it land on? Probably not Dawn, Silver, Wise, Free, or Light. That left her, Soul, and Hope. It could be me… Wait, why am I fretting over this?

“Doesn’t that make people act strange?” Silver asked.

“Life threatening events aren’t common so most don’t find it worth changing their persona. However, on the battlefield, where instant death events like bullets are flying, bizarre behavior is common. Maintaining discipline in wartime can be taxing.”

Hope raised her hand, “What’s a bullet?”

Simon gave Rose a look. “We know what they are.” She answered quickly. “We’ve some recent works.”

Reassured, Simon faced Hope, “Let’s just say we’ve come a long way since the Dark Age. Think of bullets as something like arrows, fired by a weapon called a gun.”

“I’m not sure what that is, but please continue.” Hope said. She must study more.

“Random occurrences skew towards the extreme. For instance, experiments on soul manipulation have an uncanny tendency to produce ‘complete monsters’. By the way, not only is this another special status, it’s one of the strongest. Many of history’s greatest villains were created in such a fashion.”

“Why go to such lengths?” Free interrupted. “If it wants ‘complete monsters’, why not just make them? Indirect methods seem inefficient.“

“Imagine you’re reading a book, and the climax is a stray bolt of lightning killing the antagonist. Is that satisfying?” Simon asked.

“No, it isn’t.” Free replied pensively. “I see what you’re getting at. The process matters, not only the result.”

“Exactly. ‘Complete monsters’ can’t appear from thin air. There’d be no meaning in that. It’s the same with happy endings. They must be earned. The ‘integrity of the story’ is sacred. The HEAVENLY DAO may tilt the playing field, but it doesn’t control the outcomes. Heroes die, and villains sometimes win.”

“Now let’s proceed to an aspect concerning the Dark Age. While appearing a force of chaos, in reality the HEAVENLY DAO values its sources of entertainment. It might allow several nations to fall as part of a compelling story line, but not a continent. Absent rare exceptions, such as war between global powers, widespread loss of life seldom happens. ‘Dull’ calamities, like pandemics, are prevented entirely. In the big picture, it ensures normalcy.”

“When the Dark Age began, Sola convinced the HEAVENLY DAO to reverse this protection, switching its preference to ‘tragedy’. Rather than discouraging negative results, it amplified them.”

“Nothing spotlights this better than the blue-backed spiders of Arguen.” Simon paused for effect, “These giant arthropods ‘evolved’ in the Arguen forest, proliferating prodigiously, and soon everyone was avoiding the no-go area. Close by were several villages. You’d think it madness to live next to man-eating arachnids, but at the time people took their safety for granted.”

“Once the Dark Age began, blue-backed spiders migrated out in large numbers, and the villages were overrun. Tales from survivors were horrific. This situation was worsened by the inaction of regional authorities, who didn’t yet appreciate the new paradigm they were operating under. So the blue-backed spiders moved on to the larger towns and multiplied. By the time they marched on major cities, their numbers were unstoppable. Half a continent was consumed before Enera rallied to exterminate the monsters.”

“During a Dark Age, everything that can go wrong will. If an ancient evil is sealed away, it’ll break free. If a nightmarish beast has slept for centuries, it’ll wake. Any disaster, even the end of life, is possible. That’s why the seven are so celebrated. They ended this period.”

That was worse than expected… Simon’s narrative clashed with the rosier picture Astra had painted. Well, they were bedtime stories for children. Certain details must’ve been omitted. Rose felt she knew less.

And those blue-backed spiders… She’d seen arachnids before. Or at least something similar. Free went through a phase where she made bugs, an experiment at creation. Astra put a halt to it, but a few still crawled the gardens below. Rose tried imagining giant versions of these, and a chill went down her spine. Nothing should be that repulsive.

“With that done, it’s time——” Simon began.

“Could you tell us about the Fracturing?” Hope spoke up. “I’d really like to hear how everything ended.”

“Astra shies away from the topic because of what happened to Ethan and Jenna.” Soul explained.

“It’d be nice to learn how our uncle died.” Dawn added.

“For my part, I’m keen on the reshaping of the Enera.” Free chimed in. Figures that’d fascinate her most.

Looking at the eager faces, Simon sighed, “I suppose that’s fine.”

“Towards the end, the tides had turned. The undead hordes were shrinking. Hate and Fear had been defeated. Only the avatar of Despair, the Dread Knight Byron, and Sola herself remained. People were optimistic.”

The Dark Gods who fought mother… Those entities were born from negative emotions in the Ether. Under the right conditions, they could possess and merge with a human host.

“It’s then the hero Nero Ebonwood issued a warning. He foresaw volcanic eruptions rending the Earth. It remained the same no matter where he looked. Across every future, he witnessed the world dying.”

“Suspicions turned to Sola. On the planes of Kazar, she’d begun assembling a spell to fracture Enera’s crust into a million pieces. Ash would block out the sun, and the sea would boil. Life would be wiped out.”

“Everyone despaired. Victory was months away, yet Sola’s magic would be unleashed in weeks. Disrupting it was impossible.”

“That was when Jenna stepped in. As an enchantress, she had a special relation with the HEAVENLY DAO and understood how to appeal to it. Where the others saw hopelessness, she saw opportunity. Sola’s spell was self-sacrificing in nature, using herself and her army as fuel. If humanity survived, the Dark Age would be over.”

“With this in mind, she made a proposal to the god. They’d let Sola activate her magic and then co-opt the result by restructuring the planet’s gravitational fields. The HEAVENLY DAO would then reshape the world as it saw fit. With this promise as bait, the deity accepted, and construction began on the Pillar of Enera.”

“Jenna designed the interior while the HEAVENLY DAO assembled the exterior. All remaining resources were poured into the project. Legendary artifacts were collected, and ancient monuments were disassembled. All the offerings disappeared into a pillar of light piercing the sky.”

“Fortunately, it was ready in time. Sola complete her own preparations shortly after, launching a final all-out attack.”

“Defending this onslaught would prove challenging. Nero had predicted that Kain, despair’s host, would be at his strongest. Together with his endless stamina, he threatened to outlast them. To counter this, Nero, Arther, Barsal, and Astra would defeat him together, while Lily halted enemy forces. This left Ethan to face the Dread Knight alone.”

“Byron had appeared out of nowhere in the Dark Age’s final stages. Before his threat was understood, he slew many of our toughest immortals. The only one who could match him was Ethan, yet even he’d eventually required assistance. Sadly, for the final battle, this wasn't an option.”

“Simply stalling the Dread Knight wasn’t enough. Sola had imbued his great sword with such power that it’d threaten the pillar even after its activation. So Ethan lured him to a valley, and Jenna later used the pillar to fold the mountains around them, trapping both inside. Seals were applied to prevent anything from getting out.”

“When her attack was repelled, Sola cast her magic. Jenna activated the Pillar, and the HEAVENLY DAO lifted the broken surface. The top few miles of the old Earth now orbit at low altitude. Below, the molten rock has cooled and solidified, forming an unstable second crust. That’s how our ‘Earth’ was renamed ‘Enera’.”

“I don’t doubt you,” Hope said, “but it’s tough to imagine.”

Simon smiled, “Not surprising. You’ve lived on the largest intact land mass leftover. Most of the destruction was aimed elsewhere, and the Black Citadel countered the rest, leaving the arctic shelf undamaged. While it may be all you’ve known, a place with solid ground stretching to the horizon is a sight most have never seen.”

“And Jenna died during the Fracturing?” Light asked.

“That’s right.” Simon confirmed.

Just as Sola’s spell had demanded tribute, so too had the Pillar. The others only found out later. Astra’s still bitter.

“The oceans are also suspended, right? How does that work?” Free asked a nonplussed Simon.

“Our library has nothing in-depth on Enera’s formation.” Rose added. It’s nice to see someone else frustrated.

“I see.” Simon said tiredly. “The oceans are indeed levitated. To sustaining life, the HEAVENLY DAO created a separate gravitation system for liquids. Depending on where you are, water can fall upwards, sideways, or downward. While it mostly rains normally, the runoff is gathered in ‘skyrivers’ which flow back to the Blue Abyss. In other places, it gets more complicated.”

“When remaking Enera, broken continents in the sky were just the start. Leveraging the vast new subterranean space, the deity fashioned light funnels, whirlwinds of shadows stretching to the heavens. They gather sunlight and transport it underground, where they ‘bloom’. Thousands of ecosystems exist deep below the surface.”

“In depopulated regions, The HEAVENLY DAO went even wilder, fashioning ‘Twisted Lands’. Gravity there is so warped airships can’t fly. They’re hard to properly describe, so you’ll have to witness them yourselves.”

Our share shrunk. Enera was loosely divided in three zones: civilized lands, the dangerous frontiers beyond, and the lethal outer wilds. In the Blue Abyss and the Green Hell, wreckages and bones are the only traces of man.

“I don’t understand.” Free said. “Simply lifting up the crust shouldn’t have been enough. The molten surface would’ve still exploded, searing ash traveling up and cooking everything. Or at least that’s how I envision it…” Free gave her most innocent expression. “Could you outline everything in detail?”

Simon returned the smile, “Myriads of texts have been written on the subject. I suggest you pick one up. For now, know that the HEAVENLY DAO used the oceans to absorb and transfer the heat to space.”

He rose, “That will have to suffice. I must speak with Astra.”

Rose watched him depart, not close to satisfied. Maybe I’ll cross-examine Wise and see what I can learn.