The sky fortress played hosts to six beings of immense powers, albeit some superior than others. The titan blade, master primordial stood to one side, making sure to keep the rest within sight, not that it would do him any good should they move, not against forces of the archailect like these were. While the vice leader of the dragons’ brigade, the leader, the thousand blades and the cosmic dragon were all beings of note, it was his master that made him wary, a ruler who was relaxed like this in front of these sort of monsters was worthy of caution, it meant they either they had a trump card up their sleeves or they could care less if they died.

Moyo couldn’t well say he knew his master as much as he would had liked to have said, but he knew enough to tell that Ajax wasn’t suicidal, whatever plan he had, he definitely had factored in powerful beings turning up. This war was waged on four fronts at the same time, four galaxies and yet the bulk of the powers decided to follow the forces of fleet thousand blades and the campaign of system Molrik. He glanced at Altair who had a furrowed look on his face, their eyes met and Moyo saw the question in it,

Did you know?

Moyo subtly shook his head, the thousand blades acknowledging it before Xerxes levelled his blade at the throat of Ajax, Moyo tightening his grip on dominion as tania glanced at him warningly, either he stayed down or Xerxes turned whatever fury he had towards Ajax at him. Moyo relaxed a fraction, keenly aware of the boiling power in the room, Eses calmly reclining on the wall, her arms crossed as she watched the events playing out with amusement,

“Ajax death blade, no, omega blade, you have broken the oath you swore in front of I and the archailect” Xerxes started as Moyo’s eyes bulged,

“How you’re not a writhing mess on the ground, I have no idea, but you will explain yourself and face judgement” he said,

Ajax reclined on the throne, tapping one finger on the armrest with not a single care in the world, he glanced at Altair who had his blade drawn,

“You heard the Tarrengazer, speak” Altair said, his voice carrying the sharp edge of the blade,

“The oath specified I never advanced till I have not a single shred of hatred for the archailect, that I not teach my path to anyone, that the clan of the reaper exist with only one member alive at all times” Ajax said calmly, but Moyo could hear the boiling rage with each word he said,

Opening his palms out, he spoke,

“Here I am, without a shred of malice, without a disciple on the path of the reaper despite having the chance, and the clan of the reaper nothing but a smoking ruin till date” he completed,

No one had missed the fraction when his eyes had connected with the titan blades’, leaving them to start contemplating what it meant, Moyo however remained stoic as ever,

“you’d have us believe you bear no ill will to the archailect, that your heart and mind are free of revenge against the archailect?’ tania asked, her voice conveying the doubt within her words,

Ajax shrugged as he placed two fingers on the blade of Xerxes, a sizzling sound coming from the contact like ice and a hot metal coming in contact. He pushed the blade away,

“Despite your distrust and misgivings of me, let’s just say I’ve attained clarity, enlightenment if you will” he started,

“I bear no ill will with the archailect, I have followed your rules and have spent my allotted time under the thousand blades, serving with nothing but loyalty and have now ascended to the rank of ruler, I believe I deserve some respect” he finished with a smile,

“Except you somehow circumvented the rules of the ban against wielding the powers of chaos” Eses said as she stared at her nails,

Moyo wasn’t fooled by her relaxed posture, she could spring at any moment, her power wiping out the sky fortress and any forces of the archailect within it, he wasn’t even sure his aspect could shield him from such tectonic blast of power the likes of which the cosmic dragon could unleash should she will it. Chaos, the unspoken taboo Moyo could somehow feel in his bones, the avoided power that weighed heavily in the room,

Ajax sighed,

“I simply felt my core resonating with something and I grasped it, perhaps this should had been public knowledge, hmm?” he said in response,

“or would you lock me up the way you locked the grim, once again handing me over to the Dracons and their sadistic tendencies, or would you strike me down yourself Xerxes sun-burner?” he asked as the black blade began to shudder,

“Because believe me when I tell you I won’t go down easily, I have come too far and sacrificed too much to let you people deign to cut me short, if I have to go through each and every one you I would” he finished the threat hanging in the air as his eyes began to glow again, the same pitch black color with some sort of luminous power within,

Eses sighed as she stood up straight,

“You have no idea what you have just done hatchling” she said,

“There are reasons the supreme beings sealed away the power of chaos, and you just gave it a path straight into the archailect, I care not what your plans are for the dynasty of my offsprings, those disappointments could be wiped out for all I care” she continued,

“what I care about are the innumerable countless trillions upon trillions that call the archailect home, with their petty squabbles and jostle for power, unaware of the greater game being played above their heads, a game mind you, that ensures the survival of all those souls” she said as she strolled closer to Ajax,

“should your actions directly or indirectly jeopardize what I have spent eons trying to protect, not even your newfound power fuelled by chaos itself would save you” she finished with a smile as her irises turned frigid white and Moyo felt the same unravelling aspect of chaos settle on the room, this time not from Ajax but from the cosmic dragon herself who grinned back at Ajax,

“Well well, surprises” Ajax murmured, surprise etched on his face at the blatant display of the aspect of chaos used by Eses,

With that said Eses stepped back,

“I’m leaving for the system of the defiler, the council is being spread out as it should be, I hope there’s still a system to come back to” she said as reality tore open, a pathway swirling as she stepped through before closing seamlessly behind her,

Ajax glanced at the rest of them,

“It is usually considered a breach of contract for one to ascend so suddenly when under the house of another, an emissary no less Ajax” Altair said,

Ajax gave an apologetic half bow,

“It was not my intent to do such, circumstances however pushed my hands to ascend, I’m not ungrateful for all you’ve done, and I hereby pledge whatever house I manage to grow as an ally for whatever cause you intend” he said formerly,

Moyo heard the gong, felt the weight of the oath settle between the omega blade and the thousand blades, Xerxes grunted,

“I could care less about this bond of yours, you’ve always blatantly broken the rules Ajax, you’re not special” Xerxes said,

Ajax turned to Xerxes,

“I could care less, the archailect found my acts justifiable, not even you can go against the wishes of your…. handlers” he said,

Xerxes narrowed his eyes at Ajax, walking closer till they stood as close as possible,

“One step out of line” he started,

“One single act of betrayal, please, and watch me crush you like an insignificant pest, you think I’m nothing without the path of the sun-burner?” he asked,

Suddenly the flame that echoed around Xerxes dropped to reveal a power close in strength to that of the path of the sun-burning dragon, one of smoke and burning embers that glittered with intent and mana. Moyo stared wide eyes as an ashy mantle covered his body, a large sickle appearing behind him,

“Xerxes” tania said cautiously,

“The house of Tarrengazer has put down errant ascenders for over ten centuries, we have once stood as jades, stood as fringe walkers, went toe to toe with harbingers and emissaries, I have put down more would be conquerors than I can count, I will not let the stain of your bloodline cover the archailect in ashes and agony once again Ajax omega blade” he growled,

Ajax smiled wider, Moyo slamming his mantle all over his body, aspect covering him in a protective bubble as layers upon layers slammed in place over him. He knew that smile, he dreaded that smile and he’d be damned if he stood and became a helpless victim of whatever was about to break out. The mantle of the omega blade, the oily tattered cloak covered the body of Ajax as a bleached white skull covered his face and he gripped his oily blade,

“I applaud you willpower o great Xerxes, chosen of Lotes, son of house Tarrengazer, but I am Ajax omega blade, son of a worthy swordsman whose path and true name has been abolished from reality, whose righteousness shines forth even through me and whose legacy I would redeem or spend my life trying to” he said as power built, reality fracturing as they somehow landed in the nethervoid,

“My goal is to fight for what is rightfully mine, by any means possible, I could care less for your creed or family glory, I only care for doing what is right. Should you step in my way Xerxes sun-burner, well” Ajax said, leaving the words unspoken,

“ENOUGH!” Altair said, his power reverberating between Ajax and Xerxes, pushing them backwards a bit,

Moyo glanced at Altair, realizing his legs were shaking. The thousand blades pointed in the distance,

“Out there is our true foe, the one after the end of all life as we know it in the archailect, and yet, here you all are, bickering like acolytes for scraps of power and bragging rights” he growled,

He turned to Ajax,

“You want to prove the innocence of your father despite the overwhelming evidence and history behind his actions, then do so by taking the fight to the enemy, not make new ones where potential allies could be made” he said,

He glanced at Xerxes,

“And you, Tarrengazer, you know better than this, you lead one of the strongest forces of the archailect, you of all people should know the potential of adding to the strength of the archailect” he chastised as Xerxes simply raised an eyebrow,

Moyo wasn’t sure if it was in blatant surprise at the nerve of Altair, the thousand blades continued,

“Soon enough we’d go back to the domestic squabbles we have, but until then this foe better be eradicated or by the supreme beings themselves, there’d be nothing left for us to go back to, assuming we survive ourselves anyways” he finished,

“I leave you all to organize my fleet, titan blade, I believe your planetary forces would need, you” he said,

“The losses we encountered here today were significant, nothing we do can bring back the dead, the best we can do is honour their memories. Ruler Ajax, perhaps you could drop in to say goodbye to the other masters sometime soon” he finished as Ajax nodded,

With a flick of his finger, a pathway of swirling blue opened up like a cut had been made in the fabric of reality itself, Altair passing through. With the thousand blades gone, Xerxes flicked his hand, his blade disappearing and along with it the subtle feeling of power that sat over them, Moyo hadn’t even noticed it and he couldn’t put a specific rank on it, for it felt like all ranks and he wasn’t sure he could see through the power that watched through it, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to, already having an idea of who it might had been.

Xerxes stepped backwards, opening a little container and picking a leaf out of it, putting it into his mouth as he chewed thoughtfully on it,

“You seem to think the entire archailect is against you Ajax” he said as he had evidently calmed down,

“You think there’s some conspiracy against your clan, but you’re blind to the truth, even after all these years you still carry the same awe a child has for their father” he continued,

“But heed my words omega blade, you’re far from the power you think you are, you cannot take on the might of the entire archailect and surely as this path will lead you down the path of ruination, I hope you don’t drag innocents along with you” he finished, his eyes flicking towards Moyo before turning as a pathway blazed open, Xerxes passing through followed closely by tania who pursed, staring at him for a brief few seconds before passing through.

Immediately a sense of calm came across room, the vacuum created by the absence of the monstrous powers that had congregated brought a sense of safety Moyo hadn’t realized he needed. He took a deep breath as his HUD pinged, opening it,

Notice: skill: ferocity of oshosi +50 for maintaining awareness among higher powers.

Moyo closed it, wondering when the archailect began giving out rewards for things like that, not that he was happy with the label of higher powers, but he admitted it was true. Primordial that he was, he was nowhere near the level of strength the others had, for all purposes he was a glorified master, more like one sipping the archailect juice for all he knew.

Ajax sat wearily on his throne, the room beginning to rearrange itself as Moyo stared at him, moving subtly out of the way as the ship rearranged itself to the wordless command of the omega blade. Another throne similar to that of Ajax appearing out of nowhere,

“it’s not your favourite colour, but it’s the best I could do on such short notice” he said, his voice sounding tired,

Moyo sat, feeling the silent but terrifying power of Ajax course through the throne,

“What just happened?’ he asked silently,

Ajax glanced at him,

“you’re a master now Moyo, you should had heard a few things about me, known a few things about the history of the archailect” Ajax replied,

Moyo shrugged,

“I’ve heard a few things” he confessed,

“But I’d like to hear your part also, can’t judge a story from one side now, can I?” he replied bluntly,

Ajax stared at him, a sad smile on his face before nodding, the mantle fading away, leaving him in his dark robe with the insignia of house thousand blades on its left breast side. He frowned, ripping the insignia away as it floated to the ground. His eyes having a far away look as he tapped one finger on his throne, Krial his formerly golden and black sword with chains linking it to his hand now floated wordlessly next to him.

He turned back to Moyo,

“My name is Ajax, as for my last name, well, it’s been wiped from existence, as well as the name of my father” he started,

Moyo frowned,

“I thought he was known as- “

“The grim, garda grim if what you’re about to ask is something of an alias, a name given to my father after his incarceration within the nest” Ajax replied cutting in,

“we were once a proud and noble sect that grew into a clan, a power to behold even as we held our system safe from whatever threats attempted to infiltrate us” he said with such fervour and smile that Moyo could feel the ache coming from him,

“And then we lost it all, something happened to my father during one of his sojourns away from our system, something dark and I believe the powers that be know about it, but what returned was not my father” Ajax growled,

“What do you mean?” Moyo asked, confused,

“My father defended an entire city with nothing but a broken blade as an advocate, he fought until he broke through during the calamity of our world, an old system of planets we resided in before we grew to prominence” Ajax said,

“He fought the terror beasts of the neighbouring planet as an iron ranker, all without collecting a single coin, he fought simply for the joy of advancing his path and ascension. He was born of steel, of loyalty and of honesty” he said with pride,

“My father was no terror, no killer and he definitely didn’t wipe out systems and the numerous planets attributed to him” he finished,

“So you’re saying what, that the being locked up in the nest is not your father?” Moyo asked confused,

Ajax reluctantly nodded,

“I believe my father is indeed dead, were he not, he’d had made his way back to the archailect from wherever he had gone” Ajax replied,

“I believe something’s wearing my father’s body, I believe he discovered something so big it threatened to shake the current power structure of the archailect, I believe he was killed for it and I believe something took his place” Ajax said,

“don’t you think that’s a little bit too comfortable?” Moyo asked after a few seconds,

Ajax furrowed his eyes,

“In what way?” he replied,

Moyo pursed, phrasing his words very carefully,

“Your dad suddenly goes for a few years if I’m guessing and then returns with these abyssal powers of destruction and you thinking there’s a conspiracy behind it, no one is infallible Ajax” he said,

Ajax sighed, shaking his head slowly,

“You don’t believe me” he said softly,

Moyo sat forward,

“Nothing would give me great honour than to dig to the bottom of this issue with you, but I’m speaking not from a place of emotion like you’re currently doing but as someone genuinely invested in finding out the truth either way it goes” he said,

“I want you to open yourself up to the possibility that while your theory may had been right, it could as well go the other way around” he said,

Ajax stared at him before a genuinely smile broke out of his face,

“you’ve grown Moyo, matured more than I could imagine” he said,

Moyo sat back,

“Warfare would do that to anyone” he replied,

Ajax nodded morosely,

“I was sold to the Dracons like a slab of meat, endured things no child should have to at their hands and when I rebelled, when I saved those pour souls that had been locked up in a place so hellish the life expectancy there were a few days, they were cut down as well” he said as his voice suddenly began to grow colder with steel,

He turned to Moyo,

“Yet they continue to rule, yet they remain favoured by the brigade despite their numerous atrocities” he finished, barely reigning in his anger,

“I cannot imagine what you went through” Moyo said,

“No, you cannot, some nights I slept close to the cold bodies of those that had died in the lava mines due to their bodies not being able to cope, it helped my path though, drew me closer to the path of the reaper, I suppose they did help me in their twisted way” Ajax said bitterly,

“I made a promise to those who died on that world, to that little girl in my arms who died simply because her initiate body couldn’t heal the burns of the lava mines and whose only offense was stealing pieces of food to feed her family” Ajax said,

At this point Moyo stared in shock as his master seemed to be shedding real tears of rage,

“I made a promise to Yona, the pregnant mother who died due to lack of care, I promise you Moyo, I swear it on my soul and honour, house Dracon would pay for what they did, their cities razed and their planets nothing but a floating lifeless crack of rocks in the void of space” he snarled,

Moyo had involuntarily gripped his arm chairs tight, rage coursing through his body, but he calmed himself, allowing rational thoughts to pass through,

“Ajax, listen to me” he said calmly as Ajax whipped his head towards Moyo,

“While I personally would love nothing more than to see that vile house crumble, think about the innocents on those planets that will die along” he said,

“Then they deserve to die!” he roared as he slammed his hand on the throne, a pulse of power going through it as he stood up and the throne exploded into dust,

“every soul who sides with them and lives on their world deserves to die!, I don’t care!” he said, rage in his eyes,

Moyo shook his head,

“there could be better ways about this, we could find a way after this war, no innocent- “

“and let some offshoot of their house grow somewhere in the infinite expanse of space?, is that what you want Moyo?” he asked softly,

Moyo paused taking a deep breath, Ajax chuckling to himself,

“Are you even aware of what would had happened had that dragon taken over your world?” he asked,

“The agent of Dracon on your planet hmm?” he asked,

Moyo slowly shook his head, dreading the answer as Ajax crouched close to him,

“Horrors unspeakable, the men funnelled into their war efforts against houses like Garuda as fodder for their front lines” he growled,

“Your women become nothing more than whores and relief body fleshers as they are called for their troops to use, eat or discard as they like, your children served up as delicacies for those you seek to protect!” he finished, snarling as Moyo visibly glowed with the rage of his aspect,

Ajax nodding,

“yes, that feeling you have?, multiply it by a thousand and you might just understand what I feel whenever I see one of them” he said,

“Their entire society has been modelled after vices, and they remain untouchable due to the single fact that Lotes, the primordial herself bestowed the running of the dungeons to them” he said with distaste in his mouth,

“a vile empire existing as nothing but a taint and through infection in the archailect, and I would take them down, right after I make those motherless bastards known as the abyssal powers pay, now that I have the power” he said softly as Moyo saw a grey aura permeate from his hand, the power of chaos,

Moyo took a deep breath, shuddering as the rage passed through him,

“You want to take on the might of house Dracon by yourself?” he asked quietly,

Ajax stood straight, turning as the command deck had been remodelled back into the image he wanted, all grey walls with a crest, that of a hand grabbing a scythe with a grinning skeleton behind it stood at the far end of the wall,

The reaper,

“there are many who have issues to settle with house Dracon, they will flock to my side when the time is right, that, I assure you” he said,

“The offer is open to you too, if the archailect worked right, then Kenuran would be nothing but a smouldering ash beneath your feet, and yet the insignificant worm lives” he said,

Moyo shook his head,

“I never wanted him dead Ajax, his current condition is perfect, and I cannot join you” he said as he stood, looking his master right in the eye,

“I represent countless millions, I am responsible for their lives, I will not drag them into another war that could last archailect knows how long” he said, raising his hand as his master attempted to talk,

“but when it comes to finding out what happened to your father, I will join you, we will both dig to the bottom of that and hopefully, you’d see that untold billions don’t need to die for your vendetta against a house” he finished,

Ajax remained cold silent, his gaze as steel,

“I wanted to raise you on the path of the reaper he said, perhaps I was right in not letting you do so” he said,

Moyo flinched at the words, but his gaze remained resolute,

“Then I’d be dead, killed for a crime I had no understanding of, besides, the archailect and a higher power changed my path, this, I am sure of” he replied,

Turning as he opened a pathway,

“There are consequences to actions Ajax, far reaching ones and I hope to whatever force is listening that you realize that before it’s too late” he said,

“By all means, take out house Dracon, but when you move against the innocents, beware of the consequences” Moyo finished,

“Is that a threat, disciple of mine?” Ajax asked quietly,

Moyo shook his head sadly,

“No, simply an advice from your disciple, fight well Ajax omega blade, we haven’t won this war just yet” he said as he passed through.

*********************

Ajax sat on his command deck, eyes glazing over the numerous ascenders now dressed in black robes with no crest that worked the controls of the craft now that it no longer had Vesh to guide it. He would hunt the elite of Molrik down, slay the bastard soon enough, but for now he had to gather his forces, the ones he’d been building in silence anyways. A woman walked up to him from behind his throne, bowing at the waist in silence, her pale white skin and red eyes with white hair singling her out to be some sort of evolved humanoid with monster blood in her,

And a diamond ranker also,

“Speak Yona” he said softly,

Yona, the child of the pregnant woman back on that planet, the child he had cut open from her belly, dooming the mother to die as he and the rebels took over their first lava mine, a child he had raised in secret, who had grown in secret and had assembled forces loyal to his cause in secret. There really wasn’t nothing you couldn’t do from the gaze of the brigade, she had grown on the path of the ripping blade, evolving into a ruthless killer far away from him,

And he was proud of her,

“The titan blade has returned to his ship, the last of his forces are returning as we speak” she reported,

Ajax nodded quietly,

“lord, I still recommend- “

“We will not touch him nor his forces” Ajax said, cutting her off,

“But- “

Yona said as a force slammed her right into the ground, groaning,

“When I give an order Yona, you listen, the titan blade is my disciple, my son if you will and although he doesn’t understand just yet the horrors that is Dracon, he will come to in time” he said as she groaned,

Releasing her, he turned to her, his black irises glowing,

“You want to fight my dear Yona?” he asked as she nodded enthusiastically,

“Then let’s go wipe out the abyss on our next target, we draw ever closer to our prey, once he is gone, Dracon will be ours, this, I assure you” he finished as she bowed again, leaving him to stare out of the command deck into space itself.