The destroyed fortress of the Titan order was a scattered mess of broken bricks and displaced stones, looking more like something had detonated from within its walls. Moyo as well as Samantha and Annika found themselves within the rubble, staring at the large circular rune work that lay beneath their feet. Looking like a stone sculptor had actually chiseled the runes into the very ground itself, the crater bore witness to power untapped as Moyo felt the slumbering power of the runic work, crouching as he stared at it, his fingers brushing over it.

He withdrew his touch, aware of the short jolt he had just felt running through his mind and what it meant. As fast as lightning, he severed the connection before it truly linked him and Azael, his masters nodding at Ashira who opened a pathway next to them, appearing as she nodded back and turned to him. He stood straight.

“Marthas’ words were true, tell me again what you did to it?” Moyo asked Samantha.

“She wanted it shielded with your aspect, now that I think of it in hindsight, it was probably to mask its nature from the reaper” the queen of the Hexenblades replied.

He nodded, turning back to the circle as he spoke.

“Inform Boyle that he can begin mass productions, throw open the vaults of the house for materials, drain it dry if the need arises, I need to meet with the primordials,” Moyo said.

Annika nodded, disappearing in a thunderclap as Samantha passed through a pathway, leaving Moyo with Ashira. The Chimera was at his side, putting him into a tight hug as he hugged her back.

“Feeling better?’ she asked.

“I’ll live” he replied softly.

She nodded, wiping a tear from her teal green eyes.

“Everyone keeps saying the same thing you know,” she said.

“That you needed to deal with the pain alone, to understand what it meant” she added.

Moyo nodded.

“They were right, I couldn’t crush my way through this pain, it was a lesson, one I should had seen coming” he said.

“no one could have anticipated what the reaper did” Ashira argued.

Moyo shrugged.

“Maybe, but it was naïve of me to think the reaper wouldn’t come for one of my closest friends and families, he could have come for you instead” Moyo replied.

Ashira nodded reluctantly.

“True, perhaps he weighed the odds of you not coming straight at him in that moment to be next to impossible,” Ashira said softly again.

Moyo sighed, nodding as a shadow fell over them within the crater they were in, the both of them turning up to see Josh standing respectfully.

“The primordials are gathered, along with the ancients,” he said softly.

Moyo nodded, the mithril warden vanishing just as quickly as he arrived.

“The spiders still won’t show up?” Ashira asked.

The hands of Anansi had retreated to their home world of trellis, insisting that those were the final orders of Martha. Of course, Moyo could recall them back, he was the head of the house, but whatever plans Martha had, had included the spiders staying away from the final battle, and he had to respect it.

“Indeed, but I hear all is well there, best we leave them to their ways, I should hope the war doesn’t become so desperate that we need the spiders to throw in as well” Moyo replied with a frown.

He heard the heavy thrum of a vessel as it shadowed them again, this time, bearing the crest of the hammers, Boyle coming to secure the runic platform. A short excavation and the platform being raised would prepare it for what Moyo had in mind. Watching as large Aserite beams were impaled into the grounds around the inscription, his aspect running through them at full power. He gave a thumbs up to the hammer clan member driving the vessel who bowed hastily back at him.

“let’s go meet your father and his faction” Moyo said.

“When you say it like that” Ashira replied sighing.

They left the cavern behind, paying no attention to the hundreds of vessels that flew over them, their destinations being the area around the inscription, work already in progress. Boyle had promised him it would take the better of two days, meaning it would cut close to when the reaper had already begun his invasion of the citadel. He trusted its defenders, if they couldn’t hold the citadel long enough for him to come and implement the plan, then they weren’t worthy of holding the titles of the Archailect’s strongest.

His Shieldborne falling in line behind him, he paid notice to the new members, those that had somehow survived the battle with both the abyss and chaos, lucky enough not to be in the throne room or around the palace grounds for that matter. They marched behind him silently, their armor a work of art, made by Boyle himself at the behest of Josh, their leader. Aserite, forged into chest pieces, gauntlets, helmets, and greaves, leaving nothing but a glowing yellow line where their eyes should be.

Josh assured him they could see well enough, the helmet linked to their Hud’s in fact, a project Boyle had been working on. He was neither one to complain, If it suited them then fine, besides, it was Aserite, he had created an entire continent of the metal to be mined, the dwarves of the Archailect’s’ financial consortium pleading with him to allow them access to it at a discounted price of a thousand diamond coins per ounce. Those beings literally created the coins of the Archailect, a never-ending source even as Moyo watched the coffers of the house go from being halved due to the amount of resources Boyle kept buying from the barely working system to overflowing.

One thing he knew, if they survived this war, house Titan Blade could very well be one of the wealthiest houses of the entire Archailect, and that was him being humble. Money meant nothing to him, and neither did power at this stage, he had accumulated everything, but to those under him, it could mean everything. He wanted to ensure every member of his house going to war was encased in the metal from head to toe, heck, even their weapons would be made of the same substance, he would make it so cheap, that every force in the Archailect could have a shard of the metal that allowed them to take the fight to the reaper himself.

It was why the blacksmiths of the Archailect had begun working all day and night, the smashing sounds of metal works ringing across the world, runic works empowered by his aspect being infused into hundreds of thousands of weapons. It drew deeply into his aspect, but it was nothing more than an afterthought at this stage. Reaching the palace doors, the Shieldborne bowed, standing still as he passed through, walking along with Ashira, the hallways empty as their footsteps made itself known, staring at the seated powers in front.

They occupied the same seats his house’s powers had sat a few hours ago, their very presence pushing against his aspect. He stared into their eyes, Typhon Kairos, Tiamat Kairos, sun Wukong, Viaris Khemet, Tengoku Junzo, Ardos the Thunderer, Altair Thousandblades, Raye Garuda, Thorian diamond warrior, Ernesh, and Iteq. The pure powers of the Archailect that still fought outside the citadel and in the archailect at large, left the head chair for him out of courtesy, it was his home after all.

Taking his seat, he released a breath.

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“Thank you all, for honoring my call” he started.

“It is only proper we heed the call of the transcendent with the last refuge of the Archailect” Iteq said, his mechanical features healed.

Moyo shook his head.

“No, I refuse to believe my system is the last one standing” Moyo replied.

“Whatever the case may be, if there are pockets of resistance, then they are on their own” Wukong said.

“Chaos shrouds this system and your aspect is the one thing holding it from seeping in” the sage added.

“True, but we can only look forward, towards the citadel, isn’t that right, Titan Blade?’ Typhon asked.

Moyo turned his gaze to the king of monsters, inclining his head respectfully.

“Indeed, and I believe I might have a way for us to navigate to the citadel’ Moyo said.

“So, the rumors were true?, you have found a way to the citadel itself?” Ernesh asked, eyes wide.

Moyo turned to the former harbinger, stripped of his authority as a voice of Liakya, he wondered how disgraceful the feeling must have been, to at one point be at the top of the Archailect but relegated to an honorary guest within their gathering.

“Yes, I believe one of my people, the late Martha, the spider had solved it before my return” Moyo replied.

“How did a mere master figure out the path to the citadel?” Viaris asked.

“The secrets of my house will remain that, secrets, but I believe she was one of those you call oracles, yes?” Moyo asked.

The primordials hid their surprise well.

“Figures, an oracle would appear within the house of one of the strongest beings in the cosmos” Tiamat said.

“so this route, is it a pathway of some sort?’ Ardos asked, the thunderer speaking up for the first time.

“Of some sort, I believe my title as transcendent and aether blessed played a few roles in allowing me to find a way, i believe it is a path thrown down by Lotes herself,” Moyo said.

“of course, from the beginning, the supreme of aether had always favored you,” Ernesh said with a sigh.

The others ignored him.

“So, what are we waiting for?” Raye asked.

“The pathway can only be opened once, meaning, the moment Azael notices its entrance, he would do his best to tear it down, we simply can’t rush through” Moyo said.

“And then there’s the fact that I have to power it, the moment my aspect cuts off, it gets destroyed, we can’t afford that till the bulk of our forces pass through” Moyo added.

“a few ships and we’d be through it,” Typhon said.

Moyo shook his head.

“No, we’re going all in, everything” he said.

The primordials and ancients took the meaning in.

“You can’t be serious” Typhon said frowning.

“Oh, you can bet he is” Ashira said with a smile.

“You want to throw everything in?” Viaris asked, eyes wide.

Moyo nodded.

“Yes, this is the battle for the very survival of the Archailect, and for my plan to work it has to be that way” Moyo replied.

“And this plan, what does it entail?” Thorian asked, looking interested.

“I cannot divulge, better no one knows” Moyo said.

“By the Archailect, you intend to sacrifice yourself again?, don’t you get tired of dying?” Typhon asked as they all chuckled.

“Nothing of sorts, believe me, I’ve died too many a times to want to test it again” Moyo replied.

Ashira gripped his hand, squeezing it as he nodded at her.

“Good, we do this together” she whispered.

“wouldn’t have it any other way” he replied smiling.

“Just in case he decided to do the whole noble thing and sacrifice himself, do ensure you have his seed within you” Tiamat said to Ashira as she grew red.

“We can’t afford his bloodline to die off” she added as Ashira boiled, the primordials laughing.

Moyo stared at all of them, watching them as he spoke.

“It has come to my attention, that a few of my closest allies within this circle seek to use me or what I stand for to begin a new dawn for the Archailect,” he said, drawing all attention to himself as they relapsed into silence.

“that’s a bold claim for one so young” Typhon said, all traces of mirth wiped from his face.

” I’m not sure if I should feel honored or tired, but I want to make something clear,” he said.

Altair reclined on his seat, folding his arms as he stared at Moyo, a smile dancing on his face.

“Whatever the outcome of this battle, if we die, then we go down fighting” he said.

“If we live though, and the Archailect gets to see another millennium, best believe me that I want no part in whatever power play would begin again” he said.

“So please, I’m not sure what your plans are, but count me out” he finished.

Wukong chuckled.

“Have no fear titan” Typhon said.

“We do not have any nefarious plans in mind, you can lay it to rest” Typhon added.

Moyo nodded, Altair nodding at him, the house of Thousandblades would forever side with him, that was cemented. He sighed.

“Good, now that the issue has been dealt with, I’ll leave you all to arming your forces, we leave in two days, the battle of the citadel will have started, and we’ll be cutting it close,” he said.

That said, the meeting of the powers was concluded, and the thrums of vessels passing overhead echoed as Moyo removed his aspect that prevented anyone from spying on them, watching as they left one by one. He watched Typhon and Altair walk up to him.

“a transcendent in the flesh” Altair said.

Moyo smiled.

“No difference if you ask me” Moyo replied.

“Says the being powering an entire system on his aspect and aether,” Typhon said as they chuckled.

“It doesn’t matter though, this is the finale of this whole period, the end of an era, either we win or we lose, there are no middle grounds” Altair said.

“Indeed,” Moyo said softly.

“We want you to know you aren’t doing this alone” Altair said.

“You didn’t start this war; it isn’t fair that the end weighs on your shoulders alone” Typhon added.

“Plus, the battle would take lives from all sides, you cannot save everyone Moyo, you must have realized that now,” Altair said.

Moyo raised one hand.

“Yes, yes I know, believe me, the survival of the fittest and all that” he said as they chuckled.

A few words later Moyo watched them go, the room emptying as Augustus and the maids made their way towards him, the butler bowing to him.

“Stop that Augustus” Moyo said as the butler smiled in a fatherly manner.

“It is good to see you smiling again my lord” he said as Moyo nodded, watching Ashira walking back to him.

“Is it ready?” he whispered.

The butler nodded mischievously.

“All parties have been notified and are done with their preparations; they await your signal,” Augustus said.

“Thank you, I could only wish she were here to see it” Moyo said.

Augustus nodded, bowing again, before stepping backward as Ashira caught up to him.

“What was that about?” she asked.

“a little house issue, nothing more” he replied.

They made their way to the palace grounds itself, Moyo idly watching the bustling of the planet pass him by.

“Feels like the true prelude to the storm” Ashira said.

Moyo nodded.

“Indeed, so much to do but so little time” Moyo replied.

She held his hand.

“You look so glum, you have us all” she said.

“Masters Killian- “

“rulers” Moyo corrected gently as she paused, frowning.

“Oh my, rulers, feels weird saying it,” Ashira said as Moyo chuckled.

“Rulers Killian, Duval, Skatha, I, and all the allies you’ve made along the way,” she said with a smile.

He nodded, feeling his stomach tie up in knots.

“Do you ever think of what we’d do after the war?” he asked.

She glanced at him.

“I mean, it’s a big stretch, but when all this is done with, what next for us?’ he said, trying his best to sound nonchalant.

“Rebuild the Archailect, I thought that would be obvious,” Ashira said confused.

“Oh, true, but I mean us” Moyo pressed.

Her eyebrows raised up.

“Oh, you mean the both of us” she asked.

“yes”

“Like me and you?”

“obviously,” Moyo said sighing as she giggled.

“Relax, I’m just pulling your legs” she said as he rolled his eyes.

She sighed.

“No idea, perhaps tour what’s left of the Archailect?, take that much needed rest, make a family” she said.

Moyo choked.

“a family?” he echoed.

“Now who’s echoing our words?” Ashira teased as Moyo chuckled nervously.

“Yes, I mean, I’d love that,” he said softly.

She turned to him, a smile on her lips.

“Then we’d best survive this battle” she said.

Moyo turned to her, blinking nervously.

“Well, I thought this would go better in my head” he said.

“What would?” Ashira asked.

He sighed, going to his knees.

“Ashira, I, well, wow, this is harder than I thought” he mumbled.

“Is something wrong with your legs?” Ashira asked.

“No, why?” Moyo sputtered.

“Well why are you kneeling?” she asked, glancing around.

He sighed.

“Marry me” he said.

She turned to him, cocking her head.

“What?” she said.

“By the Archailect woman, just, marry me” he said.

“Did my father put you up to this?” she asked as Moyo sighed,

“of course not!” he protested.

She stared at his hand where a ring had somehow manifested, its golden band cradling a shining diamond that gleamed under the light of the sun. She stared at him and then back to the ring.

“You really are serious” she said, her voice breaking down to a whisper as she stared at it with wide eyes.

Moyo rolled his eyes.

“Yes I am, now would you please take the ring, I’m a bit uncomfortable in this position,” he said with a smile.

Ashira laughed, wiping her eyes as she took it, her hair undulating through the air as she nodded, hugging him. Moyo smiled snapping his fingers, reality shimmering to reveal the hundreds gathered around them in silence.

Ajax at a corner, biting his lips as his shoulders shook with laughter and tears in his eyes, Fiona at his side slapping his head while shaking hers. The entirety of house Titan Blade watched them as the entire crowd broke out in a roar, startling her. Typhon and Tiamat floated above, their masters beside them as Wukong seemed to be wiping his eyes, Eogan patting his shoulder with exasperation on his face.

The rest of the day was festivity across the system, entire planets joining the celebrations as millions made merry, enjoying what little respite they had, aware that in a day, this would be the last ounce of joy they would see, and for some of them, the last time they would be together with their loved ones.