Divine Apostasy Book 10 - Prologue

[Author's Note - I'm not sure this is the right PoV for the prologue. Usually, that becomes more apparent to me later in the book. So if this changes you are getting a free glimpse into future world building. Similar to what happened with the System quests in the early chapters of book 9. Also, this is a very rough first draft so be prepared. Let me know your thoughts.]

Prologue

Zylkin pulled the nearest shadow around him like a cloak. The shadow covered him and slid over his body, trying to scrape away his life force, but a small pulse of mental energy kept it at bay. The Material Realm echoed here in the Destruction Realm, creating a roiling forest of black spires that erupted suddenly from the darkness before disappearing just as quickly. Dense magics congregated in the Material Realm here which created hundreds of energy streams, thin mercury-like fingers that merged into a river deeper in the Destruction Realm. Thousands of small creatures fed on the abundant liquid power.

As a Prime Shadow Warden Zylkin had a base world, but his authority spanned the Universe, which made the activities here his problem. Many millennia ago, he’d unwisely involved himself with an injustice on his Material Realm planet. He had no business worrying about human affairs and he continued to reap the harvest of those ancient decisions.

No one lived on this world, and Zylkin had only arrived here after following a surge of Dark Priests through the Destruction Realm. To his surprise, he’d found this nest of humans, and even more shocking, a small section of the Destruction Realm spilled in the Material Realm.

Human deities had weakened the barrier of what they called the Shadow Realm, thinning it to the point that one could travel from one Realm to the other without issue. Where they’d learned how to do this, Zylkin didn't know, but he suspected the Dark Priests. The fact the humans powered this working with a level three chakra concerned him as well.

The Destruction Realm contained the remnants of a Radiant Faction, but if any still survived they’d hidden themselves deep within the Realm. Perhaps all the way to the towers themselves, far deeper than Zylkin felt comfortable exploring. Still, finding a dead Radiant and snatching their chakras before the aura dimensionally warped everything back to the bind-temple was possible.

It could have come from one of the Material Realm inhabitants, but that seemed unlikely. The only human Zylkin had met with any enlightenment had died long ago. Not that he blamed the humans. He ignored his chakras as well and kept his soul tightly veiled. The only power he needed flowed in his blood. He had no loyalty to his ancestors’ Primal faction, but taboos and traditions meant all other sources of power felt wrong and disrespectful.

For the tenth time since Zylkin arrived, he considered destroying the power source and closing this bridge between realms. If he did, though, he lost his best chance at discovering the purpose of this activity and who orchestrated it. His duty as a Primal Warden demanded that he solve this mystery.

Zylkin turned his attention to the thousands of humans that gathered around the thin barrier. He didn't understand their behavior, but they came into the Destruction Realm often, although never for long and never any deeper than the threshold.

All the sudden changes bothered Zylkin, and the thought brought his attention to the white oblong gem in his palm. The System had always provided the bare minimum in every way. Then around a week ago, it had exploded with activity, including the appearance of a contribution system. The jewel in his hand had appeared after a battle as if he fought inside a dungeon.

When activated, the jewel provided a one percent chance to connect the return pathway from the Air Meridian. He imagined many of the inhabitants of the Creation and Destruction Realms would rejoice at this change, as only the mythical Outerverse contained this type of loot. Loot they had lost access too when they fled here.

Movement caught Zylkin's attention, and he refocused on the humans, slipping the gem into a shadow pocket. Two months ago, nine deities had regularly crossed through the barrier, but now only six remained. The other three had succumbed to the Destruction Priest’s magic and had never returned to the Material Realm.

The six deities used soul power to shield their bodies and protect them from the damage the Destruction Realm caused them. Zylkin considered their laughably basic techniques, and why they would risk their existence by coming here.

Zylkin activated his Bloodline Cling ability and moved parallel to the group, appearing as nothing more than a shadow on a shadow. Once they’d traveled three thousand feet, they stopped, the other humans at the barrier no longer visible. With obvious effort, two of the deities stepped downward like walking off a boat into a lake.

Zylkin effortlessly pushed himself deeper as well, sinking into the shadowed surface. His back now faced the ground he’d just left, and his feet rested on the surface of the true Destruction Realm. This Realm had the shape of a funnel, and he now stood on the widest section at the very top of the Realm’s sides.

The deities displayed little control over their souls and none over their shadows. Zylkin could strike them through their unguarded shadows from his current location. They were like infants trapped in a cage with predators. Their soul power exploded outward like grasping worms from a decayed corpse.

Zylkin had studied each of these deities' shadows the previous month and found the normal elements of greed, knowledge, and power, some more than others. The worst three had traveled the deepest into the realm providing easy prey for the priests.

The three contaminated deities’ rapid descent had made their goal obvious. They wanted the power that rested at the bottom of the funnel-like an open sore. The reservoir of magic that the towers surrounded.

What he didn't know, and what he worried might prove catastrophic, was what the destruction priests wanted.

The deities ignored the bands of power that fell from the dark sky like silver waterfalls. The energy undulated across the landscape like mercurial serpents as they slithered their way to the bottom of the Realm.

Zylkin suppressed a shiver as a thread of mental energy passed over him. He kept his attention on the deities, giving no indication he’d detected the other entity.

Zylkin glanced at his buffs and made sure his willpower remained enhanced. Triggering his third Bloodline node, he remained still for the three-second cast and a surge of mental energy filled his mind. Without looking at the other observer, he willed the space between them to fold itself.

The distance disappeared, and Zylkin found himself standing near a vein of concentrated destruction that flailed along the ground like a dying animal. A figure rose from the flowing energy.

The violent energy dripped off the creature, revealing a Destruction priest. The priest looked over Zylkin's shoulder, as the distorted landscape returned to its natural state. The priest had taken a vaguely human shape, but the inky black shadows folded on themselves as if continually scraping the surroundings for sustenance.

“A Warden,” the Priest said as if he needed to witness such Realm control for confirmation.

The response sounded rhetorical, so Zylkin didn't answer. Instead, he asked a question. “What is your interest in these humans?”

“What business is that of yours?”

“It is my duty to protect the barrier.”

The priest mirrored Zylkin shape. “I believe your duty is to keep True Realm inhabitants from entering the Material Realm. You have no authority to stop the reverse, and I have violated no pacts.”

“Who taught the humans how to weaken the barrier?”

The priest lost shape and condensed into a tight mass. “Is knowledge now outlawed? You have authority here, but I am a hand of the System, and you will not intimidate me.”

Zylkin hated the Destruction priests because they had a single purpose, and they directed their combined will toward that goal: destroying the universe. He placed a hand on the sword at his hip and powered it with will and mental energy, preparing it. “Your kind is always up to no good.”

“There is no good. No bad. Only the inevitable silence.”

“Don't quote your nonsense to me. Your path lacks balance.”

The shadow returned to the shape of a man and leaned forward, revealing white vertical gashes for eyes that appeared to study Zylkin. “Are you a Harmonic in disguise?”

Zylkin gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. “You don't need to be a Harmonic to see the imbalance of your purpose.”

The priest spread his arms. “Look around, Warden, everything in this universe is unbalanced. The System, thank the silence, has finally recognized it. We are no longer alone in our duty.”

The comment confirmed Zylkin's worst fear. The System no longer remained a mute spectator, and he wondered if the Abyssal Lord knew. Zylkin suppressed a shudder at the thought of seeing the wyrm again or traveling so deep in the Realm.

“Why are you telling me this? What manipulation do you attempt?”

“What is there to hide? We all march toward the inevitable. Silence is our reward, and we will all receive it regardless of our contribution, understanding, or belief.”

Zylkin frowned, suspicions aroused. The Dark Priests were zealots of destruction, but they rarely spoke with such detailed scripture or philosophy.

With an exertion of will and a surge of mental energy, Zylkin pulled at the surrounding shadows, and after a small duration of resistance, they came away and revealed the true identity of the priest.

The Elder Priest stood before Zylkin, the ultimate leader of the other priests. He was clad in robes darker than the surrounding shadows, and an aura of contained calamity surrounded him. The two vertical slits now glowed with an eerie violet luminescence suspended in a face cloaked in shadow. His hands, covered in intricate shifting runes, seemed to pull at the very fabric of the Shadow Realm. His presence created a heavy weight that deformed the ground.

Zylkin's worries immediately increased. Whatever the Destruction Priests were doing with the humans it involved the Elder Priest, which meant it must offer the chance for great destruction.

Why had the Elder Priest allowed himself to be detected? This close to the Material Realm, the Elder Priest would be far weaker and pose no threat to Zylkin. In fact, the Priest held all the risk which made Zylkin even more suspicious.

The Destruction Priests were simple constructs of the System and incapable of such subterfuge. Perhaps having spent so much time outside of their chapel prisons had caused them to change.

Zylkin had ranged widely across the Destruction Realm and knew the priests’ numbers had increased at a steady pace. He didn't know if they’d escaped their stalled chapels in the great Darkness or if they’d found a way to retrieve their brothers still clutched to the outside of the universe like shadowy leeches.

Regardless of the purpose, the Elder wanted to talk, so Zylkin took advantage of it. “You and yours appear out of balance. Perhaps you should turn your gaze inward and rid yourself of your own balance issues before worrying about the universe.”

The Elder Priest tilted his head as if listening. “Even here, at the edge of true silence, the distorted echoes of the Eternal Song create chaos. We must continue with our purpose despite the difficulties.”

“Why did you come here yourself?”

“Curiosity. The same desire that continues to bring you back here, so far from your post. It is a powerful force.”

Zylkin's worry turned to alarm. The Elder Priest despite its intelligence remained a construct of the System and should not demonstrate curiosity or any other desire. It existed only as a tool used to destroy that which the System deemed irreparable.

Now though the Elder Priest acted like a sapient being.

Secret knowledge passed from generation to generation provided insight into this Universe, but Zylkin had never cared much about the ancient past. He wanted to save himself and his family from destruction.

The Elder Priest wanted to manipulate Zylkin. Did he want Zylkin away from this location? Is that why he’d displayed the drastic changes he’d undergone? This knowledge virtually required Zylkin to inform some higher authority. He could try and contact the Sentinel or speak with the Abyssal Lord, who most certainly could reach the Sentinel regardless of location. Did the priest wish to follow him as some part of a sophisticated attack?

“What are your plans with the humans?” Zylkin asked.

“We have no plans, only the desire for an equitable exchange of knowledge.”

Zylkin accepted the lie and nodded. “Keep your followers away from the boundary. Any that venture too close will be destroyed.”

“I understand, Warden. May the silence hold you, may—”

Zylkin exerted his will, pulling himself far from the Elder Priest before he could finish mouthing his cultish nonsense. Zylkin stood frozen with indecision. Did he return to the Material Realm and try to reach the Sentinel himself, or journey into the depths of the Destruction Realm for help?

Could Zylkin survive a trip like that? All the way to the bottom, to the reservoir and the twelve towers that circled it.

Zylkin touched his chest, picturing his organs and the eleventh Meridian, full of Dark essence, which Fortified them. This connection, along with the Death Meridian in his bowels, amplified his powers here and made him an effective Warden.

The twelve towers each held power, but only the Dark and Death towers resonated in the Destruction Realm, increasing their danger astronomically and making them nearly impossible to climb. The Abyssal Lord’s lair sat atop the eleventh, but Zylkin didn’t need to reach the top. He only needed to get near enough to the tower for communication.

Zylkin didn’t move, however, as he tried to decipher the Elder Priest’s manipulations and grasp the creature’s plans. A mistake here could truly destroy the Universe.