High Artificer, Ch 27: Wildfire

Teron’s Perspective

Teron stared at the sky where the neighboring world of Desert had always been. 

He had grown up with that yellow world marking the rise of the moon at night, and hanging on the edge of the sky at dawn. 

It was a feature of the night sky, always present and always visible.

He had even flown across the system and explored the world once, something that wasn’t difficult for a Fifth Evolution warrior. 

There was nothing there except the yellow desert for which the world was named, but it had been an impressive sight to see those vast expanses of yellow earth stretching across the horizon. 

He had felt dwarfed by the size and the flatness of it, a world without mountains covered by an endless plain.

Now it was gone.

He struggled to wrap his mind around what he’d just seen. 

The destruction was reflected in the image displayed in the sky, where there was nothing left of the world but an expanding ring of dust, and in absence of the familiar presence among the stars. 

It had always shone like a yellow star in the sky as it reflected the light of the sun, but for the first time in the history of his people, the moon was in the night alone. 

Until today, he would have thought it was impossible, but he’d seen it happen.

His wings wrapped around him defensively as he turned to look at the Astral Titan who was standing in his courtyard. He stepped backward, unable to accept what was in front of him. 

He wasn’t sure if he should fly away or wait and hope that the Titan left.

The being had teleported back here after casually wiping out a world. There was nothing stopping him from doing the same thing to Bright Sky. All the millions of Winged Furies who lived here would perish in an instant, consumed in the same type of explosion that had destroyed Desert.

That was the truth of a Titan’s power. 

He had heard legends of the Astral Titan and their vast strength, but like every legend, he’d thought they were exaggerated. Now he knew that they weren’t exaggerated at all. 

They said the Lords of the Void could shatter worlds in their grip, move the stars, and build palaces vast beyond imagining, creating Titan halls larger than entire planets. 

They were the origin of all things, the beings who had breathed life into the Void, called the Hands of Chaos and the Wardens of Eternity.

The Primordials, the ones who’d walked the stars from dawn to dusk, from the beginning of things until the end. When the first light of the first age exploded into life, they had been born, and when the last light of the galaxy faded into dust, they would still endure, their steps crossing the darkness as they searched for a new beginning.

Some myths said they were the true gods of the universe who had descended here to wake life from the elements, and that their dreams gave life to the system of Classes and Evolutions, while other legends said they were just the first born, the oldest of them all, blessed with strength beyond that of the younger races.

He didn’t know what was true, but it didn’t matter.

They were the founders of the high council, the benefactors of the High Nine who had raised his people up in the beginning, and he had been talking to him like anyone else.

Teron prided himself on his strength and confidence, but he felt like he had none as he stared at  the Titan.

He didn’t show the slightest trace of effort at what he’d done. Wiping out the world had been as easy for him as turning over his hand.

Rumors of this would fly across the galaxy. 

Everyone on Bright Sky had seen him and heard his words, his command to change their ways. There would be no stopping the spread of that information, nor of the recordings that people must have taken.

The High Council would hear of it soon enough. He didn’t know how they would react, but he knew that they would shake in their seats.

They were like children whose father had stepped out of the house for a while and when he returned, there would be an accounting for the mess they had made while he was gone.

Teron’s wings tried to fold tight around him, but he pushed them back to a more formal slant as he bowed to the Titan.

“Hail, Lord of the Void,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Bright Sky is honored by your presence.”

***

Sam’s Perspective

Sam could see Teron’s wings shaking as the Winged Fury bowed to him and he had to hold back a sigh. 

Showing himself as a Titan was necessary, but it also meant that it was harder to talk to people. 

There was probably no recovering a friendly relationship with Teron, not after he’d just destroyed a world in this system.

“Take some time to set things right here,” Sam told Teron. “I’ll be back soon.” 

There was no longer any point in staying here, so he took Alora’s hand again and bent dimensional space.

The two of them faded away from sight and he teleported them above the world. They reappeared above the horizon, looking down at Bright Sky. From here, the mountains of the world looked like blue and white rivers rising above the plains. 

“Teron will have to sort the rest out for himself,” he said as he looked down. “I’ve given him a hand.”

“It takes time to change a people’s perspective,” Alora agreed, “but I think this reminder will be enough for them to choose a better path. Yaivon’s influence is not as widespread as it seems. Even while we were there, it was mostly whispers from alleyways. It was just supported, and so it seemed like it was everywhere.

“Teron should be able to clean it up now that he’s free. His clan has more overall power than the Highwings, especially if the other two military clans change their mind and support him. It shouldn’t take that long for there to be a significant shift in the Winged Furies’ politics, a few months to a few years.”

She had been the leader of her people for centuries and had a deep insight into politics, and as a priestess she had always been attuned to matters of the spirit.

“Hopefully, you’re right,” Sam agreed. “The other two military clans should fall in line now, regardless of what bribes or threats Yaivon has given them to make them stand aside. If not, I’ll settle that when I come back. If they can’t see what’s good for them at this point, they don’t deserve another chance.”

He shook his head. It shouldn’t take long for things to change, but hopefully most of it would happen without more of his involvement.

That was the benefit of overwhelming power and why he’d chosen to appear. Once people saw it, their fear would drive them to do the right thing. 

Fear or caution, prudence or wisdom.... It didn’t matter what they called it. 

They would bow to power.

“That’s enough of Bright Sky,” he said. “I’ll take Teron to Aster Fall shortly and settle the matter of his Sixth Evolution path. At the very least, the World Core should be able to sort out his options and make him stronger than Yaivon.”

He looked at her with a growing smile. 

“I’d like to show you Aster Fall as well, and it wouldn’t hurt for you to speak with the World Core. Asenya’s gifts are strong, but perhaps it can help you.”

“I’d love to see your homeland,” Alora said as she leaned against him. “But since we have some time before then, what should we do?”

“I hear Council has a lot of good restaurants.” Sam said with a grin, since her thoughts were running in the same direction as his. “And while we’re there, you could meet my family. My mother has been asking about you.”

“I would love to,” Alora agreed.  Her smile was brighter than ever.

With a flash of light, a silver portal appeared next to Sam. A moment later, the two of them were gone.

***

On Council.

“Sam!” Altey’s voice rang out across the beach where the waves were slowly rolling in. “Catch!”

A colorful ball soared across the beach of the private island, moving faster than it should have as it was pushed by a wave of ice mana that left a sparkling trail in its wake.

It was ten feet higher than it should have been for the game they were playing, since Altey had gotten a little carried away using her new Class abilities. 

Sam laughed as his height changed and his hand closed around the ball. Then he sent it soaring back with a layer of wind behind it.

Altey caught it and then kicked it to one of the nearby wind elementals, which sent it soaring on a new trajectory.

Rolen and Cora were there as well, joining in on the game as they chased the ball.

Nearby, Sam’s parents and Roric were surrounded by a few elemental servants, while Alora was leaning on a beach chair next to them. The subtle glow of magic surrounded them all, making the beach as pleasant as possible.

Their Constitutions were all high enough that the sun couldn’t burn them, but it was still nice to keep the sand from sticking.

Ever since his parents had settled down on this island, they’d been having a pleasant and relaxed vacation, which was exactly what he’d hoped for. Roric was growing swiftly, but it had still only been a few weeks since they’d arrived, so things were still fairly new to them all.

“It is so strange to me that you’ve known Sam for hundreds of years,” Aemilia said with a smile at Alora. “You are older than we are, but you seem younger. None of that really matters. I like you. I think you are an excellent partner for our Sam.”

Sam had to hold back a laugh, since in fact, his mother and Alora both looked like they were in their twenties. That was the benefit of a high Constitution and their levels. 

His parents were still in the lower 300s, which was a decent if not exceptional level, but since they’d gained them in just a few years, it was already very impressive. 

Their paths were also as solid as they could be, thanks to the assistance of the World Core. Their efforts to secure the Moonlight Relic and stop the dimensional convergence, as well as to support Aster Fall in general, had earned them a heavy number of Marks from the core, which they had been able to redeem for that help.

Although Alora was two hundred levels higher, their foundations were similar, if not just a bit stronger. Sam had also done everything he could for them with elemental elixirs and other forms of support, like ensuring their bloodlines would develop in the strongest way. 

Even the current Sixth Evolution beings on the High Council didn’t have the advantages they did. There wasn’t much that would be able to stop them from reaching Level 600 or higher eventually. 

They just needed time. 

As soon as they wanted it, he would take them hunting in the Deep Void and help them level up more, but until then, an army of golems and avatars were watching over them, and they had powerful artifacts and runic defenses.

It was the most he could do for them, at least for the near future. 

He would have to reach a level even the ancient Titans had never crossed if he wanted to do more.

But right now, unlike him, their thoughts weren’t on the battles of the Void or future things. They were relaxing on this beach, living a simpler and more pleasant life. 

It made him smile.

Peace wasn’t found in eliminating every danger, but from living in the present. 

He had always been worried about having Alora meet his parents, but at heart all of them were kind and approachable. That was what mattered. 

The small differences of culture and background could work themselves out over time.

“I’ve always wanted to meet you,” Alora said as she looked at his parents. “I’m so glad that it was possible. Do you think that you’ll stay there in the future, or will you live in the settled half of the galaxy, perhaps even here at Council?”

“We are part of Aster Fall,” Jeric said as he looked at her approvingly. “But it’s nice to be able to travel back and forth. The time difference makes this particularly beneficial. I think we might split our time here more in the future...this is a good way to find some time just as a family, away from responsibilities.”

He looked out across the golden beach and the waves that were rolling onto the shore, and then he laughed.

“Sam was right about this vacation idea. It is nice. We’d never really taken one before. It’s only been in recent years that we even had the means. Despite the battles that we encountered, we are very fortunate. 

“It’s still strange to me to have golems and elementals take care of most things. Although we don’t need much. It seems like that comes with higher levels. Everything sorts itself out. It’s a far cry from where we started.”

Jeric’s youth had been in a more prosperous setting in Tower Reach, before his father was kicked out of the Hastern family. That had been more ostentatious but not as powerful as their position now.

Sam’s parents were understated when it came to displaying their status. They looked like young and healthy adventurers with just a trace of age to grant them wisdom.

Jeric’s build was lean and muscular, radiating power and the aura of frozen mountains that came from his bloodline, while Aemilia was graceful and serene, with a calm intensity in her eyes that echoed the moons.

They’d gone into the city to look around several times now, but to anyone who didn’t know them, they were just a pleasant couple out exploring, but powerful enough at their level that no one would bother them.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to see more of each other now,” Alora said. “It would be lovely to get to  know you better.”

“Definitely,” Jeric’s agreement was boisterous, and it was followed instantly by Aemilia’s own confirmation. 

She was already starting to like having Alora around. It gave her another woman of similar power and background to talk to. 

Since he wasn’t needed here, Sam smiled as he faded away in a field of starlight, leaving them to their discussion. 

Over a week had already passed since they’d first met and his family and Alora were getting along. As soon as she wanted to leave, he would know, but they could spend as long as they wanted getting to know one another.

It was taking Teron a while to deal with Bright Sky, so there was no hurry. The trip to Aster Fall would take place soon enough.

Disappearing also let him avoid the topic of future children, which would come up again eventually. He’d already deflected it three times this week.

He wasn’t sure if it was a good or a bad thing that Alora was interested in the idea and seemed to be having fun talking about it. He wasn’t sure if she was teasing him or serious, but he refused to study her aura to find out.

It was a game they were playing, and he didn’t want to ruin it.

Both of them were aware that the Titans couldn’t have children without astral chaos, but his mother was still hopeful.

He currently had no way to get any astral chaos, so he didn’t want to go over the subject again. 

If it was possible, he would either try to create some or go in search of it through the Nexus, but that would be a very long time in the future.

From that perspective, it was good that time on Aster Fall passed so much more slowly. It gave him time to work on it.

The ancient Titans never found a solution, but that wasn’t going to stop him from looking, even if it took a long time. 

After all, they were still doing the same thing themselves.

He reappeared in his hall and settled into his throne as he looked out at the Void, letting the distant stars calm his spirit. 

Then he turned his attention to the High Council and the information that the Path of Stars was sending him. An ocean of events flooded into his mind, coming from every world of the galaxy, but he organized it easily as he watched the results of his appearance at Bright Sky.

The news of an Astral Titan was exploding across the galaxy. 

With every day that passed, the fire he had started was raging more wildly. The recordings that he’d seeded, as well as thousands of others taken by the Winged Furies, were flying everywhere across the known worlds.

On Bright Sky, the Winged Furies were in revolt as they engaged in a war of ideals. The other two military families had proclaimed their innocence and were devoting their full power to assisting Teron in rooting out Yaivon’s followers on the world. 

They were arresting or killing every Night Wing they found, which meant that heads were rolling across their government, as well as in many areas of the military and business.

At least, that was the official stance, but it was only the head of the snake. Plenty more Night Wings were being ignored due to political backing, family connections, or wealth.

That was what was taking Teron a while. He was spending most of his time finding the ones who were worth killing and then eliminating them, so as to leave as few enemies behind as possible.

It was a revolution that was leaving Bright Sky drenched in blood.

Sam shook his head, but he didn’t plan to stop it. 

There was so much pressure built up in that society that something needed to happen to let it all out, and this purge was targeting the most problematic areas.

It should be enough for the rest to fall in line.

Somewhat more surprisingly, his appearance had set off small-scale revolutions on other worlds as well. Governments were shaking across thousands of worlds as power shifted hands. 

The history of the Astral Titans was long and there were thousands of legends. Now that one of those legends had come to life, some groups had suddenly found themselves with a backer and they were using it as momentum.

Most of the changes weren’t important, but he did send an avatar around occasionally if he saw something that required immediate attention.

Each time, he made sure that his appearance was recorded and he did something dramatic. He’d destroyed another 18 planets to make a point, crushed a Void beast horde that was threatening some border worlds, and rescued a handful of people here and there.

He made those appearances strategically, popping up in various places of the galaxy so that the news would spread from different locations, and every one of them added more fuel to the fire.

After a week, there were already some religions claiming he was a god returned to them.

He didn’t plan to babysit the galaxy, so there were a thousand more events that he ignored, letting things take their natural course.

The appearances he made were enough.

At this point, it was impossible for anyone to deny that he was a Titan. He had been seen by billions of people and the number of recordings was already in the millions.

There was no way to suppress the news.

He’d kept his appearances far away from Council, so the High Nine were some of the last to find out about them, which ensured they were on the back foot, particularly Yaivon and the Wind Wraith.

If he’d kept to just his appearance at Bright Sky, they would have been focused on him and tried to divert all of the council’s resources to their side. 

Now, Bright Sky’s issue was only a single drop of water in the storm.

The High Nine had convened a special session to deal with the fall out, which he observed with interest. The wards on the Silver Hall had no ability to block him. They were already his own and reported to him in the same way as ones that he’d built.

The original Titan enchantments on the hall were still standing, as well as the council’s link to the Ocean Core, and both of those had fallen under his command in an instant. The newer wards weren’t even worth mentioning.

The council was in shambles.

As he watched them, he raised a silver goblet and took a drink.