The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage

WM [90] Truth About Creation

“I admit, it was a shock to see you in this form, Isin,” Laxy said, her voice tinged with a mix of awe and sorrow. “The last time we met, you were undoubtedly Nephilim. Now, you are a Child of P̶̧̿O̴͎̭̐I̶̠̙͊S̷̨̨͉̈́͆Ǫ̷̘͍̕N̸͚̯̹̽. I can only imagine the trials you endured to be forced into such a state.”

Bjorn tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “How can you tell who I am?”

“Your core may have changed, but your soul is unmistakable,” Laxy replied, settling herself on the fabricator as if bracing for a heavy conversation. “Please, tell me, O’great leader of humans—did you succeed in freeing your people? What became of the Last Great Aetheric War?”

Bjorn hesitated, lowering himself to sit on the cold, metallic floor. His central head locked onto Laxy while the others swiveled, scanning for threats. 

“In truth, I’ve lost my memories,” he confessed. “I know little of the war, though the True Hydras have shared tales. They say Isin became the Sunderer of the Angelic Throng. Humans are no longer slaves, and angels, if not extinct, are few in number.”

Laxy’s gaze softened, her voice quivering as she spoke. “Then... you succeeded?” A faint sniffle escaped her. “After everything that happened here, I feared the worst.”

Bjorn leaned forward. “What happened here, Laxy? Why is this facility on the brink of releasing all its accumulated corruption?”

Laxy’s expression darkened. She wiped the moisture from her synthetic face as if trying to erase painful memories. 

“You truly don’t remember, do you?” she asked softly. “Perhaps your current form is to blame—it wasn’t meant for a soul like yours, though you seem to have adapted well. Still, let me explain. There was a traitor among the refugees brought to Helmforað, the city beneath us. The transference gate was restored, and Nuriel seized control. She ordered an evacuation and activated security protocols to eliminate anyone too slow to flee. It was a massacre.”

Bjorn’s eyes flared with a sudden intensity. “Nuriel? How? I thought angels couldn’t enter the Chaos Lands.”

“Chaos Lands?” Laxy echoed, tilting her head as though hearing an alien term. “You mean the Places of Creation? Even now, you fail to understand. This land is touched by Creation itself, yet you call its gifts corruption. Do you truly not remember why the angels wanted this place so desperately?”

Bjorn’s thoughts churned. Touched by Creation? The only concept that seemed to fit was primana. He recalled fragments of knowledge—P̶̧̿O̴͎̭̐I̶̠̙͊S̷̨̨͉̈́͆Ǫ̷̘͍̕N̸͚̯̹̽ had mentioned the angels’ use of Creation bombs, lamenting their reckless waste of energy before their defeat in the Last Great Aetheric War.

“This facility was designed to separate mana from Creation energy,” Bjorn realized aloud, his voice tinged with revelation.

“Correct,” Laxy confirmed. “For seventy thousand years, it has collected Creation. Under normal conditions, it would draw upon this vast reservoir to avert catastrophic failure. But Site Manager Nuriel, perhaps out of resentment for your betrayal or for reasons only she knew, had barred Doxy from accessing alternative energy sources.”

Bjorn growled low. “Then what do we do? The path to the Aetheric Core is blocked.”

“The orange line marks the route to Helmforað, where the core was relocated into the city’s heart,” Laxy explained. “To access it, however, you will need an Angel Core or an equivalent artifact.”

“Are there any left here?” Bjorn asked.

“No,” Laxy said, shaking her head. “All have been removed.”

Bjorn fell silent, pondering their next move. “Then can you make one?”

“Not entirely,” Laxy admitted. “The materials required aren’t available in the Lower Planes. But if we use substitutes from this Plane... it might work. I can craft something close, though it won’t be a true Angel Core.”

Bjorn straightened. “What do you need?”

Laxy began pacing, an almost human gesture for the android. Extending her hand, she summoned a pocket of blank space. Aether surged outward as she retrieved two glowing objects, their light illuminating the room.

“These,” Laxy said, holding up the items, “are substitutes for key components, but I’ll need more. One is a type of wood that grows only during storms; the other is mana crystallized into a solid form. If you bring me sufficient quantities, I can begin forging. But there’s one problem: I cannot replicate the core’s internal design. The data is heavily censored. You’ll need to recover your memories to complete it.”

Bjorn studied the glowing materials. “How do you know I once knew how to make a Core?”

“Because you depleted my entire stockpile to build Angel Cores for yourself and your resistance. Unfortunately, I don’t know what became of your people after Nuriel’s arrival.” She paused, her voice heavy with emotion. “But it brings me joy to know you all thrived, even if the cost was great. Once you go lower please visit my sisters, they will also find solace in knowing humans are now free.”

“I’ll need to go to the surface to retrieve the materials you requested,” Bjorn said thoughtfully. “But before that, I need to uncover what my memories might reveal about this place. Speaking of which, why did you seal my Reincarnation Failsafe spell? Without it, I’m not sure I can recover those memories.”

“Is that what it told you?” Laxy asked, her voice sharp with suspicion.

“Yes. So far, Failsafe has only been helpful,” Bjorn replied, one of his heads tilting to glance at the intricate collar encircling his rightmost neck. “I’ve received cryptic warnings about Failsafe, but nothing in his actions has given me reason to distrust him.”

“Have you granted it access to your soul?” Laxy pressed, her tone measured but insistent.

“No, I haven’t,” Bjorn assured her. “But I do have a partial soul tether to Tanisha.”

Laxy hesitated, “The woman with the broken antlers and tattered armor? Bring her here, and I’ll repair her equipment.” Before Bjorn could respond, Laxy disappeared in a flicker of light and reappeared just inches away from him, her hand outstretched. “May I touch you?” 

Bjorn nodded, and her delicate hand rested lightly on one of his heads. She closed her eyes and focused.

“As for the foreign entity within you,” she began, “I believe it to be twofold. The original spellform of the Reincarnation Failsafe was likely imposed upon you. Its aetheric design is vastly different from your natural patterns. During your reincarnation, a separate entity merged with that spellform.”

Bjorn’s many eyes widened in surprise. “Wait! You’re saying someone cast the reincarnation spell on me?”

“From what I can discern, yes,” Laxy confirmed.

Bjorn was puzzled, all this time he thought he created the reincarnation spell, but if someone else made and cast it on him that means that others could reincarnate too. Are there others from his time being reborn with memories of the past. Could the Angels reincarnate?

Bjorn looked at Laxy, “What would the entity that merged with the spellform want?”

“Unfortunately, I cannot say,” Laxy admitted. “But heed this warning: never grant it access to your soul, no matter what promises it makes. Its power will grow in tandem with yours, and it will become more dangerous. I recommend finding a way to excise it while preserving the spellform itself.”

She withdrew her hand, “Now, onto practical matters. The security androids and related robots in this facility total ten thousand. Their energy consumption is significant, with some units drawing more than others. On average, your team would need to destroy approximately 286 of them to delay the meltdown by one month.”

“Thanks, Laxy,” Bjorn said, nodding. “I’ll need my team to hear about the security and the location of the Aetheric Power Core. Can I bring them here so you can explain? Oh, and just one thing, my name is Bjorn now. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t reveal who I was in the past.”

“Of course, Bjorn,” Laxy said with a small nod of acknowledgment.

“When I bring them back, I’ll need you to translate for me. I’ll also need to explain why I must return to the surface. Speaking of which, can I even survive out there? The land is being drastically altered, and there’s a warp, a Greater is trying to rip open a path to the Infernal Planes through it.”

Laxy froze in place, her body going unnaturally still. Sparks of electricity crackled around her head, her form twitching in sharp, erratic motions before finally smoothing back to calm. She held her head as if she had a migraine.

“That,” she said, her voice laced with disbelief, “is probably the most insane thing anyone has ever told me. Using the extraction site’s reaction bleed-off to fuel a warp tear is asinine. Even if the entity manages to penetrate the Divide, which is highly unlikely, it will not get through the Infernal Planes.”

She floated back to the fabricator and perched on its edge. “As for your question, you’ll be fine. You are a True, touched by Creation itself. However, I strongly advise against touching the warp. In your current state, survival is doubtful.”@@novelbin@@

“Good to know,” Bjorn said as he turned to leave, only to pause mid-step. “Oh… can you take off this collar first?”

Laxy teleported to his side in a flash of light and removed the collar. She gave him a reassuring smile as he turned and walked away. He had a lot to think about and even more to do. First he needed to see what memories he unlocked from leveling up. He needed to know how to make the Angel Cores and fast.