Ooo, Kovon, you shouldn't have fallen asleep. I noticed that you have this journal. Let me bury a story of my own people inside, hopefully someday someone will find it and hear of our story.
Initae, the Transcendent
About 20 billion years ago | The Voaka Plane (Now known as the Sanctum) / Citadel Linas / Grand War Council
"General Initae, we have discussed this topic many times before. The cataclysm class disaster must be avoided at all costs."
"Admiral, while I respect your desire to preserve our kind, the Inteak infestation has grown out of control. The infestation will soon have complete control of this plane, and if we allow it to fester it may spread through our gateway and into other planes, causing untold havoc to other civilizations."
"There must be another way, destroying everything that we are, this entire plane no less, it should be the last resort."
"Admiral, I don't think you realize the direness of our situation. 90% of our territory has already been lost. Luckily we have been able to destroy the gateways before being overtaken.
Our last remaining territory is the Citadel city, Linas. However, its gateway won't be destroyed without triggering the cataclysm.
If we allow the infestation to overtake the citadel without destroying the gateway, it will spread into countless planes. Quintillions will die as a result. We of the Vikea are the only ones capable of stopping it at this point.
But even with our control of the extra-dimensional energy, we are unable to hold back. The infestation only seems to consume the energy and grow even faster. Within a few days we will be completely overtaken.
The only course of action is to ask our glorious leader to initiate the self-destruct and annihilate everything, including the infestation, within this plane."
"When you put it that way, weighing our lives against those of all other planes. I suppose that is the only correct decision to make."
"All in agreement to petition for the cataclysm to be triggered. Say Aye"
Around the table consisting of the most powerful people in our military, all seventeen give their agreement. With the matter of how we will proceed resolved, I exit the council.
By the way, if you aren't aware, my name is Initae. The high general for the Vikea people. I am also coincidentally the daughter of our current empress, Inae, holy ruler of the Voaka plane. Or at least, she will be for a few more hours.
Around two hundred years ago, a strange force appeared within the plane. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Inteak infestation started. A swarm of what appears to be complete darkness suddenly appeared and started spreading through the plane.
Luckily, the first cities that were lost managed to destroy their inter-planar gateways in time. As is standard protocol when anything major happens in order to prevent it from instantly spreading all across the other planes.
Our best wielders of extra-dimensional energy, also referred to as vitae, rushed to try to halt the progress of the infestation. However, whatever methods they tried, it only seemed to fuel the Inteak.
The Inteak rapidly spread to control 10% of the plane within about ten years. After about fifty years of fighting we finally found a way to hold it back somewhat. By detonating large vitae bombs, it overwhelms the ability to consume it. However, we have great difficulty gathering enough vitae to do so. The bombs also only destroy portions of the Inteak, they don't stop it from regenerating.
After about 100 years we had lost control of 60% of the plane. Refugees from the outer territories quickly rushed towards the citadel. Trillions are living as refugees, with far too few supplies and vitae to go around.
Now we come to the present, after 200 years of battling the Inteak, they have consumed 90% of the plane. The only bastion we have left is our capital, the Citadel. We are just barely managing to hold it off between the supreme power possessed by myself, by brother and mother.
However, we are slowly being pushed back, and our critical resources are dwindling.
At the core of our citadel, a once beautiful city comprising nearly five trillion residents. Full of laughter, art, trade, and children frolicking in the streets. Lies a massive inter-planar gateway.
However, this gateway is so large, that the fallout from destroying it would annihilate everything in the plane. Leaving it a completely empty space, devoid of anything. The only of our kind that possesses the power to destroy the gateway is my mother.
As was just debated in the war council, we are out of time. The Inteak are accelerating their rate of growth and we are faltering. We will fail to hold them back. Once they reach the gateway, they will then proceed to spread out through every plane, causing quintillions of deaths.
Logically, the only path forward is for us to sacrifice our entire race in order to halt the Inteak once and for all. The only way to do this is to reach my mother with the war council's decision. With their agreement, she will most certainly initiate the cataclysm, thereby annihilating this plane.
With this in mind, I quickly fly down the glittering paths of the city. Surrounded by hastily constructed refuges that tower many thousands of kilometers into the sky. I whiz by, traveling at several hundred kilometers per second to the Grand Palace.
However, once I am about halfway there, alarms start to blare.
"ATTENTION: The Inteak have breached the first defensive line. I repeat, the Inteak have breached the first defensive line. Linas will fall at any moment. It was an honor, fellow brothers and sisters. However, this is the end."
Those words shake my very soul. We have lost at last, they have breached the defensive lines and are no doubt starting to consume the outer parts of the Citadel. I push all of my vitae into increasing my speed.
I can now see the Grand Palace. A very impressive structure. Created by one of my ancestors out of a material formed from pure vitae. A technique which has since been lost.
At the center of the palace sits the gateway. We must stop the Inteak from crossing it all at costs.
I land outside the throne room and quickly barge in. Not caring for formalities. On the throne sits my mother, next to her stands my brother. I quickly bring her the decision of the war council.
"Empress, I come with important news from the war council. We are all in agreement that the only path forward is to initiate the cataclysm to save all other planes and this one of the Inteak."
"I understand. Let us proceed with the cataclysm once, before the Inteak makes it this far."
My mother then stood up from her throne, which she hasn't done in centuries. She heads in the direction of the gateway. Both my brother and I follow her.
Once we arrive at the Gateway, I can start to feel my mother's power intensify, almost as if she is preparing to rip reality itself apart.
"Listen my children. This realm is done for. Go through the gateway, its destruction will form another realm. Guide the new denizens of that one to a better end than our own."
"But Mother! The covenant of planar beings explicitly mentions that conscious beings are not in any circumstances allowed to cross interplanar space and interfere with other planes!"
"Who will they punish? How will they punish you? That covenant's only penalty for such an action is destruction of the offending plane. If you haven't noticed, our plane is already going to be destroyed. Thus there is no reason to abide by the covenant.
I order you two to enter the gateway and save yourselves"
At my mothers command, I am helpless. Compared to her I am nought but an initiate. My brother is marginally stronger than myself, but he also cannot refuse her direct command.
Helpless to refuse or refute her. Both my brother and myself break the covenant. We enter the gateway and go into hyper-planar space.
As soon as I enter, everything goes dark. Or wait, I can still see myself. However my brother is nowhere to be seen.
After what feels like five minutes, I feel a massive pulse of power. Almost as if the entire dimension itself is reeling. I deduce that my mother must have detonated the gateway, thereby destroying our home and the Inteak infestation. I have no clue where my brother is.
I wander around for ages. Eons even.
The time passed by in this seemingly infinite space of almost complete darkness. The only company is a bunch of strange orbs that appear to be made out of pure vitae. I cannot interact with them, but I can only presume that If I could they might lead to other realms.
I wander and wander. I try to keep track of time, but I cannot be more precise than several eons might have passed.
After countless eons of wandering, I feel a pull. I follow the pull as it has me walking in a seemingly random direction.
After a while walking, I came upon two orbs. Somehow, one of them feels familiar. Almost as if it's the plane where I originated from.
The other orb however, is far dimmer and seems to be newer somehow. Perhaps this is the other plane that my mother mentioned would be created? I approach the smaller orb.
It seems to be radiating a small amount of raw vitae. I tried touching it.
As soon as I touch the orb, I feel as though every part of my being is being sucked into it.
When I emerge on the other side, I am met with what appears to be a forest. I stand up and start to walk around the forest aimlessly.
After a few days of wandering, I came upon a village. They appear to be a primitive tribe of two legged people. They have distinctly long ears.
I start to walk towards the village. Once I am about fifty meters away, a very old looking person comes out. I think I shall call these people elves.
The old man tries to speak with me. It takes a few seconds for my universal translator to make sense of the language, but once I do I can understand him fluently.
"Welcome traveller. It appears as though you have come from far away. Do you bear a name?"
I speak for the first time in what feels like billions of years. "A.. Name. Yes I do possess one of those. You may call me Initae."
After giving my introduction, the old elf gives his in return. He then proceeds to welcome me into the village, saying that they were just about to hold a harvest festival of sorts.
I stayed with these elves for quite a period. I deign to share some of my vitae wielding abilities with them. I decided to be a bit egotistical. I tell them that the energy is known as Inae. It seems a select few of them are able to have some control over inae with proper training.
I am declared a messenger, sent by their god to provide aid. They build me a temple and worship me. In return I train generation after generation in how to wield Inae.
I watch, over the course of millions of years the elves slowly develop technology. They learn how to shape metal. They get better at agriculture. Eventually they learn how to burn stuff to boil water and create mechanical energy.
Then they proceed to turn this mechanical energy into electrical energy. It is not long before they begin to look up into the sky. They begin to experiment with primitive spacecraft.
All this time, I sit in my temple, training new generations to wield Inae. Silently watching as these elves technologically progress.
After a time, they succeed in reaching space. From this point, their technology rapidly advances. They begin to explore their nearby star system and colonize it.
However, this new division creates strife. The different colonies war against each other. All this time, I sit and watch from my temple. Being worshiped and training all those with potential that seek me.
It takes a mere century of war, the elves are decimated. Planets destroyed. Within the span of one hundred years, the civilization that has been built over millions of years goes extinct.
Once this happens, I deign to explore this new realm. I travel across it. In my travels I meet many other intelligent species. Many of which I stay with for a few million years, before their inevitable self-imposed extinction.
I repeat this process countless times. Billions of years pass. I have been recognized by many names by countless species. Occasionally I deign to share inae technology with them. Other times I simply watch from afar.
I once met a race of shortlike people that grow long beards. They like to live underground. However, they also enjoy drinking. They make the finest liquor I have ever had. However, they too go extinct. Although, they manage to leave behind a new species of primitive automatons. I watch as it grows into a spacefaring race unto its own right.
Unlike all the others, they do not cause their own extinction. Rather they go on to explore their galaxy and beyond. They bridge the gaps between galaxies with strange tech that seems to warp spacetime into another dimension.
Seeing their prosperity, I leave, feeling a newfound vigor.
Given this inspiration, I decided to start calling this realm the United Verse, or universe for short.
It is now, I meet a strange race. They have multiple legs, one eye and squidlike tentacles for a mouth. I deign to teach them the ways of Inae wielding. However these ones are different.
Rather than worshiping me, they ask many questions. They seek knowledge about the nature of reality. I share much information with them. Including tales of my former realm.
They ask me strange questions, like If I could return to that realm would I? They seek technology and ways to breach the barriers between planes. I guide them gently, giving them hints towards the right pathways.
After around a billion years with this species, which I have dubbed the Itokin. They successfully manage to breach into that space that I traveled all that time ago using weak points in spacetime. They dub it the void, the space between spaces.
With access to the void, I guide Itokin into what remains of my former realm. A realm that is completely empty.
They ask my permission to colonize this space. They propose that I found an order and share some of my knowledge. I take them up on this offer.
I established the Order of Convergence. I introduce many Inae based technologies from my previous realm. Including Inae amplifiers. These allow far more Itokin to tap into the power of Inae.
They build giant structures across their galaxy for traveling the void into this space which has become known as the sanctum.
They establish entire cities inside the sanctum. They learn that it can be used to travel through the universe faster. They expand across their galaxy and colonize millions of systems, they build thousands of structures they call voidliths.
One day, one of the species of automatons I once knew appears. They notice Itokin's technology and propose a trade. Their knowledge of how to travel faster, in exchange for access to Inae based technology.
The Itokin decide to accept this offer with the species that is now known as the Arkan. However, the Itokin notice that the Arkan are unable to wield Inae. They choose to keep the exact methods used for Inae wielding a secret. Only providing completed devices that are rigged with self destruct systems if they are tampered with.
Over time, more species join this alliance and share their own technologies. There is inevitably some conflict between the species, but they eventually resolve their differences.
Well, that is it for the story of how I became Transcendent. I think that anyone that is reading this journal in the future can piece together the rest of what happens. I hope that Kovon never finds this, he would be so mad that I tampered with his journal without asking.
Initae, the Transcendent
End of Chapter 20
A/N: Why hello dear reader. Author here, I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the fall of Initae's people and the beginnings of what would come to be the IEC.
Be sure to stay tuned, the main plot resumes next and it only gets more exciting. After all, it appears it is time for Ko and Ray's reunion. How will Ray react to Initae, or to Ko now that he is aware of the power he possesses?
As always, if you are enjoying this story, be sure to follow/rate/favourite/comment/leave a fun joke, it is always appreciated. Until next time, dear reader.
Cathrix