I take a deep breath, and exhale slowly. I force a smile on my face, and approach the man.
"Before we begin, may I ask your name? I'm Henry Sheeves, a lawyer." I say politely.
The man smiles.
"My name is Cato Tyshira. I am a teacher. And I hope to serve you well as one." Cato says warmly.
I hesitantly take a seat across from him. As I touch it, the chair's colors meld together into gray. I sigh at the sight, but still sit down.
"I've read in the journals of previous Apostles they too didn't enjoy Libra's aesthetic." Cato says sympathetically.
"It's to the point of madness." I complain bitterly.
"Hahaaa. Yes, it can be a bit much." Cato agrees.
I stare at Cato, annoyed. He smiles back. A minute goes by. He coughs into his hand, and speaks.
"So do you know anything about the war?" Cato asks nicely.
"Nope. I honestly know nothing of this world's history." I say grumpily.
"Well then…" Cato says awkwardly.
Cato looks at me with interest.
"You said you were from another world, yes? Do you have any proof of this?" Cato asks nicely.
I groan annoyedly, and clasp my hands together.
"Libra, please tell this man I'm not lying." I ask in my thoughts calmly.
I see an image of Libra stroking her chin. Then she shakes her head no.
"You're the only person I feel like talking to. He's a weirdo. He'd pray to me nonstop if he heard my voice." she says calmly.
I sigh, disappointed.
"I don't really have any proof. Beyond my complete ignorance of this planet." I say grumpily.
Cato stares at me for a moment, his face blank beyond it being obvious he was deep in thought.
"Could you invent something for me? Something from your world?" Cato asks seriously.
I laugh and wave a hand dismissively.
"No, I'm a lawyer. Not an inventor." I say, amused and firm.
Cato shrugs.
"Not a big deal. Now, let's begin the history lesson." he says calmly.
Cato snaps his fingers, and a hologram of a landmass appears on the table. It's shaped almost like a roughly carved cross. Four flags appear on the map, and chunks of the landmass suddenly match the flag's colors.
"This is a map of the world before the Great Split, in the year 900. It was already divided by the borders of empires though. This red flag with the sun made of swords is one of many symbols King Gilgamesh has used to signify his empire. His kingdom is considered by historians to be the main antagonist of this war, and with good reason. He started it, and it was purely to expand his territory and for the love of combat. He is a warrior king. And some, like your friend, love him for this. I personally don't but that is neither here nor there." Cato explains calmly.
This empire owned almost the entire center of the continent.
"Can I get an idea of how big this continent was please?" I ask calmly.
"Ah, yes. From top to bottom of this central empire, it is approximately 1,000,000,000 miles. The entire continent from top to bottom is an approximate distance of 6,000,000,000 miles." Cato says quickly.
"Ah. Thank you." I say calmly.
Man, those are big numbers. Shame humanity can't comprehend what that actually means in their mind though.
"You're welcome." Cato says nicely.
Cato wiggles his fingers in the air, and the image of a tall, extremely buff black man appears above the map and the Kingdom of Gilgamesh. He wears a large, incredibly long black bead necklace. It wraps around his neck and biceps, and hangs low down to his waist. An unbuttoned white vest. Light red, baggy pants. And he has long white dreads that hang halfway down his back.
"This is King Gilgamesh. A very intimidating man. At least, that's what our spies have learned. I've never seen him personally." Cato says calmly.
"Spies? Your guild has spies?" I ask nervously.
Cato chuckles nervously, and tugs at his collar.
"Woopsie! I meant scouts! Scouts who crossed paths with him coincidentally. We'd never stalk that guy, no way. It'd be too dangerous." Cato says sheepishly.
I stare at him skeptically while he stares at me blankly. After a moment, Cato points at a white flag with three dragon heads on it. Left head is black, the center is red, and the right head is gold. This empire owned the landmass I saw in space, the dragon head now resting on the east corner of the landmass. But also a large chunk deep into the continent. However, the Kingdom of Gilgamesh was cutting thick swathes into it.
"This is the Draconic Kingdom. Its shining virtue is their natural strength. A dragon is equal to a thousand humanoids in strength. And this is an empire led by three clans. Goldfangs, a family obsessed with wealth. Iceclaw, obsessed with martial and magical strength. And Blackhearts, obsessed with control. These three families led the dragons in their own imperial expansion. But they weren't anything like Gilgamesh and his Disciples. At this time, they were the second strongest empire. And the wealthiest. Wealthy because they laid claim to whatever they desired through their strength." Cato explains calmly.
Cato replaces King Gilgamesh with the image of a two headed dragon with a black body. One head is black, while the other is a bright blue.
"This is one of the most important figures for dragons during this period. The Black Ice Dragon, Delphox. The leader of their military during this time. Do you know how dragons grow a second head, Henry?" Cato asks calmly.
I shake my head.
"They must defeat another dragon in mortal combat, and devour their heart. After this, they may merge with the dragon, grow a head of their color, and gain new powers. In Delphox's case, he gained powerful control over ice magic. Magic that the Icefangs have a stranglehold on. Admittedly everyone else's ice magic is inferior to theirs. Worth noting, Henry." Cato explains calmly.
I shudder about these facts. It scares me how dragons are in this world.
Cato points at the long south end. It glows white, and just like in space, it's covered in colorful lights. It has a golden flag, with a circle of silver hands reaching into a rainbow sun.
"The Utopia of Zelzabog. At least from what the public hears. However we've learned Zelzabog is disturbing and cursed for those unfortunate enough to be the fuel of this empire. For the chosen, they are wealthy. Every whim is catered to. And they live a life that is heaven on Libraius. And the poor, unfortunate bastards are fuel. Figuratively and literally. Their bodies are slaves to the system, and their souls are eventually extracted from their bodies. And used as fuel for their machines." Cato explains seriously.
"That place sounds horrible. How is it allowed to exist?" I ask with disgusted anger.
"Two reasons. One, there is no widespread truth about what they do. And two, it is already too late. They've grown too large. It would take a war to shut down that empire." Cato says seriously.
I glare down at the Utopia of Zelzabog on the map. How could such a place exist here, or on any world? It's a cursed dystopia.
"During this war, they were still growing. They hid much of their potential, until the very end. They contributed the least, but gained the most." Cato says calmly.
He points at the long northern end of the landmass. It's covered in gray, with a half black, half white flag. On it is a half red, half blue scale. I sigh reflexively.
"This is Pordrig, where we are. An empire that has been built on the backs of others for a long time. And somehow, they had even less laws. Only seven, if I recall correctly. This empire was truly the weakest, but they filled the war with waves upon waves of enslaved warriors. This is done through their use of what the dragons and King Gilgamesh consider forbidden. Pure Control magic. It erases the victims' will, and makes them literal slaves. Based on our research, the victims are still conscious." Cato says calmly.
I shudder at the thought. And I feel angry. I came from a country that was also built on the backs of slavery, and it wasn't ever treated right. And now I'm in a world that is even more backwards and evil than the one I came from. Hell, my idea of neutralality is probably liberal to these bastards. How am I gonna change anything here? They're already freaking out over divorce. And only Libra knows if that'll last forever.
"Actually, I don't. I'm not omniscient or all-powerful. I have limits. Like in this case, I can't see the future." Libra corrects happily.
I groan annoyedly, and my head nearly smacks against the table in frustration. I pull my head back up to see Cato looking at me with some concern.
"I'm fine, don't worry about it. Just frustrated and upset at this world. Like any teenager." I say, half sarcastic, half bitter.
"Well, you're supposed to change it. Though I'll admit, you seem to be quite emotional about it. I'd recommend distancing yourself from what's happened, and looking at it impartially. As you're supposed to." Cato says with annoyed firmness.
I glare at him intensely. But I'll be nice, and put it delicately.
"I come from a world where morality actually matters." I say angrily.
Cato scoffs amusedly.
"Morals hold back humanity. The best evidence of this is Zelzabog. But of course, you don't know anything about them." he says smugly.
"Didn't you just say it's only a paradise for a few of the people there?" I say angrily.
Cato smiles mischievously. It annoys me.
"Why is it wrong for rich, fortunate people to exist, Apostle?" he says warmly.
"Why is it right that they deserve that kind of life? What did they do to deserve being worshiped by mindless slaves? And why did the slaves deserve their fate?" I say angrily.
"In Zelzabog's and Pordrig's cases, it's simple. Might makes right. If you aren't strong enough to live on your own, you'll eventually be a slave. Right or wrong doesn't matter if you aren't strong enough to survive." Cato says bittersweetly.
I sigh angrily.
"You've got a point. A terrible point, but a true one. Might makes right. Victors write history after all." I complain bitterly.
A thought strikes me.
"Do you know how it is justified here in Pordrig? And what about Zelzabog?" I ask seriously.
"In Zelzabog, it is justified by royal rights. As in people born into the chosen families are blessed, and everyone else is meant to work for them. As for Pordrig, there are a variety of ways to argue what they do is right. The most honest use might is right, of course. There's indentured servitude, where one is offered a large reward at the end of a long term of slavery. There's it being racially based. Like a goblin slave being justified as they may learn to be more civilized through slavery. Or perhaps because they're so…unevolved, as they'd say, they are meant to be slaves. Or honestly the most common answer from my point of view, they just don't care. They're evil and rich people who own slaves, and they're gonna use them as they see fit." Cato explains angrily.
"Sounds like the same answers my world used." I say angrily.
"Probably because the question doesn't change much if it's happening on another planet." Cato says calmly.
I look down bitterly at the map once more, focusing on Pordrig. … …
"Let's stop with this tangent, and return to the topic. The World War. As mentioned, this war began with King Gilgamesh expanding his territory. He began with the dragons for two reasons: because they possessed the most impressive treasures, and because they were the strongest besides him. The war would begin in a rather straightforward way as it is between warriors and dragons. They don't desire subterfuge." Cato says calmly. "Unless you're a Blackheart dragon." he says wryly.
He snaps his fingers, and a familiar man appears. Not familiar in the sense I've seen him before, but in that I've seen someone related to him. The dragon woman from before who gave me more leads because she doesn't like these Adventurers.
He seems humanoid. He has a tanned human's face, with black hair that has a purple sheen, and black eyes. His entire upper half is covered in black scales with a purple sheen. And he wears black baggy pants with purple flames that have gold edges painted around the ankles. And his feet are strange. He doesn't seem to be wearing anything, but his entire foot is black and becomes a sharp point at the point toes would be.
"Another notable figure of this war. His original name was lost to time, especially because he refused to admit it. Instead, he went by a combination of two nicknames. Dread Backstabber. He named himself Dread, and he's called backstabber cause he constantly attacks people from behind. He claimed three kills against Gilgamesh's disciples. Including the very first one." Cato explains calmly.
Cato smiles wryly at me.
"Do you think it's wrong to attack someone from behind?" he teases.
"Yes." I state angrily.
"Of course. But even if you weren't the attacker?" Cato says wryly.
I sigh and look away.
"Of course, in this scenario, they may be right." I admit bitterly.
"Why so hesitant? Is it annoying to comprehend a complicated situation like this? I never read about any other Apostles being like this." Cato says amusedly. "Then again, I don't recall any notes on what trials Apostles go through." he says calmly.
"Oh fuck off. It's annoying cause you find it funny I'm upset by this stuff. It's only human to act like this." I say angrily.
Cato stares at me for a moment, then chuckles quietly.
"Of course, can neutrality exist if the Apostle is human? Or any creature with emotions for that matter?" Cato ponders aloud.
…
"Probably not." I say honestly.
Divine Inspirations appears to be about one general theme: Chosen Ones that have received direct inspiration from a being they consider 'the one true God.' It's a fun read. Lots of heroics and epic feats. I liked the part where an apple hit a guy on the head, he received divine spiration, and invented calculus.
What really interests me about this is that I remember in King Gilgamesh's youth, he received a vision that must've been this Divine Inspiration. With it, he invented the first forge and created the first metal weapons, made from bronze. And then he'd go on to create the fundamentals of swordplay.
However, as the book reaches the end, the gaps in time between each Chosen One increases. And the last one to have been proven was over a hundred years ago. And that man is still living as the leader of the most legendary Adventurers' Guild in Pordrig. The Red Phoenix Guild. Named that because their leader is immortal.
The book claims he received divine inspiration, and created a Philosopher's Stone. He apparently refuses to explain how, but his current existence seems to confirm it. I've already heard his story myself. I want to fight him because of it. Fighting an immortal sounds fun. It sounds like a good next step. I've fought monsters and men. Now I should fight an immortal. Then a demigod, and then a God. Or maybe I could skip a few steps, and kill this Divine Lord? That'd be delightful.
Ah, now here's something foreboding.
Is the Dark Age upon us?
It has been gleaned from various sources that the Divine Lord abandons his creations eventually. It is akin to a parent forcing their children to survive on their own after caring for them for a long, long time. Our entire existence in fact.
However, it has been over a hundred years since the last confirmed Chosen One. While some theorize this is because Chosen Ones were never that common, and many Chosen Ones are frauds, I personally believe that the Divine Lord has left us.
And we are in a Dark Age where we fend for ourselves. And I find all of Librarius to be truly disappointing. Not in terms of power, but maturity. We do not deserve to control so much power on our own. We still need the Divine Lord.
Personally I think this is pussy shit that only a coward would think. I do not need a God to hold my hand and tell me what is right and wrong all day. Maybe Henry does, but I sure as hell don't.
I put this book up, and pull out another one. This one is called 'Heathens.' The opening is: The Divine Lord has few true enemies. But these are the Heathens who dare defy him.
Then I turn the page, and see two very familiar men on pages side by side. On the left is Cain, the First Murderer. A man who became immortal because of the evil he became seeped in from committing the first sin, and then beginning to unleash his evil wrath upon the world. He would one day be slain by King Gilgamesh, but that's another story. A story this book doesn't even acknowledge. It claims some fucking Chosen One named Samuel killed him. Fuck Samuel.
On the right page is King Gilgamesh. Of course, they'd demonize him and steal his glory. Whoever worships the Divine Lord are the real heathens.
Anyway, why he's listed here is intriguing. It's vaguely clicking with some other shit I know about King Gilgamesh from his youth. King Gilgamesh openly defied the Divine Lord on multiple occasions. The first was when he attempted laying claim to land meant for a Chosen One, and he had to be chased out of the land by a storm of lightning bolts. Then there was when he tried to fight a Chosen One due to an argument over how barbaric King Gilgamesh was. And another one where he managed to take the sword of a Chosen One. The blade Excalibur, and its enchanted sheathe.
Excalibur is great. I'd know. I defeated King Gilgamesh in a duel of skill, and won the right to wield it. And I would've died many times without being healed by the sheathe.
I skim through the rest of the book to see if anyone notable appears. All that's left is the Malicious Queen. The ultimate opposite of the Divine Lord. And she has quite the dramatic, evil story. I enjoy it. I imagine myself surviving this apocalypse a lot.
Malicious Queen
She will be the last to be born. On the last day of Libraius's existence, Lilith will be born. A fully grown evil that has grown in the hearts of all since the beginning of time. She is said to be a great manipulator, using what appears to be chaos to her advantage. Manipulating the hearts of criminals and evil creatures to do as she desires, all without them knowing. And her goal? To kill the Divine Lord, and take over this world. Then begin to take over all other worlds.
Gods from other worlds have-
…Did this book just casually there's other worlds with Gods of their own? What the fuck was this author smoking?
Gods from other worlds have told us that the Malicious Queen is an evil unique to Librarius. But her influence is felt from the outside. It's common knowledge to outsiders of our world that this place is dangerous because of her.
Thanks to the literature of her cultists, we have an idea of how this Apocalypse will begin. They are as follows:
The entire world must be split. This was physically done by King Gilgamesh a century ago. Though some of us wonder if it is meant more literally, and that Lilith will crawl out the planet itself as if the planet was an egg, and she the chicken.
The planet must be engulfed in war. With King Gilgamesh on the warpath, we have drawn close to this numerous times. The only thing that seems to deter this is unity against King Gilgamesh.
Lilith must have chosen a Sin Knight to represent her. This being appears to be the one who truly helps Lilith. They act as an enforcer and servant for Lilith and her cult. We have no idea who this Sin Knight is. Our current hope is that this is because there is currently no Sin Knight.
The sun must be red. Thankfully the sun is currently just an ordinary star that probably has billions of years of life before it'll turn into a red supergiant.
Once these conditions are met, the world ending event known as The Night of Broken Scales will begin. It's called this because the laws of Libra and reality itself will be broken, the evil in everyone's hearts will consume them, and the world will plunge into an era of Sin and War. The entire world will be forced to fight one another for Lilith's entertainment. Until one day she decides to step out, and begin conquering other worlds.
Man, this apocalypse would be badass. I would conquer it just like King Gilgamesh conquered this one. And then I'd become the King of Malice, and go on to conquer other worlds. … If they even exist. I'm pretty sure we're still the only planet with life on it in this solar system. At least, that's what I read in a newspaper a while back.
"It wouldn't be long before the other empires became involved. This happened because some Disciples of Gilgamesh decided to claim their own victories in Pordrig and Zelzabog. Their reasons were arguably honorable. Depending on which of the Disciples you asked any way." Cato says calmly.
He claps his hands, and two men appear over Zelzabog, and a man and woman appear over Pordrig. Cato points at the man over Pordrig. He's pale with a scarred face. Dozens of scars. He wears a tattered red jacket, a black vest, black pants, and crimson dress shoes. He wields a scary ax in one hand. It's black but bright orange cracks crawl all over it, and the edge is a bright white. In his other hand is a spear with a shaft of crimson wood, and a black obsidian blade.
The woman beside him stands taller than by a foot. She has tanned skin, dark brown hair, steely gray eyes, and a very muscular body. She looked like a bodybuilder. She wears a black bodysuit with white half plate armor over it. She wields a simple longsword that glows white, and a black shield with the face of King Gilgamesh painted on it.
"This is Hunter Deatrix, and beside him is his wife. Sarah Deatrix. But believe it or not, she is apparently a cousin of King Gilgamesh. And your friend Jacob is their son. This may be hard to believe, but we verified it ourselves." Cato says seriously.
"Huh. The more you know." I say calmly.
Cato stares at me, disappointed.
"What?" I ask annoyedly.
"Your friend is related to King Gilgamesh. And you have no reaction to that? That's mind blowing news." Cato says annoyedly.
"Yeah well, I still haven't heard anything. And for all I know, Deatrix has put aside his life as a Disciple." I say annoyedly.
Cato's eyes bug out, his mouth snarls with disgust, and he softly thumps a fist against the table.
"That man is a proud Disciple of Gilgamesh. And one of the most dangerous." he says with firm anger.
I have mixed feelings on that honestly. I like Deatrix. This association definitely taints him. But more importantly, I see an opportunity.
I laugh it off.
"It's whatever. I've represented worse people in court." I say amusedly.
Cato glares at me, and I smile back.
"I can tell you're saying that just to fuck with me." Cato says angrily.
"No I'm not. It's just a simple fact. I will not judge him until I hear the full story. And being fair, everyone in this situation is an asshole." I say mischievously.
"I only explained some flaws and this war. You don't see any of the potential each empire holds." Cato says seriously.
I scoff bitterly.
"Complete honesty? These empires seem fucked enough they all deserve to fall apart. Especially Pordrig and Zelzabog." I say angrily.
Cato glares at me, then looks down at the table. He takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly.
"That's fair from your perspective. Let's take a short break. We are getting a bit intense about this. Would you like something to drink?" Cato says politely.
I sigh and shake my head.
"I think I'd rather leave for now. I'm very bitter right now." I say politely, but anger creeps through.
Cato smiles a polite smile that has some regret in it.
"I understand. But be warned, you can not proceed deeper into the Guild until this trial is complete." he says politely.
I groan annoyedly at that, but I still get up.
"It's fine. We can talk more about this later. Is there a specific schedule you'd like to stick to, or can I just come and go?" I ask with forced calm.
"Ummm…don't come before 9 and never after 6. But otherwise, I'll try to be available." Cato says calmly.
I nod.
"Good. Could you let my friend know I'm leaving?" I ask calmly.
"Indeed. Hope to see you soon Henry." Cato says nicely.
I restrain a sigh, turn around, and leave the room. I decide to wait outside a few minutes for Deatrix.
… … …
He finally comes out. With a few books in hand for…some reason.
"What's with those?" I ask confusedly.
"Oh this? They're letting me borrow them to help me solve my trial. I don't even know what it is yet though." Deatrix says calmly.
I look at the tower, then back at Deatrix. A bell rings in my mind.
"So we have different trials. Interesting." I say, intrigued.
"Huh? Your trial is different? What's yours?" Deatrix asks, curious.
I sigh angrily.
"Yeah, I've got to talk about some fucking war, and judge why each empire is an asshole. It's fucking stupid." I say bitterly.
Deatrix looks at me with jealousy.
"Man, I'd love to talk about a war over reading these damn books." he complains. "Though at least they're cool ones. They're about the Divine Lord and King Gilgamesh from what I've seen so far." he says calmly.
I look back blankly.
"Yeah, those sound boring. I'd probably still prefer yours though." I say calmly.
We walk in silence for a few minutes. Then Deatrix turns to me with a sheepish smile.
"Well, I don't know if we really accomplished anything. But it's a start. Let me know if you need any more help, I've got a reason to be invested. You can find me at the Crimson Wolves guild." Deatrix says warmly.
I nod.
"Gotcha. You have a good night man. And things were accomplished today. Not gonna pretend it's the best start considering I've got nothing concrete on the man who actually attacked you, but at least him and his friends' position in the town is weaker." I say, a bit disappointed in myself.