Shall Wear No Crown: Pt. 3
The air was thick with moisture where he stood. The clouds’ breath lingered in each passing moment as a reminder of how high he stood. Midgard rested beneath his gaze, a product of heartache and painstaking work. Were it not for the assistance and tools extended to him by the Gods, it was likely that this new haven would never have come to fruition.
Treetops glistened upon the touch of a rising sun. Hilltops cast silhouettes across the landscape, all but shadows of the colossal spirit that lived inside. There was life in the land as much as any denizen of Loka. It was a glorious sight to behold as the morning developed and the image before him served well to remind of the vitality his new home held.
Midgard was now a place of refuge for Slicers still coming to this world. He would provide safety to any who approached beneath the gates and exhaust every effort to prepare them for what lay ahead. Turmoil was the only constant beneath the Artifact, of that he was sure. There were still few memories left of his life before traversing the Knife. This had been his life for so long that it no longer mattered. War, conquest, glory...love.
The Elder closed his eyes for a moment to feel the environment fade. It returned in no more time than it took for him to exhale. He opened his ruby eyes again to look at the room around him. The housing was small but it served the purpose. Before him sat the heart of Midgard, its generator and source of protection. Aegon had spent more time in the darkness lately than he cared to admit. He was sure that people believed him either a recluse or dead. It made no difference. Midgard and Loka required his attention.
He had been warning the citizens of darkness for some time but never had a good answer when asked what was coming. He still did not know for sure but he was getting a better idea. The time he had spent with the Artifact proved to give more insight than most thought possible. As of late, countless hours had been spent within the very core of the world amongst the Guardians. His peers were hard at work to ensure the survival of their home. Fear provoked the conclusion that it may be in futility. To say conflict had been a constant beneath the Artifact was one thing, but it was another when considering that no world was eternal.
The lamps glowed with an ethereal light. He gazed at them like they were the eyes of another person. He was lost in thought when considering the fate of their home. The ominous and cliche thoughts of darkness encroaching were only an increasing worry. Will we live to see another Preksak? Another blight? There was no way to tell until it was too late and the threat was at their doorstep. What I would give to hear your thoughts, my dear Gersimi. He whispered the thought, speaking as though she were next to him. This was the fate he chose, however. The garb that clung to his frame now was present of his own volition. Any of his peers would have done the same. His burden was heavy but the tasks at hand were the same as his fellows. No matter the threat, they would stand together to stop it.
There was a tugging in his chest, pulling at him, warning him of something. He blinked hesitantly once more and opened his eyes. He floated above the tower now, lowering his eyes to peer at the Artifact. It pulsed and the sound it generated intensified for a moment. A cracking sound pierced the air like nothing he had heard from the relic. Obsidian flakes fell from the southern arm, dissipating before they hit the ground. It was the same arm that had partially morphed into plain stone once already. His eyes widened as he watched in horror. The black shards only continued to fall away, revealing the dull gray of cracked stone beneath. This can’t be happening…
Regardless of what he wanted, it was real. It was not a fabrication of the mind. He was not hallucinating. The Artifact was still breaking down and he still did not know why; no one did. The implications were many but without some kind of evidence as to what was truly going on he could not jump to conclusions. One thing was for sure...this was all just the beginning.
