EPISODE 202: CODEX OF EARTH 3

— MOUNTAIN OF FINAL HOPE, YEAR: 7292. SEASON: NEW BEGINNING.

"A trade—a necessary exchange, at our current levels, we are far from being chess players… Lawruthian wouldn't agree…," Minerva rambled, slowly closing the journal. She put the quill to her chin, its feather a stark reminder of her plumage. "Well, actually, knowing me… he would agree… but only if it were him doing it and not me."

She laughed, a clear, concise thing that echoed in her room. Then, a sudden sigh escaped her lips. "I don't know whether he's on time or too early," she mumbled.

She flapped once and landed on a new perch away from her desk as she overviewed the schematics of a spell construct on a large wall. The space around the perch was clear—this was her magnum opus over the past six months. This was the spell that would put an [End of Adventure]. And, tomorrow, they would begin its inscription.

"This is… everything… a spell that will alter the realm as we know it…," Minerva muttered. "I don't know if it's the right thing to do… I'm not certain if taking advantage of a man on his last hopes is…," her voice trailed off.

Minerva shook her head. The Aspect of Knowledge wasn't a man—he was a God, or at least something of a similar nature. She still didn't fully understand exactly what an Aspect was—even after spending six close months working with him on a spell that would rewrite old history. She still recalled his words and her own research into the knowledge available on Aspects—something that was next to nil.

"Aspects are guardians—keepers of Law. When a God of Law comes into existence, an Aspect of said Law can also appear—should the God fall, then the knowledge they've accumulated of said Law will not perish with them. It will be retained under an Aspect's power," Minerva recited, blankly staring at the spell construct. "Then, why was knowledge lost after the Realm Lord fell…? Was the damage to the Realm far too extensive for knowledge to be retained? Was the written knowledge of that time utterly destroyed?"

She'd learned so much in her months helping Rasheed find a way to bring his children to life. It wasn't just all work; in fact, the Aspect hadn't treated her badly. Not like when Madria and Lawruthian were present. She'd absorbed a ton of knowledge regarding the Realm of Genesis—its history, complex spells, research into the Attributes—so much knowledge on every subject imaginable was present that if Minerva couldn't touch a book and immediately create a copy of its contents, then, it'd take lifetimes for her to read everything. She only had Madria read to her because she enjoyed her voice, and it gave the young woman something to do.

Minerva continued to voice her questions; silently, she took flight and began to add alterations here and there to the spell. "Or could it be Oblivion? Perhaps its name had everything to do with the loss of the realm—complete destruction on a fundamental level we yet understand…?"

Over the past six months, nearly eight, should Minerva count all her time spent here, she'd consumed the knowledge given to her and what she could access from the library. Minerva could safely say no one held a greater understanding outside the Gods of the events before the current age. She even understood both [Chosen of Madris] who came prior to Lawruthian.

There were several Ages of continental—no, Realm-expanding history. The first… should properly be called the [End of Elrunian]—this took place right after the Realm Lord perished in his battle against Oblivion. The time had been referred to as the Jagged Crush by some, but she didn't feel this fully represented what occurred. The exact period is unknown, but Minerva believed it only lasted tens of years as this is the period the final Titans and natural-born Gods sacrificed themselves to stabilize what was left of the Genesis Realm. It was when they excluded Rasheed — Final Dragon, as Titans and Gods could rise from the Saphens—dragons could not.

The second age should be known as the [Age of Union]. An age when only True Elves and Magi existed. Like the prior age, it didn't last long, only sporting a few hundred years—at most a thousand—as figures like The First Magi and The Adventurer rose as protectors of the young race—it was an era where they became the first Gods and when history began to be recorded. The reason Minerva decided this period ended early was the advent of mutations—the Saphens mutated into gnomes, goblins, orcs, and such. And… then… Union was Shattered.

If the old historical texts remained unbiased, then Minerva believed it was only a matter of time before Union was shattered. Goblins emerged from the poorer Saphens—those commoners uncared for and thought useless by the ruling majority. The magi houses still were in similar practice to the original Union—warriors and other combative type professions remained at the top… and everyone else…? Well, they just had to deal with the card dealt to them in life.

Minerva called the next era [Magi's Betrayal]—a period of war—The Great War—a war that should have opened the eyes of the world to a false sky—The False Sky. Minerva absentmindedly opened her quest panel and glanced at the notification. She and Lawruthian were two consciousnesses, one soul. They shared nearly everything—including levels; as Lawruthian level, Minerva would too. Perhaps that's why it took them so long, even with their greater understanding.

The [Magi's Betrayal] didn't just end after the first [Chosen of Madris] named Alidra shattered Union. It spanned several centuries of skirmishes and continental war—even after her disappearance. Eventually, the magi were pushed to the southern end of the continent—with nearly half of the southern portion belonging to them and their small number of allies.

The [Magi's Betrayal] didn't just restrengthen the bonds between the separate Saphen branches, it opened up a new profit and created another generation of [Path Walkers] who entered the Astral Above while some delved into the Underneath Below. That fractured Union, stemming from discrimination, persecution, and more was suddenly bonded in a new form.

…

Elysium .

…

Minerva called the next period [Strife]—for that is what occurred from the years 1587 to nearly 2340, when a second [Chosen of Madris] was born. It is only a few decades later that the [Lost History] occurs. Minerva wasn't certain of what happened, but the next few thousand years were… a mess . Whatever the second [Chosen of Madris] did… they were thorough in their task. So much so, that she wasn't certain if her research into this period remained completely factual. The strength of the second [Chosen of Madris] was enough that he was only defeated at the steps of the Temple of the Sun—the highest or north-most point on the land of Genesis.

What Minerva knew was that the Warring Beastman Plains erupted from this conflict, and a new God by the title of [Thousand Faces] rose—the forefather of the many beastman tribes—a mutation of the Saphens taken to the extreme. The rest is history from there—they all believed themselves true descendants of the God and believed the others were inferior in closeness to [Thousand Faces]. And, the God never bothered to clear it up—allowing the Saphens he began to remain in a perpetual state of war. Now, a new age is rising, one that Minerva called [Ardent of the End]. The passion Goddess Madris held to completing her task would either succeed with Lawruthian or…

Minerva wasn't certain. She recognized the importance of three to the magi and knew of its meaning. This was a finality—an end to all endings.

This age was deemed the [Ardent of the End] for the sole reason that regardless of what Lawruthian did. Whether he succeeded in his quest and conquered the realm or failed… this would bring about the collapse of the Realm. Of this… Minerva was certain, and when The False Sky appeared—it only consolidated her belief.

…

The End was Nigh.

…

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She sighed, flying to a perch before she entered her nesting area. She blew gently, and the light keeping away the dark was extinguished. It was time to sleep.

Snow fell on the Mountain of Final Hope, a silvery-white expanse that covered the peak. It was far past the season in which the weather occurred, so its appearance was quite unnatural. A day passed, then two and three as it fell, and within the mountain, change was occurring. Just as it was outside.

Rivers of red blood flowed, not of the magi who followed Imperius but of the Wyverns who Roost in the forest. That blood steeped deep into the ground, not as nutrients for the next generation of fauna… but repurposed for something else. Something greater. The magi who fought them remained unaware, the outskirts of the mountain in sight but the colossal frames of three giant wyverns blocking their path.

The sky was clear; only snow fell on the mountain. For the magi, the weather was nice and pleasant, with no signs of the rain that occurred days prior.

"No, no, no, no—this spell is beyond tier eleven—it's beyond Adaptive Learning Algorithm," Minerva argued. "Thus, it requires a greater sacrifice of Life Points—what you're doing is beyond what is necessary. The egg cannot handle such stress," Minerva pointed a wing at a giant open egg filled with Kair-unian script.

The egg was gently pulsating—multicolor lights reminiscent of a rainbow gently showed as a wave. The construction was large, easily able to fit the Aspect in its current form with room to spare. On its surface and internal were high-tiered runes that looked like an artist's complex painting. It painted a scene—a cycle—of a draconian-looking creature emerging from an egg—it emerged humanoid, but in the next scene, it shifted until it looked like a Western dragon. Then, it would change again in the next scene as it appeared like an adult male. The story continued until, eventually, the creature shriveled back into its egg form, and a new cycle began.

"You're wrong—you have no idea what one at the level of a God is capable of," Rasheed dismissively waved his claw, and the carved runic script shifted. "We hold some of the same powers as Gods—perhaps they are mightier in strength, but we hold more control and understanding of our Law."

"…that is that, and this is this…" Minerva's words trailed off as a low, resonant hum began to emanate from the artifact before them. It vibrated through the stone floor, a deep thrumming hum that Minerva felt in her bones. The air grew thick with a palpable sense of power, the scent of ozone stinging her nostrils. Something was happening. Something she hadn't foreseen. Whatever Rasheed changed was impactful. And, Minerva couldn't verify what he'd done; she could only provide the theory through her vast data collection.

The hum spread—past them, past the mountain, and into the forest, where the armies of magi prepared themselves to face calamities. Minerva launched herself off her perch, frantically beating her wings as the hum thickened the very space around them. A startling, but recognizable cackle emerged into the air, muted by a fit of coughing as Rasheed stared at their creation. He stood close to the egg, his once tall and full frame was slightly gaunt, but his gaze remained stronger than ever. Rasheed's frame grew slimmer as the hum increased in volume, and his wild laughs louder.

"What did you do," Minerva screamed—her voice barely passing through over the rise of the hum. "The corrections I did to the spell are…"

"The corrections you did to the spell are here—they are what I needed to give them a chance— NO ," Rasheed's voice trembled, then it surged with passion. "You have achieved what I could not for centuries—millennium—by simply expanding my view of reality."

Minerva shuddered. This was not exactly what she held in mind when she completed a trade with Rasheed. "You alone are not enough—you alone cannot bring them back. So then…"

Minerva struggled to find her words. When she initiated a trade with the Aspect of Knowledge, Rasheed. It was inherently based on three things. The first was to ensure Lawruthian and Madria escaped. The second was to gain access to the near vastly endless knowledge that seemed to permeate the Library of Final Hope… and the third was to kill Rasheed. To kill the final dragon through his own [Madness] to revive—no, not revive, you cannot revive something that was never alive in the first place.

…

So…

…

Minerva gave him an… alternative .

…

And…

…

She called it…

" …G.E.N.E.S.I.S isn't supposed to function this way—we theorize that you don't possess enough Attribute Points to inseminate them and restore the trace amounts of vitality they once held. The Genetic Engineering: Neo-Embryonic Synthesis Initiating Spawning won't hold with just you…," her voice trailed off, head cocked to the side. The strength Minerva put into her flaps faltered… before fading entirely as her body was pushed away. A single, scary thought entered her mind.

Light, like that of a star, appeared behind her, its flames warm and comforting. A large, fiery hand gently embraced Minerva before she could hit some wall or another object behind her. A heavy, despondent sigh escaped from the golem that held on to her, its kin appeared one by one in a decagon to surround the Aspect of Knowledge.

"Lord Rasheed," the light voice of Vita cautioned.

"Rasheed… friend…," Ignis warned. "You are treading too close to the abyss… fall back… fall… back."

Minerva listened to the conversation in a daze, her mind hesitant and stunned at the possibility and realization that was undergoing as she watched.

"…you're… all in danger…," she half-heartedly choked out, her voice lost to the thrum of the hum.

"Lord Rasheed—your actions endanger the mountain and the Library of Final Hope," Terra's mountainous voice began. "Cease your actions, or the [Realm Guards] will be forced to take action."

A half dozen other voices all spoke, urging Rasheed to calm his erratic state. The [Final Dragon] continued to laugh, a destitute, unfeeling laugh that echoed through the halls of the mountain—perhaps past it. Minerva was limp in Ignis's hand, her strength sapped at the realization of what she helped create.

Genetic Engineering: Neo-Embryonic Synthesis Initiating Spawning, better known as G.E.N.E.S.I.S, was a spell that reconstituted what once was through sacrifice. Minerva understood the Aspect of Knowledge to be a nigh-immortal-like being. And, if you wanted to kill such a creature—not knowing their weaknesses, not knowing their capabilities… how would you do such? Minerva's idea was to drain him…

Everything had attributes… even the Gods. It was how the Prime System organized the strength of an individual on a fundamental, reality-altering method. Attributes were an inherent strength that nothing could take away. But if one were to volunteer, use their attributes for another purpose? Although Minerva didn't understand the full implication of Attribute manipulation through the soulscape, she understood enough through the detailed textbooks and research. And, there was no greater teacher, no greater mentor than the [Mad Dragon] before her. Knowledge was his inherent strength, just as it was hers .

"…all need to leave…," Minerva struggled to say. Her body felt lethargic—heavy and slow, as her mind attempted to warn those around her.

" You all need to leave. "

AN: Consider this a partial revamp to clear the timeline up! More is coming with Carno.

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