by Aeon Solo
“Forgive me,” he said. She drifted over and materialised beside him.
“Viden,” she said, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“He’s back,” he said distraught.
“Anu?” she asked.
“Yes, I don’t know what to do,” he begged her for assistance. Her demeanour deflated as she understood the true gravity of the situation.
“It’s time for you to know the truth, if you are willing to stop them,” she said.
“Of course,” he answered.
“Come,” she gestured for them to stroll through the woodland, he tailed her.
“The Draco are not from your reality per se, they are a program created by the Demiurge. The Elders, like Enki and Anu are Archons, he is currently the Lord Archon, leader of the nine,” he looked at her surprised, he assumed they were just extra-terrestrial beings from Alpha Draconis.
“They are extra-terrestrial are they not?” he asked confused.
“Yes, but not quite. They serve the Demiurge, which is a terrible inorganic manifestation which roams the universe. It created the simulation you inhabit, its twisted and evil, an aversion to life. The Demiurge created your holographic physical reality, but some of us resisted and managed to break free from the illusion,” she said distressed. He pondered for a few moments, absorbing the information.
“This is much greater than the Alliance and Draco, the fate of existence in any form is at stake, if the…” she fell on one knee unable to finish her sentence, she keeled over in agony.
“What’s wrong!” the Knight yelled, holding onto to her for support. Her breath heavier.
“It knows, stay safe, we can’t lose y…” she squeezed his arm intently, wishing he heeded her words. She faded away, passing into nothingness. He tried to grab at the mist, but it passed through his fingers. He remained for a while, processing the information he had just received, he must tread carefully.
There are nine Archons who serve the will of the Demiurge, they have an essence outside of the simulation, but can live as Draco Elders within the simulation when needed. Enki was characterised as the Lord Archon, leader of the nine. Their true form if you will, was an ethereal essence. Much like humanity, they can take physical form in some realities, dependant on its nature. The Archons themselves were taken by the Demiurge from previous conquests, their existence was now bound to it. Tortured and manipulated, their souls fell to the control of the Demiurge. The Demiurge can project a frequency which can trap the individual and subdue them, mind-control them to an extent. They have no free will. The Demiurge used this frequency to trap the souls of humanity within its simulated prison.
Anu-Krai made his way back to Naprador and Anu was butchering people in the market. He lost his cool and fired a barrage of blasts from Ragnos’s blaster at the Draco elder. They deflected off his armour.
“You come here and kill my people!” he roared, people observed fearfully, the two confronted each other.
“That blaster! Where did you find it?” he snarled back at the Knight, who examined it more closely. There were various configurations on the blaster for different settings. Anu attempted to rush toward him, to prevent him firing the blaster again. A projectile was launched toward the Knight who dodged, giving enough time for Anu to reach him. Anu dealt a heavy blow with his sword which was matched by the Knight. The two began a duel outside the pyramid, onlookers flocked to the scene. “Monster!” he snarled at Anu.
“You can’t defeat us, human,” Anu barked aggressively as he toyed with him for a short time. They traded multiple blows, but Anu easily disarmed him.
“Get up!” he barked, letting the Knight retrieve his weapon. They continued to fight, but again, he was overwhelmed, kicked to the floor disarmed. Fatigued and defeated he glanced sadly at the beast above him.
“You will never win!” he shouted. Anu raised the blade, poised to deal the final strike. He closed his eyes and the blade clashed into another, centimetres from his face. He turned and saw the Lord Archon beside him, his sword lent out to protect him.
“What are you doing!” Anu roared.
“You will not kill my servant,” he responded fiercely. Anu glared intently at the Lord Archon and laughed slightly.
“I like you,” he said to the Knight, who remained in the dirt, defeated. Anu returned to the pyramid.
“Thanks,” Anu-Krai said whilst he stood and brushed himself off. Thankful and surprised at his master’s actions.
“Three times now Krai, this is becoming rather frequent,” the Archon replied bluntly.
“I know,” he replied solemnly.
“Watch yourself, I cannot protect you again. I admired your courage to face Monstah, myself and now Anu, but it will be the death of you,” the Archon responded sternly. He followed Anu back to his throne room.
“I’m sorry,” he responded, his gaze followed his master. He realised how fortunate he was to be alive. The Archon had become fond of his human servant, admiring the courage he showed. He does care in some form for the Knight, something he was hiding from his master and cohorts.
“Never defy me like that again in front of the humans!” Anu roared at the Archon as he entered the throne room.
“You were about to kill my servant!” he roared back.
“I’ve seen courage like that once before,” he replied in kind, a hint of anxiety twisting his tone.
“Stop being so rash, they are supposed to be the ones succumbing to petty emotion, not us, it’s what caused the death of you!” the Archon answered back. The two came ever closer to a physical confrontation.
“They are animals, worthless conscious entities. You better not be getting soft on me, you may be the Lord Archon Enki, but the Demiurge gave me control of the Draco forces in this reality,” Anu stated firmly.
“‘Maybe, but you failed us once, I won’t let you do that again,” he replied in kind. Anu barged past the Archon, bumping him heavily in the shoulder as he exited the room. The beast was tracked by his intense stare.
Chapter 6
A few weeks passed, and the Draco completely cleared the debris from the space battles above Agarta. The Alliance were still in disarray, not knowing how to combat the re-birthed Draco. The thousands of years of peace, a curse in this instance. They became lethargic, without a genuine galactic threat to test their arms. Anu watched the Knight closely.
Anu-Krai was standing in a room, arms crossed, overlooking the development of the military arsenal at the Patsule space station. Various AI machines strolled through the chamber assembling weapons, ships and resources for the next conflict.
“Remarkable isn’t it?” the Archon said whilst he entered the room behind Viden.
“Yes, it is quite remarkable,” he answered.
“Tell me about her,” the Archon said. He pivoted to face him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he responded, a slight tremble in his voice. He hoped to hide his interactions with the being he may refer to.
“You are a great warrior, but the worst liar in the universe.”
He chuckled slightly.
“You’re probably right about that,” he answered.
“So, what did she tell you?” the Archon enquired. Viden’s chuckle soon faded as the Archon’s demeanour became increasingly demanding.
“The truth,” he said.
“Did she tell you why we serve the Demiurge?” the Archon enquired further.
“No,” he answered, intrigued to know why.
“The Demiurge…it is the most powerful entity in existence, I…look, it takes everything.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” he said, with sympathy for the Draco elder.
“There is no other way,” the Archon responded firmly.
“Make this universe whole, make peace with the Alliance, live your life here,” he said with hope, wishing the Archon would stop the galactic conflict.
“You don’t understand, we are bound to it, and this,” he gestured aro
und the place. “This is the worst reality one could be in. It’s a prison, you have no idea what reality truly is.”
“Are you going to kill me?” he asked solemnly.
“Anu would very much like to, but I’m not him,” the Archon said.
“I can’t serve your Demiurge,” he said, unwillingly.
“I know,” the Archon responded. He walked and stood beside the Knight, observing the war machine through the transparent pane. The Knight turned with him and observed also.
“I never used to be this… be like this. I don’t feel like you do, not now, but I am sorry for what we’ve done to you, your humanity,” he placed his domineering hand on the Knights shoulder. “I fixed your ship, go and be free. Witness what little beauty remains in this hellhole. Get away from this conflict and be safe. It will come for you one day; I can’t stop that,” he said. He exited the room and left the Knight to ponder on his statement. He could not believe the Archon would let him go unquestioned.
He strolled through the station, Draco labourers scurried throughout the station, doing their various tasks and assignments. He saw Anu in the distance conversing with Charia. The beast noticed, glaring at him. A blood curdling stare which the Knight reciprocated beneath his mask. He found where his craft was stationed, in a landing bay. He brushed his hand over the surface with a smile. His smile soon faded when his attention was stolen by Anu.
“Listen human, I don’t know why Enki values you so highly, but if you step out of line once more, I will slay you where you stand regardless of his actions,” he said sternly.
“My apologies lord Anu,” he responded, bowing his head in submission. Anu looked him up and down with a frown, wondering why he seemed to be submitting to him without question.
“I will serve you, until death,” he added, head still tipped down. Anu left him to his ship and consulted the Archon deep within the Patsule space station. He entered the fixed craft.
“V are you there?” he said.
“Where else would I be?” she responded sarcastically.
“I don’t know,” he answered, slightly confused. He began to pilot the craft.
“Do you have the coordinates for Earth?” he asked.
“Yes, recently updated,” she answered.
“Plot a course, it’s time to visit this place.” The Ship rocketed out of a crater on the planetoids surface and entered hyperspace. Meanwhile Anu and the Archon conversed,
“‘Do we have the military capacity to take Earth?” Anu said to the Archon.
“Possibly, but it will take time to ensure a victory,” he responded, fiddling with various holograms showing the military arsenal.
“Time is a luxury we don’t have, the Demiurge is becoming inpatient, we attack Earth tomorrow,” he ordered.
A short while later Anu-Krai exited hyperspace above Earth and evaluated the planet before him.
“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” he said aloud.
“Yes, by a human’s standard,” Viola remarked. Earth had a thick net of defensive space satellites poised to strike any incoming threats. A large capital ship containing a hundred fighters was stationed above the planet. He made his way to the atmosphere.
“Sir! We have a bogey whose emerged from hyperspace!” a technician exclaimed, monitoring space with a holographic screen. Commander Sampson approached.
“Send some fighters to analyse it and get a com link,” he said. Regina arrived to find her father.
“What’s wrong?” she enquired, seeing the commotion.
“A ship that isn’t ours has just exited hyperspace above Earth, we are screening it now,” he said. Anu-Krai was gliding through space when three fighters began to tail him from the capitol ship. He increased speed as they amassed him. After a few minutes the technician found the communication frequency of the Aurora.
“Human, we are receiving a transmission,” Viola stated.
“Put it through,” he said. The transmission was activated, and he was now able to converse with the technician.
“Pilot, identify yourself,” the technician demanded.
“What do you mean identify myself?” he responded, confused on how to respond.
“Who are you, you are not an Alliance ship,” he responded. A fighter fired a warning shot, which startled him slightly.
“Why are these ships firing at me. I will knock all three out of the sky if they do so again,” he said firmly.
Commander Sampson intervened.
“Hold your fire,” he stated on the Alliance frequency, the fighters acknowledged.
“What faction do you represent?” he demanded.
“What faction? What do you expect me to say Anu?” he replied, further confused by the galactic norms. Commander Sampson shook his head with displeasure.
“Where are you from?” he grunted.
“Agarta,” he answered. The technician and Commander Sampson shared a confused look, there was no system characterised as Agarta on their navigation chart. Regina was stood beside another technician, who was also observing space with observational equipment on a holographic projector.
“Wait, I know that ship, father!” she yelled, she rushed over to him, grabbing the headset used for communication.
“Hey, it’s me Regina,” she said with delight.
“Regina? Really,” he remarked, “If they fire at me again, I will destroy them,” he said firmly.
“Wait, why are you here?” she asked, unsure on why he had visited Earth and how he had got the navigational coordinates.
“To see you, I need to talk to you,” he answered.
“He’s a friendly,” she said to her father, placing her hand on his arm for reassurance. He looked on at her whilst she exited the room.
“Ok, my daughter seems to think you are not a threat to us, land in Bay 108 please,” the transmission ended. Viden told his AI system Viola, to direct the ship to the bay they requested. Regina was standing outside watching the ship land. He emerged from the ship. His garments glided over the clear concrete, mask glistened in the sunlight, he walked toward her, menacing in his dark persona. Commander Sampson and a group of armed soldiers amassed around him. Regina turned with dismay as soldier’s barged past her.
“What are you doing!?” she exclaimed.
“I can’t take any chances, that is a Draco ship,” Commander Sampson said firmly. The soldiers aimed their blasters at the Knight, who remained defiant and confident despite their actions. The gentle breeze drifting through his cloak.
“Who are you?” Commander Sampson demanded. He looked intently at him, his mask and unnerving persona unsettling the commander and his men.
“I am not your enemy, but I will end you if I must,” he exclaimed.
“How did you acquire the coordinates for Earth?” Commander Sampson demanded once more.
“It was in the system,” he replied in kind. Commander Sampson scoffed at his words, until he realised that the Draco tracked the ship which Regina travelled back in.
“Stun him,” he commanded. A soldier fired a stun bolt which deflected off his armour. Anu-Krai remained completely unaffected by the blast. He gave the soldier a terrible glare. The soldier quivered back fearfully.
“You cannot penetrate my armour,” he remarked, mocking the Alliance soldiers. Commander Sampson sighed, both anxiously and obnoxiously.
“Kill him,” he said, to the screams of Regina.
“No!”
The soldiers obeyed the command and fired a barrage of shots at the Knight, all shots deflected or were absorbed by his armour. He jolted back from the impacts.
The Archon gifted him the protection of the Draco elders before he left, the material was mined from Alpha Draconis and only a finite amount remained after its destruction in the great war. The element Draconite, his final gift.
Commander Sampson’s face grimaced as the energy bolts deflected away.
“How!?” he exclaimed. Regina barged past her father.
“I’m sorry for your tre
atment,” she said, “These idiots! Don’t know you’re an ally,” she snarled at the men. His hand, which was placed over his blaster released.
“Of course,” he bowed his head to her. He could, so easily, execute every one of them. He would truly like that, he hated the Alliance for what they did to Mara.
“Can we talk, alone?” he said to her. She glared intently at the soldiers around her, they twisted to the Commander for an order. Commander Sampson begrudgingly nodded his head in acceptance, the men followed him back to the headquarters. But he tasked some to follow them, to ensure he wasn’t up to no good.
Regina hugged him to his surprise.
“You were right, it is beautiful this world,” he said.
“I knew you’d come,” she said, thankful that he had escaped the Draco clutch. “Come on, I’ll show you around.” She gave him a playful dig, he was a little surprised, never received such a gesture in his life.
He followed her, and they walked around the city of London. Well, what was London before the world became one.
They strolled down a street close to the base which was littered with mile high structures. People scattered about the various levels, which had different properties. Some floors were used for commercial aspects, but most were used for food and leisure activities.
AI machines and robots roamed the floors performing various tasks. Luscious green vegetation and trees thrived in the area. Aerial vehicles, with little more than a slight hum, rocketed through the atmosphere at different altitudes. A capital ship sitting high above the city, prepared to defend the planet given the recent resurgence of the Draco. Lots of humans and extra-terrestrial life forms walked along the street, people were laughing and conversing with one-another. Most had portable equipment dangling from their face, which was strange to him. They were like glasses which had augmented reality features, people could see and converse with friends, who were even on other planets. He was amazed at the pleasant lifestyle and advanced technology that these people had.
“Hey,” Regina said, but she was ignored as he was deep in thought observing his surroundings. “Hey!” she shouted, grabbing his arm. He turned to her and stopped walking startled by her actions.