Soul of Searing Steel

Chapter 1043: The Unforgotten Ten Thousand Years

[To forgetful cowards, all heroic tales and legends are nothing but lies. They would declare those numerous sacrifices in the past as folly or madness, mocking the great courage that they hold. I understand that children born into the light and living in exceeding freedom would never understand the cruel darkness to come, only considering it a joke most cruel—they would leave cautionary tales of martyrs out of sight and out of mind, only focusing on the flowers and pleasantness before their own eyes to the point that they would never see the shroud that has already reach them.]

[But the truth would always be the truth, history would never be lost, and sacrifices never forgotten. I hold conviction that this record would always remain to turn things around. We will remember once more the tribulation of being covered in darkness, weathering all hardship to be reborn in the fire. We will reclaim honor and glory, to rise again from the nothingness. I firmly believe that fate is decided by ourselves, that the future would always be in our control. By enduring through the long, cloudy ignorance and bewilderment, we would certainly reclaim hope and the path to truth.]

[Unnamed Archivist, early-Schism period, preface of the Book of Hope]

[The Solitary Journey, Year 150]

***

After a long era of dormancy caused by the darkening of the stars, the races finally and slowly recovered from the grievous injury.

Previously, thousands of Legendary champions had died valiantly in that Solitary Journey with nothing remaining of them. Those who survived no longer had the strength for development either, and could barely hold together the shambling civilizations from falling into the depths of ignorance.

Now, however, everything was turning for the better, with the change that Holy Light and Shadow had brought about finally presenting positivity. The light and flame of worlds were certainly embodying Holy Light attributes, with countless worlds that were dormant or infected by the Chaos slowly recovering from the cleansing and rejuvenating Holy Light, filling their gaping wounds. As for Shadow, the connection between the many worlds of the Multiverse had also brought about the Mana Tide and Extraordinary essences from other cosmos, and like a stream flowing into a low ditch, vigor was restored upon the cosmos.

Then, as the Void civilizations were gradually healed, the civilization known as the Mycroft Starfall Union stood out.

A great nation whose influence reached across the cosmos, their center was the most remote Lost Galaxy which had also been seriously devastated in a single ancient battle, yet it was still the first to rise up like a stubborn coil—the harder it was pressed, the higher it reached on the rebound. Even as the other civilizations were still reclaiming their former national borders and activating lost monitoring beacons and surveillance sentries, the Starfall Union had already assembled a massive fleet to visit the civilizations nearest to them, one after another.

Meanwhile, in the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds within the world of Mycroft, the heart of the Starfall Union was also the origins of the former Glorious Era and the home world of one Wise One along with a Demi Saint, a realm which had almost fallen several times but had always revived time and time again. It was perhaps out of such experiences that the people of Mycroft were simply dauntless, and could always rise again before other races. Even after the great war—later named the Solitary Journey—had left it in a critical state, it had never actually affected their strong position.

Now, under the leadership of a Void fleet of twenty super-dreadnought battleships carrying seventeen new and old Legends along with nine gods, they had once again appeared upon the stage of the cosmos, attempting to assemble a great alliance of Order. There were those who gladly joined and those who firmly refused, just as some doubted the power of the Starfall Union and intentionally challenged their position as leaders, with others also doubtful about whether the Union had the strength to maintain Order in the cosmos after losing their Demi Saint.

“If you wish for a fight, then a fight is what you get.”

The God of Might and Justice, one of the former Seven Gods, was acting as the representative of the Starfall Union and hence coldly issued a declaration of war. “We will destroy your fluke of a doubt, and have you witness the power of ‘Order’ and ‘correctness’.”

***

War.

War had always been unavoidable.

While the civilizations which had fallen in past agony and hence no longer dared to look up at the Void or even any darkness were no cause for worry, those civilizations ready to challenge Mycroft were major problems—a challenge meant resistance, and resistance meant that there will be a showdown. Moreover, without absolute power which could determine outcomes beyond a shadow of a doubt, there would only ever be ‘dissatisfaction’ and ‘grudges’ coming to be, and as those two emotions festered, a squabble would escalate into war.

Soon, in the era where the Chaos had barely left for too long, there was another outbreak of war between different Order. Steel shards and world fragments were left strewn over dimensional turbulences, for those were memories of that which was not worth remembering, an era overflowing with bloodlust, cruelty, and apathy. That did not only include battles waged in the name of unifying Order, but also the differences between the many civilizations and races which a certain warrior of the past had repressed by force. Having been held back for so long under Chaos and calamity, everything was finally bursting out in the present.

Even so, the inferno of hate would eventually burn out. After the prolonged age of conflict and after the Starfall Union had conquered most of the civilizations within their present cosmos with overwhelming force, a great assembly of Order finally came to be. It certainly must be mentioned that the Order, which was built upon the blood of champions and races, was as tough as steel, and it was only then that the countless civilizations and races across the cosmos could finally rest and recuperate.

Still, the leaders of the Starfall Union did not slow down after establishing a solid foothold and uniting all factions across the cosmos. All of them looked up to gaze at the depths of the Void, towards the network of Shadow Trails. It was the way with which the endless Chaos swarm had cross boundless distance to arrive upon their cosmos, and likewise, it would be able to bring the agents of Order into the distance.

Therefore, once again, following innumerable deaths and sacrifices, a brand new and blossoming great era of development that belonged to all civilization and beings began, founded upon the multitudes of corpses and ruins.

[The Grand Development Era, five hundred years after the Solitary Journey]

It ought to have been a normal morning. Amidst the countless exploration bases at the edge of the cosmos, millions of professional explorers would set sail on such a morning with hope, bringing along the complementary resources that the assembled governments provided along with their specialized Void exploration vessels that had seen considerable use, heading out towards the Shadow Subspace deep within the Void with the assistance of artificial intelligences, commencing a long voyage entirely dependent on luck. Most would only be able to find ashes of fallen cosmoses and return in disappointment, although there was also no lack in the lucky ones who could find clusters of worlds simply hovering in the Silent Void.

Such successful explorers would get rich overnight and become lauded heroes of the assembled governments, with the isolated star clusters terraformed by the government’s own professional explorers into a springboard for voyages into the Silent Void, a base where other explorers wanting to go deeper could resupply.

Within those centuries filled with dreams, hopes, and aspirations, countless restless elements became the daring vanguard of those voyages or even Void pirates roaming everywhere. The most influential amongst them were also the most lucky ones who would find remarkably hidden worlds in the Silent Void, which they would use as their base. The complex Shadow Subspace would also provide them shelter, whereas pirates with their specially modified warships were even more elusive, causing major headaches to the Union Fleet when they tried to catch them.

Still, rather than saying that those pirates were robbers who stole only from other explorers, it would be more appropriate to say that they were a group of anarchists who wished to be freed from all constraints, and were descendants of civilizations or races which were left in wretched states in the past during the establishment of assembled cosmic governments of Order. To maintain their independence and ‘freedom’, the pirates would plunder any ship in sight without restraint, but rarely kill any explorers—in fact, there were even some explorers who would make secret pacts with the pirates to keep an eye out for new, isolated worlds.

In return, the pirates certainly did not hold back when it came to their rewards. There was even a spreading rumor that one particular explorer had become the Liege of a World—in the truest sense of the title—when he found a small cluster of remote worlds for those pirates, gaining reimbursement that no work with the federation could bring.

Nonetheless, in the face of a growing group of free pirates, the allied governments posted exorbitant bounties on their heads. Moreover, any individual who could capture or kill the leader of the pirates would be granted the autonomous rule of an entire world along with the highest browsing clearance in the Unified Archives, which also included the path and experience of a certain Demi Saint which had ascended to the utmost point.

Hence, overnight, millions of bounty hunters departed and led the assault—the war between the hunters and the pirates lasted for centuries, while the explorers would head for the most distant reaches of the Void with such profoundness as their backdrop.

However, amidst such an era, it was on an ordinary morning that was no different from mornings before that a most important piece of news like no other spread throughout the entire cosmos!

Priest Omni, legendary explorer, the invincible sacred shield, and heir of the Demi Saint had returned with the Spark, the great ark and the flagship of the Voyager Fleet from the other side of the cosmos!

***

It had been a rewarding journey: the heirs of the first explorers brought with them unique resources and data from another cosmos, and hence received the most honored reception from the assembled cosmic governments. That was also the moment when everyone learned about a legend who had unfolded in another cosmos.

Before the Solitary Journey began, the Voyager Fleet, which had already departed, had entered a predicted subspace passageway. The volatile Shadow Space was not anything a civilization of the time could have foreseen, just as prediction with Demi Saint abilities was not 100% assured. The fleet had assuredly gone through tribulations too, having gotten lost several times in the Void and almost crashing into world fragments or being collectively wiped out in the trap left by some lost civilization. Still, in the end, they managed to reach at the frontier of another cosmos, even setting base and developing in one of the fringe galaxies.

Now, led by several Legendary champions, the Voyager Fleet had founded a local faction upon another cosmos, with their very name starting to circulate amongst powerful indigenous Void civilizations—but out of self-preservation and believing that it was the right timing, the Voyager Fleet was on the move once more after consolidating their force.

This time, it was to guide and not to explore—under the guidance of the Spark along with the support of all assembled governments serving Order, millions of explorers, fleet and even pirates gathered into a tide, rushing towards the other cosmos without looking back.

It was in that same monumental tide of advancement that—in a moment of great luck or perhaps utter misfortune—a party of explorers was caught in an undercurrent of the Shadow Space. They hence arrived in an unknown and unfamiliar part of the Silent Void, waiting for their own hopeless deaths in the Void after having their engine die on them.

That was when they encountered an ancient fleet whose ship designs were unusually familiar.

Then, summoned by a mysterious power, the entire party of explorers and their entire ship were teleported into the flagship of the fleet—another massive ark known as Glimmer. There, they were received by a rather young champion while they sincerely revealed their origins and their plight before asking the champion for help.

“Ah, so you’re from home.”

Hence, with a smile, the champion revealed a truth that left the party in utter shock: the champion—a Legend—was Arlwa Diamond, who was also from Mycroft. He had been entrusted by the predecessor of the Starfall Union before the Solitary Journey to carry with him a copy of the Unified Archives, and journey into the most distant depths of the Silent Void. Now that the war was over and the darkness had receded, a middle-aged man in the party who was moved by Arlwa’s sacrifice and contribution (as well as for his own glory) indicated that he hoped for Arlwa and his fleet to return to their cosmos, to obtain the praise and honors which he deserved.

However, the champion calmly refused the invite.

“The Wanderer Fleet is never turning back or stopping. I will keep sailing forward with everyone aboard for all eternity…after all, what was the price that my mentor paid in protecting us? On the other hand, I have only suffered the most insignificant of solitudes, and have already maintained a spark of civilization…please return. Thank you for telling us news about home, and if you could, please pass the word that ‘Arlwa is still advancing’. These four words would suffice.”

Later, as the explorers would embark on the return journey along the trail through which they floated after their ship’s engine was repaired, some of them were reluctant to leave—they volunteered to join the lonely flotilla, willingly joining their eternal expedition.

Indeed, the tales in such a profound era would be endless if they were to be told completely. But like how every era and story would only ever come to a close, the final moments of the Grand Development Era culminated in another war.

This time, it was not between the varying cosmoses that served Order, but between Chaos and Order.

***

When the official fleet of the Starfall Union arrived upon the new cosmos that the Voyager Fleet had discovered, an envoy from another cosmos had reached that same cosmos as well.

What they brought, however, was a letter beseeching salvation and lamenting in despair—a tentacle of Evil God legions had invaded their home, destroying uncountable civilizations and worlds. They were now fighting however they could but would not last much longer, and the envoy, who was sent in a last-ditch struggle by every being in their home cosmos, was to seek help from any existing Order that might be out there.

An Order was in need of help, and so another Order shall answer.

Before the closing curtains could fall upon the Grand Development Era, the sparks of expedition were already igniting it. In the millennia where the torment that Chaos wrought was yet to be forgotten, all the brave ones of two cosmoses assembled—soon, a gallant expedition of voluntary forces was fully assembled, all of them embodying wrath and heroism, Order and hope, as they journeyed towards the distant stars.

[The Age of Expedition, Fifteen Hundred Years after the Year of Rebirth]

For Extraordinary individuals who lived for extended eras, that Journey of Order a thousand years ago seemed to have happened just yesterday. Everything from the sacrifice, the battle, down to the final triumph, was carved into their memories, never to be forgotten.

On the other hand, a thousand years was dozens of generations for mortals. If they could not even remember the name of their great-grandfathers, how could they still keep ancient histories in their mind? In addition, those difficult historical textbooks were not so easily memorized, and when they were born, the Cosmic Alliance of Order—the great supermassive union of civilizations from eight different cosmoses—had already risen to its peak. Hence, apart from the fleets that were clearing the Void and slaying Chaos in the fringes of Alliance borders, the diverse civilizations had already forgotten about war, Chaos, or the horrors of the Evil God.

They were born in a time of prosperity and bathed in the sun, as if light would perpetually shine upon them. They grew up in bliss and without worries—it was not a bad thing, and as a matter of fact, it was what the many champions and warriors who struggled and sacrificed for all that hoped to see.

In this era, culture amongst civilizations truly peaked, with the borders separating civilizations, races, and nations across the cosmoses fading. As the allied governments diligently eliminated discrimination and indoctrinated the concept of ‘Life and Order are one’, the alliance of nations and civilizations finally became a genuine Federation. In turn, the first chairman of the Federation was a champion from the Starfall Cosmos: Saint Roland, champion of Mycroft.

Still, the follower of the Holy Light was not actually the most powerful amongst the Cosmic Federation, but he was the fairest, the most popular amongst the masses, and acknowledged by respective factions. Unbiased, he was certainly the leader the newly founded Federation most needed.

Soon, with the founding of the Cosmic Federation, as well as the consolidation of new laws and calendars, all life across multiple cosmoses would be hammered into a single iron plate under the wills of champions and civilizations, an iron fist that clenched and could destroy all Chaos!

But unusually, the new calendar of the Federation did not use the year of its founding as its first year—the leaders from the Starfall Cosmos and the first leadership of the Federation declared somberly that for all life in the Multiverse, the year should be remembered as Year Fifteen Hundred, something which people from the other cosmos had difficulty understanding.

When that happened, the people from the Starfall Cosmos would always gladly explain the reason therein: once they spoke, it would be the telling of a legend of sacrifice, salvation, preservation, and battle.

The tale of a man, a god, and a true warrior.

And that year was incidentally fifteen hundred years after Joshua van Radcliffe had sealed the endless swarms of Chaos.

***

[Federation Calendar, Year Three Thousand]

“Finally, we’re getting close.”

In the depths of the Silent Void, a part journeying with the most advanced recon vessel was streaking through the darkness.

It was not an unusual sight in the first place. Even as the Cosmic Federation flourished and life could not become easier, there was no decrease in the number of explorers journeying within the Silent Void—whether under the first, second, or the incumbent fifteenth chief, every civilization made it their duty to unite more cosmic civilizations, and it was therefore likely to run into a Federation Fleet whenever one moved through the Void.

However, if anyone were to carefully observe the true identities of the crew, their tongues or jaws may have dropped off—the tiny ship had seven Legends and three gods aboard, meaning that it contained a total of thirteen pinnacle beings!

At the moment, the peerlessly exuberant exploration fleet had abruptly stopped.

And what was ahead of them was a darkness—pitch-black, silent, impenetrable and ever expanding.

Like a wall that spanned across the Void, the boundless darkness had no dimensions or end in sight. It was no different from a sturdy barrier which separated the Multiverse, raised there without a sound, and yet slowly and steadily expanding.

“This is the temporal trap. Took us three thousand years to finally catch up to him, to reach this place from which he left.”

The first to speak was a Legendary champion whose gaze appeared to have gone through the vicissitudes of life. Saint Roland, the former and first Federation Chief spoke with a rare tremble in his voice. “Would we find his remains if we cross this barrier? Or is he still alive and simply slumbering within?”

“No.”

Nostradamus, Ultimate Legend, Lord of Dimensions, and architect of pathways between cosmoses promptly breathed that single word. He then stared at the dark barrier before them for a long time before slowly continuing, “It is not like most temporal traps generated through varying speed…this temporal trip is quite simply an event horizon expanded through human means.”

“It is a box, a seal—one which still surpasses our imagination after three thousand years. All Chaos and darkness is compressed within it, and we can’t go in, just as what’s inside could never come out.”

“Event horizon…is that to say that in the end, he had transformed his body into a supermassive singular realm?”

Though her words were a question, it was a statement of certainly. Zero Three, the former Seventh Federation Chief, had an imposing air to her and appeared more like an empress now, although there was still irrepressible agitation in her voice. “In other words, time could be passing very slowly in the event horizon!”

“More than that, at its heart…a scene of the final moment of the battle might still remain within!”

“That’s not for certain.”

Lisa Kronos, Marshal of the Western Quadrants and Federation Commander of one hundred and four armored fleets shook her head with composure. Dressed in military regalia, she calmly added, “I know the mentor’s power very well, and before he ascended as a Demi Saint—or Ultimate Legend, for that matter, he already had considerable control over dimensions. Even if it is to destroy the Evil Gods, he would never stagnate the time in his own event horizon to such extent…I also have reason to suspect that he would even accelerate time inside to destroy the Evil Gods he had sealed inside.”

It was indeed very likely. Lisa’s words also brought another wave of silence, leaving humans and gods pondering.

Nonetheless, they were still helpless and without options against that dark event horizon—a single dimensional wall regardless of how much they pondered. All of them could only make guesses and then sigh.

“We have not even approached the level of Demi Saint after so long. It would actually take Imperator Amos another few millennia to fully consume the Abyss of the Galaxy of Bloodbath, and use that power to force an ascension to Demi Saint. It is just too far and too treacherous a path, and perhaps only Imperator Amos only could make it.”

The God of Life was speaking. She had gone outside and into the Void, where she had materialized a massive hand with divine power to touch the event horizon. Her expression became crestfallen as soon as she touched it, however, as she noticed that her divine power was instantly consumed by the black wall and leaving her control.

Retreating inside the ship, the God of Life shook her head. “The threshold of True Gods and Ultimate Legends is a border that High Legends can hardly cross even at the cost of self-destruction. In turn, to Ultimate Legends, the Demi Saint is another unbelievably massive border—apart from Imperator Amos and the few beings or collectives which require certain conditions to display Demi Saint ability, we simply do not have a practical grasp of that path.”

“The cosmos may be diverse in beings, but it is basically impossible for another fellow like that man to come into existence.” The God of Might and Justice could not help breathing a long sigh at the endless darkness which was also infinite protection. He lowered his head to look at his hand, and said softy, “How fortunate we are to exist in the same age as he has.”

“How unfortunate it is for us to witness the end of that era as well.”

“Whatever the case may be, we can’t let explorers or champions of other civilizations come near this place.”

In the end, Galanoud, the former Nature Magister and present Sovereign of Life and the new God of Nature, summed things up. “We have to seal this area because it is also for their own good—even True Gods would be swiftly corrupted if they simply touched this event horizon.”

“Then, allow me.”

A black dragon girl who had been silent until now stepped forward.

Looking around at everyone else, Black the Legendary Ancient Dragon smiled and said composedly, “I volunteer to stay here, and watch over this part of the Void.

None could stop her, not even Zero Three and Light.

As one of the beings closest to the man in life, the black-scaled Ancient Dragon assumed her colossal true form and stood guard upon the event horizon. In tandem, the Federation Government secretly pulled several worlds there to build a massive world fortress as strongholds in the Void.

Then, while silent times of peace moved on rapidly following the cautioning and warnings that countless people spread by word of mouth, the legend of the colossal ‘Forbidden Zone for All Life’ hence spread amongst Federation explorers.

Soon, unknowingly, another few millennia passed.

***

[The Age of Stability, Federation Calendar Year Five Thousand.]

If the dull daily lives in eras of peace could be considered stories as well, then the little scattered splashes in the river of time would probably disseminate as headlines.

Amidst the two thousand years of absolute stability where there had not even been Chaos or infighting, much less war, there was perhaps only a few things worth mentioning.

And one of them was the disbanding of Mycroft’s Starfall Union.

With the continuous expansion of the Cosmic Federation, even a powerful civilization such as the Starfall Union could hardly ensure its own solidarity. As the Star of Ether disappeared from the Void under the control of several deities, the new generations of Legends and deities from Mycroft were spread throughout every corner of the Multiverse, leading their own brethren and charge as they assimilated into the Federation itself.

From then onwards, humans no longer referred to a race which mainly resided in the Starfall cosmos, but an extensive race spanning at least thirty-seven cosmoses—almost across the entire known Multiverse. Their shadows spread with the Federation’s own, with each subrace having assumed completely different paths.

There were humans who had assimilated with local bloodlines and brought about countless unusual sub-humans, while others maintained purity of bloodlines even in some remote corner of the Multiverse and held pride over it. Likewise, there were also those who had modified themselves into hybrids containing hereditary traits from multiple species of magical beasts, and were essentially aberrations with human forms, just as there were those who would create entire new races—they would mechanize themselves, or turning themselves into the bodies of Psi or pure elements.

More than that, there were also beings who had uploaded their consciousness to the Mana Net and only moved around with alchemically-powered puppets in the physical world. It was a way of living that basically consumed no physical resources and could actually survive radical environments, which in turn made it considerably popular. Many humans had hence opted to assimilate their minds into the Mana Net and live in the virtual realm, only using biological or mechanized puppet bodies to move in the physical world.

Regardless of the modifications, evolutions, or bloodlines flowing through a person, all of them would call themselves people. That was because at the current era, the people of Mycroft—be it human, elf, dwarf or any other correlated race—their name was not a word for their bloodline, but a unity of culture, the symbol of a civilization, a faith of utter conviction, and a most earnest resolve.

And it was in such an era of stability that some became dissatisfied, always moving and seeking to live in their own way.

“I’m going to seek a power.”

At the Forbidden Zone for All Life in the distant reaches of the Void, Zero Three was prepared to leave a stronghold in front of the Dark Event Horizon. Her gaze was firm and hope was always alive in her heart, and she had long since ascended as a True God after ascending as a Legend on the path of magic.

But now, she told the huge Black Ancient Dragon before her, “It is the ability to awaken something. Even now, I can clearly feel that he hasn’t died with that remaining ‘Seed’. Although I am simply unable to revive the Seed, I have faith in his strength that the Initial Flame might not have killed him, but merely rendered him into a state of slumber—it might not have been a slumber, because he could still be fighting in some place I don’t know about.”

It was only with the Ancient Dragon, who had watched over the event horizon for over two thousand years, that Zero Three could sincerely speak of her intentions as she prepared to leave the cosmos…even the Federation itself. “I have received news that on the other side of a cosmos which has not joined the Federation, there is an Emperor of a vast Void empire, a powerful divine being. It is rumored that the god had died but was revived from Divine Death, and he has since declared himself a child of miracle that had used a certain power to return from that eternal slumber. I want to see it with my own eyes.”

“There’s a huge chance that it’s false. But if by chance it proves to be true, what would you do?”

The Ancient Dragon shook her head and stared at her friend, asking puzzledly after having stayed silent and said nothing for untold years. “They would never tell you. Zero Three, I’m as determined as you are, but there are times when determination cannot do a thing.”

“I will try to share, communicate, and make a deal. If that doesn’t work, I will destroy, interrogate, and plunder.”

Smiling gently, Zero Three—god, Legend, and a powerful being who chased after a certain person’s shadow—flapped her wings and answered ever so clearly and swiftly. “I will do anything, and achieve my own ends by whatever means necessary.”

“Then I’ll see you around, my friend. I hope you’ll succeed and that everything goes smoothly for you.”

Sensing the other’s resolve and determination, the guardian dragon earnestly gave her blessings. “Although he may not really like it, we don’t live to serve his preferences—isn’t that right?”

“You’re right. In the end, this is the way we’ve chosen to live. I want it that way.”

Turning around, Zero Three left resolutely, raising her hand to wave at the Ancient Dragon with her back to the beast as she left.

“Well, goodbye, Black.”

In the still silence and the flowing age of stability, another friend hence left for a faraway place.

Be that as it may, the guardian dragon had gotten used to it. She simply turned to look towards the still-expanding event horizon and then smiled.

“Everyone cannot wait any longer, Master.”

“But I’ll continue to stay here until the end of time.”

***

[Age of Chaos, Federation Calendar Year Seven Thousand]

It was a time of utter Chaos.

After several millennia, the Evil Gods of Chaos had come once again. The dark swarm had stricken from the other side of the Multiverse, launching themselves directly at the toughest frontlines of Order, pervading every single component, eroding nodes and cores and leaving them spiraling out of control, crumbling and disintegrating.

There was no telling if it had been some Evil God’s power or a restlessness within civilization and the bloodlines of all beings, but every single assembly of the titanic Federation was slowly experience schism despite an appearance of unity. It was not actually unusual, however—within the known Multiverse, after the largest horde of Evil Gods had been destroyed and sealed thousands of years ago, the surrounding cosmoses had not seen such a major scale of Chaotic invasion.

Additionally, even if thousands of years was a small number for Extraordinary individuals and with Supremes theoretically already able to live forever, the memories of millennia past could still wash away all emotion, terror, despair, and astonishment they had once sworn to always remember.

There was certainly less of a need to speak for weaker Extraordinary individuals, as well as the unlimited number of mortals.

The long-lasting peace had hollowed out the foundations from which the Federation was founded. Without common enemies, such a colossal alliance should not have existed in the first place—even if the governments had insisted and tirelessly attempted to erase all traces of nationality, the difference between races, and attributes of civilizations that kept them apart, it had proven impossible. In fact, even if they did succeed, other things such as aesthetical values, ethics, development or stability, activeness or passiveness would still prompt disagreements. As long as there were things that set beings apart, eternal peace was impossible.

Amidst Chaotic corruption, endless pleasures, and the decay of desires—amidst the withering caused by the peace which lasted for millennia across worlds, there was no stopping the slow crumble in the Federation of Order. The dark swarm which had suddenly appeared at the edge of the various cosmoses was hence the last straw that led to their destruction: without enemies and training, the military which had long since forgotten the Evil Gods fell under a single strike of those entities. Cut off, the many production installations and logistics hubs could not supply resources to strategic areas across the Federation, with many core worlds hence falling, the situations deteriorating so far that there were actually places where people resorted to cannibalism.

What was worse, instead of resisting the darkness that sent shudders to the bone, the civilizations of Order were waging wars against each other to secure what few functional production realms and Void installations there were available. Federation military and races started to slaughter each other, with some civilizations actually issuing purging protocols without hesitation against other worlds and without regard of the untold number of citizens just to stop the festering of Chaos.

Even if the Evil Gods were destroyed, the brewing hate and suffering in this age of Chaos, as well as the oppression and despair where living beings slaughtered each other had completely taken apart the Federation’s millennia worth of effort, basically creating new Evil Gods.

All of them had forgotten the thing that they should have always kept in mind. Therefore, the seeds of self-ruin began to grow at the very foundation of the Federation.

In those seemingly endless millenia, beings of Order could only tremble and hide behind fortresses and worlds while hostile foreign Order and Chaos encircled them. It was as if everything that had happened seven thousand years ago was happening again, and it was much worse this time—despite the champions uniting to banish one sector of Chaos after another, they could no longer unite them…because the number of casualties due to the Evil Gods and their spawns was less than the casualties dying to foreign invaders.

But as the saying goes, the withering camel is still larger than the horse: even if the Federation was in shambles, the many Legends and gods who were groomed over the millennia were not as feeble as mortals. After great effort, they finally killed every attacking Evil God—but the Federation also formally disbanded and collapsed after the total annihilation of the enemy.

The radical Chaos derived from radical Order now wreaked havoc upon the endless stars.

Once the invasion of Chaos came to the close, the Age of Schism ensued. The massive Federation was split into hundreds and thousands of alliances, each mutually invading or watchful, turning the many cosmoses into the greatest of warring states. By then, humans had become the most sparsely distributed race of the Multiverse, whereas the bulk of the Mycroft civilization had already vanished with the departure of the Ring World thousands of years ago. They appeared to have expected what was happening now, and was hence not dragged into the present conflict.

***

[That is all I remember about this age. We had fallen away from magnificence and entered utter bewilderment, roaming the darkness in ignorance and dreaming about the bliss of bygone peace. Even so, remembrance and illusions are meaningless: the past is the past—it shall never return, and we are now in a dark age of suspicion and cruelty.

We had lived in peace and life appeared to be only about entertainment, but we were mistaken. War never left us, hiding as desire, decay, and cowardice before blowing up beside us, and yet we would rather play ostrich and pretend that nothing had happened. Still, the greatest folly is that we continued living with them even when we clearly knew it was wrong, continuing on with self-satisfaction. Everyone had thought that the calamity would never reach them, even promising to protect only ourselves in the unavoidable disaster. Reality eventually proved that such was the root of destruction: because no one would step forward, because no one had the courage to face reality and the darkness.

In the ancient myths and legends of ages past, there had been a champion who would sacrifice himself for the sake of protecting every living being. He was expectant of the day that other champions who would come to his side to watch over the Multiverse, that those who want peace could live in peace, and that warmongering lunatics and idiots would fight alongside him—but we would certainly disappoint him if he could see us now, because all his sacrifices had only been in exchange for embarrassing decadence and ignorance.

I would therefore call upon all to reclaim our courage and resolve, fire, rage, and wind. We must remember all the tribulations and revise it—because it is only in the wear and tear of pain that the flowers of hope would blossom in the resolve of the people.]

[Unnamed Archivist, middle-Schism period, chapter eight of the Book of Hope: Declaration, Passage thirty-four]

***

Then, in the end.

[Age of Rebirth, Year Ten Thousand]

In the depths of the dark Silent Void, a group of visitors from the Age of Rebirth had reached a forgotten ancient place.

Back in the great war of schism and unification, countless civilizations and races had been destroyed, entire galaxies wiped out without any remaining Steel Strength shrouds. It had been exceedingly terrible and tormenting that the suffering of war triumphed over mutual hate. Hence, in trembling pain, a new Federation was born upon the ashes of the last—even if their borders were less than a hundredth of the height of the former Federation, they had truly learned that which was despair this time.

And that was the only way to understand hope.

Be that as it may, reclaiming lost ground was not something to be done immediately. In fact, new indigenous civilizations would be born upon the corpses of fallen civilizations, the long war and isolation hence leaving the alliances of Order and the glory of the Federation forgotten.

And this time, one particular newly founded civilization had arrived upon a forbidden zone in its stumble of an exploration, a place where no civilization or fleet would have dared tread when the former Federation still existed.

Legend told of a forerunner ruin sealed in mist, a barren place where endless traps of Chaotic toxins, lethal mechanisms, and endless world fragments lay hidden. Moreover, enfolded in searing blaze and said to be protected by a terrifying Void dragon, there was no doubt that it was a forbidden place all civilizations in the Multiverse feared.

From a certain perspective, all those descriptions had been correct. There were actually some who would run into that storied guardian: a Black Ancient Dragon as massive as a world. She would lazily roam the ashes and remains of worlds over the edge of the Wall, stopping any person or fleet that came too close.

It appeared to be watching over something, but no one knew what it was—after all, those were ancient ruins where historical remains were piling. The endless corpses of worlds and fleets from the Age of Chaos and the Age of Schism had been adding over there as well, even shrouding it. Indeed, there were even those who claimed that the dragon herself had forgotten what she was there for, and could only wander around eternally without leaving.

However, such rumors of fears were insignificant to new civilizations that knew nothing of it. At best, they could tell that it was a dangerous place with a dragon, but that it was also filled with unknown ancient relics and ruins that could satiate their yearning for knowledge.

Therefore, they mustered their courage and stepped forward, approaching the world-sized black dragon who was closing her eyes in meditation amidst the Void.

“Guardian—do you still remember what you are actually protecting here?”

The new civilization was in a period of planetary exploration, and had come in curiosity. Appearing to be human but also having pairs of different beastly ears, they were a very brave and energetic race, and under their stirring greed and irrepressible curiosity, they were actually brave enough to question the pinnacle being. “Could it be that you have forgotten?”

Forgotten, huh?

Upon hearing the language that resembled old Mycroft Basic and their rather familiar bloodlines, the meditating dragon opened her eyes, her golden pupils that were akin to a sun turning to stare at the little ones while her heart welled with emotion.

As memories die, only legends remain. When history is forgotten, there is only winds of tribulations that wail between ruins.

Looking towards the distant stars, one would find graves of civilizations everywhere and the echoes of vengeful voices, thirsting for payback, another war, and the reclamation of glory—but all of them are gone, and ashes are all that is left of them.

Now, as the new generations grows, they are surrounded by the ashes of their predecessors as they develop in the lingering warmth left by the last civilization. Their bodies are stardust inherited from blood enemies engaged in mutual slaughter, just as the Steel Shards that form their own world and sun are the embers left from the battles and sacrifices of many champions

Look! The fortunate and the brave, reckless, and curious civilization now seeks lost history, to study the thousands of years before the founding of their own civilization and what really happened in the infinite Multiverse. They are once again assuming the path to glory, pursuing the forerunners and the guidance of the strong!

And the strong is willing to guide them.

Watching the little ones, the draconic guardian appeared to see a shadow of her past. She then looked up at the dark Void, and breathed a long draconic howl—the light of the dragon could illuminate all things and bless the stars with light, but it was after ten thousand years of watching and waiting that something so similar and so stirring had finally appeared before her.

That being said, the roles of guide and guided had been reversed, and the little dragon who was once instructed had now become the greatest guardian.

“Are you asking if I have forgotten my duty? The answer is no.”

Certainly not.

The dragon lowered her gaze at the shuddering little ones who kept up a strong facade because they wanted the answer, and hence gently replied, “I remember.”

I would always remember.

“But before I tell you about my duty, allow me to tell you about the distant past of my master whom I now watch over, about a god who once protected the Multiverse…no, it is the tale of a human.”

“The tale of a warrior.”

***

[The stars still shine; the Flame still burns.

In the Multiverse which repeatedly loses and reclaims, forgets and remembers, civilizations still grow with strength.

The ever-present darkness is not gone, but the world is now far brighter than before. There are some who believe it to be only natural, while others remembered who it is that they have to thank.

New stories and legends are being born, but old epics and myths are yet to be forgotten. In this age where wrath is still alight and where war has yet to cease, there are people advancing, and there are people stopping. Some are heading determinedly to the faraway end and origins, while others keep watch over silent ruins, awaiting the re-emergence of the hope in their hearts.]

“The darkness would always return. But can we witness that light once again?”

Someone asked the ancient one whilst trembling after listening to the dragon’s story. They had been left shaken by the darkness in history, the Chaos roaming their mind and leaving them in chilling doubt, or utter disbelief.

Nonetheless, someone would still question it, because whether it was legend or myth, story or lesson, there should always be someone remembering it and passing it down.

“It probably won’t happen now, little one—not even in the next dozens of thousands of years.”

“Even so, we would still remember that one light and flame. Those are the remains of hope, from which we could expect something to reborn.”

Flapping her humongous wings, the old black dragon stirred dimensional winds to chase those tiny but brave people far away from that dangerous place. Be that as it may, the guardian of hope still left a few words for them.

“This is my story. I had been where your home is, and when the worlds were illuminated by godly light and the Void was set aflame, I saw the faraway Chaos and darkness being torn apart by the wrath and roars of a god. On that day, a real hero and divine being—a real warrior—had fallen, and buried hell with him.”

“There had been no lament or tears. We simply united heart and strength to swear that we would fight the darkness, for in that age where we had nothing, we only had courage.”

I remember. I will protect the memory, legend, the epic…I will remember the story.

“Therefore, all of you must not forget too.”

Never lose your courage and resolve. Never forget to be as brave as you are now, and keep on heading to the distance, to explore and to fight.

And that was the first ten thousand years after Joshua van Radcliffe had left.