Milky Way Galaxy, Sector 1000
Darius sat in orbit, his imperial vessel invisible to the naked eye below. He played a game of chess, a childish game that the humans of Earth thought so highly of. To them, it held secrets of strategy and cunning, but he saw it for what it was. A trap. This game, revered by many, instilled a great flaw into the minds of the humans, that the enemy would play by the same set of rules. Of course there was the complete lack of consideration for individual strength in the game, but he could hardly fault the savages for their ignorance in that regard. His thoughts were interrupted as a servant approached with a scroll in hand. He stopped several paces away and bowed deeply at the waist, not daring to speak without permission. Darius nodded ever so slightly, the most minute movement all that the servant would need as an indication.
“My lord, I have the report you requested.” The servant said. Darius smiled.
“Very good. Read it.” He commanded. The servant unrolled the scroll and stood up straight.
“The current date in local time is 386 days post initialization. Since that time twelve beings of the lesser races have ascended to Bronze. As of yet not a single being from the selected races has managed to ascend past Copper. While many have received the quest of nobility, they have failed to grasp the urgency needed to prevail in the contest. The closest being to attain Bronze is one of the elven race by the name Balkendar who has nearly completed his quest. Others are further along in personal strength but lack the foresight to gather followers. Current projections show that the contest will end in favor of the lesser races by day 750 PI local time.” The servant read before rolling the scroll and bowing again. Darius waved him away.
He had been at his post for over a year now, enough time to observe the unfortunate folly of the planet he watched over. To this day he still didn’t understand the Great Sytsem’s purpose in hiding the contest of power from the planet’s inhabitants. But in the outer sectors, it became rarer and rarer to see the selected races prevail over the lesser races in the contest. The lesser races were born with the instinct to conquer after all, something that the more civilized races attempted to limit or deny. He sighed as he checkmated himself once again. The emperor would be disappointed. They could use every allied planet they could get their hands on for the trials ahead, but only ones claimed by the selected races were allowed such privileges.
Alure Galaxy, Sector 849
Livia carefully stowed the artifact in her brooch, not daring to trust the unguarded storage ring on her finger. No, only the heirloom would be capable of keeping prying eyes from seeing the artifact she had purchased from the System. Her mother would never approve of her actions so she had been forced to approach the System receptacle in disguise, paying off the guards who were supposed to stay by her side anytime she left her quarters. But she had done it. Now the adrenaline in her blood had turned to nervous anticipation as she hurried back to her rooms. After months and months of planning for her wedding, her curiosity had grown to dangerous levels and most nights she had trouble sleeping as she tried to picture the face of her betrothed. Only once she was behind closed doors, in her most warded room did she remove the artifact from her brooch. She held it in her hands, inspecting the device as her heart raced. It was a crystal orb, not dissimilar to communication devices–though this one was one way only. What made it so special was the incredibly harsh limits placed upon its use. This artifact would allow her to see her betrothed, something normally impossible before the System-sanctioned time had passed. There was however a concession that she had found, for special cases like her own. It came with a high cost though, requiring a soul scan with every use to prove your pure intentions toward the one you were scrying upon. If the System detected a hint of trickery, manipulation, interference, or wrongdoing the user would suffer a terrible backlash.
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So it was with shaky hands that she activated the device, willing it to come into focus on the target of her affection. She had only been given his name, but that was more than enough for the System artifact. The orb began to glow before slowly dimming to reveal a crystal-clear image. Noah. She breathed his name as his face came into view. She frowned as she zoomed in on his face. There were tears trailing down his cheeks as he knelt alone on a bloodied plain. She felt her heart break as she saw his anguish, at the deep loss that he had suffered. She watched as others gathered around him, joining in his grief before ushering him back to their camp. She watched as he carried the bodies of his fallen companions and those who were to gravely injured to move themselves. She watched as he sang beautiful tales of each individual warrior as the night turned to day. She wept at the passion she heard in his voice as he spoke of a hope-filled future, even though the pain he felt was still as clear as day. As she watched him she regretted every degrading comment and thought she had made. And as she heard his voice the dread she had felt for their coming union turned to something else entirely.
Milky Way Galaxy, Sector 1000
As the final songs were sung and darkness replaced the day, Noah finally closed his eyes as sleep claimed him with an iron grip. His dreams were turbulent and wild, filled with blood and beasts and so much death. The faces of all those he loved flashed before his eyes, including the face of a young woman he had never seen before. He smiled at her in the dream and she had seemed surprised as if he wasn’t supposed to be aware of her presence. Then the dream turned darker as his mind rehashed their journey up the mountain starting with the terrible wyrm that had driven them from the orc village. Followed by the monster swarms of the frozen tundra and the first death his tribe had suffered under his leadership. He relived the fight with the bear whose spikes had pierced him through, along with the unsuspecting rabbit that had gotten the jump on him in his daze. He suffered through the fights in the arena, though the initial edge was no longer present and finally he watched as a bystander as the horde tore through his companions on the bloody plains.
Then his dreams shifted completely, reminiscent of his initial vision all that time ago. He saw the forest of purple trees and elves streaming through them. He saw the human village surrounded by beasts, on the verge of being overwhelmed. He watched as the elves arrived just after the first beast broke through the defenses, claiming the lives of unprepared civilians. The elves were touted as heroes and were paraded through the streets. He saw Julie’s office in the town hall where she sat across from a familiar face, Balkendar the elf from their first week in the new world. He watched as what started as a thanks and joyful reception turned to pale-faced acceptance as Julie was made to kneel before the elf in supplication. He watched as the elves left her office leaving a weeping and terrified Julie who scrambled to wipe her tears and put on a smile before her secretary entered the room. The final scene he witnessed was of Balkendar shaking hands with a grinning Kyle who eagerly followed the elf back into the woods.
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