“My sister, the high priestess of Thoth, the Everlasting. It is both a blessing and a curse to be at her side. But the family must endure. As much as I hate to admit it, those damnable Muthra had the right idea. Family is a Wall- Snake Charmer.
North American Continent, Ruins of Aden
Florida (North Axis Leyline)
2200 B.C.
Medusa scanned the horizon. The humidity around her made her scales itch. She ran her claws along the trunks of various trees. A faint hiss escaped her lips. Useless surface dwellers. Mud, bugs, the very aura of this place grated on her. Thoth said this would be a vital mission and she would never contradict her ruler. Didn’t mean she enjoyed this little outing though. Her brother, Arkesh, known as the Snake-Charmer just grinned at her. His yellowed eyes mirrored her own. His hands shot out, lighting quick, grasping at something. The creature squirmed in the outcasts’ grip. It’s own scales rippling along its body as it tried to escape. Its pitiable growls were cut short as the Atlantian hurled it away. The carcass already an afterthought as it tumbled down into the water. Unlike her, his features still looked mostly human. Well built and sun-kissed. Most wouldn’t realize the danger until later. Under his simple woolen vest: the ancient symbology of his people. Each burned into his skin as a warning and reminder.
History had already marked Medusa. She preferred it that way. She had no specific hatred for anyone in particular. All surface dwellers were nuisances in her eyes. The Muthra, Atlantis’ security force, were the only ones that really gave her any pause. The ground below exploded outward, sending up debris as three serpentine figures assaulted the two siblings, their metallic bodies and red glowing iris’ tracking every movement the two made. Snake Charmer produced a disk from his belt. It was no bigger than his own hand.
Symbols pulsated with an eerie green color. A vibrant hum filled the air.
He flicked his wrist and sent the weapon flying into the body of the first unit. White and gold sparks erupted from its core. Medusa whipped her gargantuan tail around at the second. Entrapping it in a vise-like grip. Her satisfaction became wild laughter as its outer shell collapsed. She peered down at it and proclaimed, “Is this the best that the Markav could offer? What a useless race they were.”
Her brother remained silent. If she had fun, why kill the mood, besides in his line of work there was no need for talking. Only action mattered. The third sentry dived deep into the earth, its two brothers relaying the alarm to other sites along the network, while the lone surviving unit sped to its cradle.
///Accessing M.A.C network: Intruder alert! Relay warning to Highmaker Unit Matrix. Corruption Detected. Keeper Influence Confirmed. Shell Unit: Light of Emris, activate stealth procedures. Aden Colony defense grid activated. Command?///
From high orbit, the various drones and probes in passive mode interlinked to form a picture of the situation below. Highmaker zeroed in on the peninsula known as “Berakamuda’s Triangle” from the old tongue. Its vast network calculating the various minutiae.
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Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
The Highmaker would not fail in its mission. Taleer’s sacrifice would not be in vain.
*****
Thoth waded through the muck on the opposite side of the swamp. He could sense the Markav’s dogs rumbling through the soil beneath him. Their cries of alarm like music to his ears. He wanted that damned Key. Because otherwise Ishtar and Chronos would deny him. Smug little kings of the multiverse, those keepers. He shifted his gaze to the ancient temple before him. It’s pale green surface worn with time. He could still feel the symbology coursing through this place.
Slowly he reached out, placing one palm on the rough surface. It warmed to his touch. Searing light blinded him for a moment then the smell hit him: desiccated and stale.
Thoth cupped his hands together, reciting the lines, forming the patterns. A small orb of light shimmered into existence. He took one look at the place and grinned. “If those elders could only see what was happening now. Our progenitors, just as frail and hopeless as the next. A waste.” Strewn all about the chamber were corpses. All posed in various forms of distress. Some even clung to one another. One oddity made him stop and stare.
A rather tall Markav male still encased in his battle armor had his Simbak buried into the wall. From the angle, that was a killing blow. It was quite vexing that these beings never left any physical trace. Bright flecks of yellow ran along the uncovered end of the shaft. Thoth reached out, grunting with exertion, removing the cursed weapon from its resting place. Beyond that was a partially destroyed data complex node. He crowed with delight. Those little monsters of the Void forgot something. He performed a resonance symbiosis. The echoes of times long past reformed behind his eyelids.
In trying to prevent the information from being known, that weapon, having touched the source, revealed all to the fallen king. The librarian of this place was frantic. They must not know. Cannot know. Only the Scholars would understand. They would see the convergence.
The Prophecy Of The Twin Rulers
FEAR THE PATH OF THE ANCIENTS.
THE GUILT IS CARRIED DOWN THROUGH ALL-TIME
PASSED FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT
THE KEY IS NOT FOR YOU!
THE TWIN RULERS OF THE SKY SHALL ENCOMPASS ALL!
ONE FULL OF HOPE
ONE HIDDEN IN ASH
CLOAKED FROM THE PRYING EYES OF FATE
TWIN HEARTS BEATING AS ONE
TWO WORLDS BOUND AS ONE
THE ANSWER LIES UPON THE OUROBOROS
EACH RULER WILL WIELD A KEY UPON THE INFINITE
THE SNAKE BARS THE PATH
ONLY WHEN THE BLOOD TRULY AWAKENS SHALL THE MULTIVERSE BE SAVED
TWO LINES, TWO HEARTS, ONE WILL
AN EMPTY CROWN SITS ON A USELESS THRONE
THE MASTERS OF OLAM STILL WEEP
THE SLUMBERING ONE MUST AWAKEN
THE STAR WILL LIGHT THE WAY
THE TWIN SUNS SHALL DEFEAT THE UNITY
BEWARE THE PITILESS EYES
A NEW DAWN AWAITS, DEFENDED BY THE WHITE LIGHT OF LIFE
WHAT IS THOUGHT DEAD WILL RISE.
The Slumbering One
THE MIND WILL WANDER
THE BODY WILL ENDURE
THE WILL REINFORCES THE WALL OF THE INFINITE
REBIRTH!
THE FIRE OF LIFE CALLS OUT TO THE VOID
CONVERGENCE
HOPE EVERLASTING!
ARISING FROM THE ASHES
Thoth shook his head as the imagery faded. He pursed his lips then whistled a silent tune. All I’ll have to do, he thought, was to kill the right people. At the right time. No matter how long it took. Let the Keepers have their little spat with the Scholars. In the end, he would hold dominion over this planet and the very void beyond.
*****
Snake Charmer suppressed a shudder as Thoth approached. The erstwhile king of everything and everyone looked unusually happy.
His dark cloak shimmered with a faint purple aura as he intoned a stealth sigil. Medusa showed no sign of worry as she wrapped her long scaled limbs about Thoth. “Ruler, was our distraction sufficient?” Her forked tongue tasted the air. Probably an excuse to sample the various energies swirling around him. His eyes burned with an inner light. Like a holy man who found his grail. Mecca. Whatever. To Arkesh it meant only one thing: More Work. That was troublesome. Thoth gave both a sly, almost boyish grin, then stated, “Yes my dear one, everything is going according to plan. We entertain the Keepers with the idea of an alliance, all the while, the goal will never be that Key they want so badly.”
He gave a short bark of laughter then leaned forward as if to impart some great secret. He gave Medusa a gentle caress on her cheek.
“No, my dear subjects, our goal will be even better than Unity. We will just pave the way to it using anything on hand. Even if they disintegrate. I will make a mountain out of the Keepers as well.”
*****
Highmaker, if a VI could breathe, it would be heaving a sigh of relief. Not because Thoth was plotting against the Void Walkers but because he was only thinking of time as a line. The VI knew better. He would gather the remaining networks of the Hegemony within this Sol System and prepare. The future and the fate of the Multiverse awaited.