Interlude 12
#43 of Among Stars
Part of: Among Stars (Prequel to 'The Golden Month')
The story of how a crew of misfits shattered the dominance of the Empire's tyranny.
Their victories, their losses, and their ultimate fate. An odyssey across the endless frontier that is space!
Las Lindas Web Comic Spin-Off, OC-Insert
The characters in this story (Except the OC-Insert) are © chalodillo
Interlude 12
Beta-Reader: Ant0nius
Many centuries ago...
Chaos was odd. Or at least, that's how Pandora viewed it through her previous readings on Crest Magic.
There was just something unusual within the lines, the way those were addressed- as solemn as the books of old, as mystifying as the tales of the first Prism Civil War. Artifacts of an old age that preceded the Balanced Split, the time when Order and Chaos were divided as 'Balancing Forces' of the universe. There was history, and with that came answers to many questions philosophers of old have brought up to attention.
Chaos was anomalous, these tomes remarked on as an unequivocal detail, and yet saw it as a boon rather than something to be worried of. Chaos couldn't be controlled, there was no deity that administered over it, and thus was devoid of domination from someone else. It was free and relentless, suave and yet tainting. If Pandora hadn't gained control of her Light powers, she would have fully fallen in a matter of weeks.
And yet no, it took her much longer than that. Her diligence to keep true to her original motives served to keep away from the worst and eventually come up with practical ideas to preserve her distant family from the troubles of that distant planet. The child of his brother woke up confused. The cave was no longer dark, a dark-blue flame burned softly near to him, captured by the eternal wood conjured by his aunt and the rocks found around to secure the campfire.
Beside the fire, a large leaf with food she personally prepared lied. The child, albeit confused, indulged his hunger and devoured the breakfast. He would then receive lunch and dinner. A day passed and soon it was time for him to receive answers. The one that was helping him was 'his friend' and someone that 'wanted his best'. He was reluctant, unsure, so painfully distrusting. Yet, Pandora's dedication chipped away at that paranoia.
The boy was soon convinced by her reasoning as with food came also books, teachings, an attempt to purge the chaos deep within and... it worked. She was stunned as she had heard so many times from the Dragon Gods that it wasn't possible. That 'Narakhans' couldn't be purified. And yet the light did so. It helped against chaos, it allowed them to preserve their minds. No marks on his body, no feral attitude after a few years of this condition unfolding and... the boy lived well. He used her knowledge and advice to do more than just live. He helped others, he saved fellow Narakhans from damnation. He found love, he fostered wisdom and became a king worthy of his crown. The thankfulness was genuine and her nephew was no longer the frightened child she met.
But while this went on, rumors emerged from her 'reluctant' visits around the country. Pandora just didn't care for the usual 'visits of courtesy', being aware that those were more a formality at best. Not for many, she learned as this became the reason for suspicions on her sudden change of schedule. Rumors emerged as some energies of foulness were perceived and the distrust emerged within her own court.
Then some of the Crests formed an ambush against her. 'Diligent' servant of the Dragon Gods, trained to be the best and definitely using their powers to the maximum. The Fire Crest spearheaded the encounter, followed by the Love Crest and the Life Crest. The Gods had spoken and Pandora was no longer deemed fit to bear the title of Queen. Unacceptable, and she wasn't planning to let these upstarts use this religious motivation to steal a throne she warranted with her good actions and faith for Order.
It was there where chaos was ultimately proven to be an edge against the cast of people that normally would have decimated her with ease. Much to the surprise of the trio, Pandora proved to be way more powerful than before. She felt young, mighty and resilient. Their attacks hurt, but her attacks hurt more, to their chagrin. And the more the battle lasted, the more the treachery unraveled. Dark and Ice jumped at the challenge, same for Wisdom and Courage. Water, Sky and Earth soon tagged along to fully match her, but no one managed to be her equal in combat. All but one stood between her and a proper victory.
"M-Mother?"
Lies, Pandora thought. Her baby girl, trained to fight and be a mighty warrior, was being exploited for her faith. It broke her heart, but even more it shattered her whole body. It was uncommon for a form of magic to 'disagree' to that degree with its owner. There have been cases of 'disobedient' magic, where the energy would be rejected by one's body and recent changes. It was rare... but now what struck her.
This time Pandora knew her faith had faltered enough for Chaos to tilt the balance in her body. Her flawed hold shattered and her Light magic abandoned her. Pain ripped through her muscles as more than half her current power vanished from her, her body hollowing at the prospect as he saw someone come forth with her blade mustered. It wasn't her daughter, that much the former Queen was glad for, but the sight of her childhood friend, the Light Crest, preparing her blade to strike her down... hurt. And it didn't help that she was crying while doing so.
The blade came down and, where Pandora expected the searing pain of light tearing her being apart, she was greeted by a different feeling. The blade 'missed', or so she thought as she saw it pass through her. Life didn't leave her, and yet she felt something was taken with that attack. She was pushed back, her eyes widening as she saw something crumpling on the ground, burning a mighty fire conceived by the Crest responsible for this kind of magic. Her body, her soulless husk. She was no longer tangible and the second strike from her former friend confirmed it.
This confirmed what she had long expected in her project. While there were no gods for Chaos, that didn't mean one couldn't rise up to fill the place. By the end of the day, Balance has to be fulfilled one way or another and the Dragon Gods had for so long grown to be complacent with their own supremacy that they forgot that Order was not the sole force in this world needed to keep the balance alive. And their little stunt of disowning her as the queen? Turned out to be the worst outcome they could have imagined.
If before it was merely bitter hatred, centuries helped Pandora eventually regain hold of her mind and made peace with herself. Did she hate the Gods? Yes, immensely so. But she was more cautious about engaging against them. She knew better than just letting her feelings screw with her plans. No, she knew she needed a champion and... while her 'mission' to regain her soul as a whole entity had left her unable to preserve her nephew's kingdom to survive the Gods' wrath, his bloodline survived and one in particular lived deep within one of the biggest arenas on the planet.
_ A lone Narakhan with ambitions of power. _
d-d-d-d
AN
The truth unravels about a few awkward secrets of the 'good side'. But how bad does it go from this point onward?