Chapter 1043 - The Unforgotten Ten Thousand Years (2/2)

***

[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.