Prologue: The God-Empress
Light of the early summer morning blinded her eyes as she opened the curtains, sat on her bed and began to write down her newest ideas. Her thoughts were clear despite her sleepiness, her genius mind excited by the thrill of discovery. She had dreamed of her latest project, seeing it from several new angles and found solutions to the problems that had troubled her the night before. Her brilliant mind worked while she slept, free of the restraints of the waking thoughts yet augmented by her near-limitless knowledge of the reality. That ability was her greatest asset, even greater than her wealth and adoration of the masses. Without it she would not have gone so far in her life, even with her vast intelligence and curiosity. She would have failed to reach beyond the boundaries of human ability.
She was Shinga, called the Great Saviour. She had over three centuries of life behind her yet she still appeared to be in her early thirties, a result of near-miraculous bio-engineering technologies she had discovered early in her career. She was hailed as the brightest mind to ever have existed. She had brought peace to humankind, done away with such horrors as hunger, illness and old age, given the humankind hope and joy, and allowed them to leave their home planet to search for new adventures. The colonisation of their galaxy was only taking its first baby steps but it would not be long before humans became the apex species of the Milkyway. A couple of millennia, perhaps. What was time to an immortal?
She had awoken early, for it was the day of her Coronation. It was one of her longest-running projects, the complete subjugation of the Earth.
She had begun her conquest fifty years ago, starting with taking over her home-country bit by bit and moving on from there, her influence slowly creeping across the globe. At first the resistance had been passive if fierce but soon cities and small countries around the world had declared their allegiance to her, sometimes taking up arms against their former rulers. She had not bothered to stop the bloody coups, letting the human nature take its course. She had merely given sanctuary to the intellectuals and others that she thought were worth saving, letting the frenzied masses butcher the rest. It was easy to make people love you if you arrived with an army once the dust started to settle, bringing food and medicine, and forced the armed groups to give up their weapons and court-martialled those that had broken war-time laws. It was delightful as fuck to see people fall on their knees, weeping, as she passed them.
Once the last corner of the planet had surrendered to her will, she had decided to change her title from All-Queen to God-Empress. It was perfectly fitting, her parallels with certain fictional figure were almost glaring. She had dreamed of that title for centuries and it was finally going to be hers. She only regretted that she would not have time to indulge in reading fantasy books and playing the newest videogames. Not that she really had had time for that in years. Her quest to take the humankind to the next evolutionary level had consumed her life.
Her gaze fell on the bookcase where she kept her most treasured books. The series that had caused her to fall in love with the world of fantasy, the Wheel of Time, was there. It had been centuries since she had last read it. It had been an inspiration to a lonely child. It was the series that had made her dream of greatness.
The door to her small bedroom opened quietly and a tall woman carrying a tray laden with breakfast stepped in. She was almost a female version of a certain British actor, high cheekbones, blue eyes, black hair. She was clothed in a red, white and gold in the current royal style, Shinga's colours. Her physical appearance aroused Shinga but that morning she did not feel like abandoning herself to carnal desires.
"Good morning to you, Your Majesty," the woman said in a crisp British accent. She was Eris, the royal butler and head of the servants. She saw to everyday workings of the Royal Residences. The one where they were staying at the moment, the Royal Summer Residence, was a mansion in the Northern Lapland, almost completely isolated from the rest of world. The only way out was via the teleportation gate.
"Good morning, my sweet Eris," Shinga replied, getting up and putting aside her notebook. She went to wash herself while her butler set out the clothing for the day. It was steampunk-style clothing in red, white and gold, a fashion trend that Shinga herself had popularised. She was changing the world to match her desires one thing at a time.
"It is going to be a sunny day around the world," Eris said as she helped Shinga clothe herself. Her voice was mellow and husky. "Your Majesty will be expected to meet with the British Administrator before the ceremony. He wishes to discuss your idea of adding the British Isles to the preservation zone."
Shinga nodded absentmindedly, her eyes resting on her notebook. Her mind was still bubbling with interesting ideas and she wished to go to her laboratory to test them. Still, no use putting off her Coronation. The people needed someone to believe in, someone to call their God.
It was strange. As more and more people had begun to put their faith in her, she had grown stronger mentally and physically. It was as if there was some energy in belief. Perhaps it was simply the power of suggestion, the expectations of others making her think she was becoming more powerful. Perhaps it was something else, something that had not been seen before because not enough people had believed in the same person. It was not preposterous, it was simply some aspect of reality that she had yet to discover. Perhaps she would spend the next decade testing it.
She smiled. If there truly was energy in faith, it would lead to a new, world-changing discovery. It would be akin to finding out that magic actually existed.
"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but your smile is terrifying," Eris said, offering Shinga a plate of fresh pancakes with raspberry jam and a crystal cup of ridiculously expensive whiskey. "It turns me on and hinders my ability to serve you to my best ability."
"Honest as usual," Shinga purred, accepting the pancakes. "I was simply thinking about the possibilities of the reality. I could bore you with my inability to properly articulate my thought process if you want."
Eris smiled slightly and shook her head gently.
"Your Majesty, the last time you tried to educate me, I had to spend a week in intensive therapy."
"You mean that week-long orgy you took part in after I explained the principles of AI-birth to you?"
Eris grinned and nodded.
"Indeed, the best kind of therapy. Now then, Your Majesty, the schedule of the day. First, a meeting with the World Preservation Society, then some wine and tea with the British Administrator. After that you will be taken to the Royal Spa in Iceland to be pampered and clothed for the Coronation ceremony, after which the royal procession will begin in your first conquered capital. The Coronation will take place in the last conquered capital, whenever you reach it. I will come with you to see to your needs. If you know what I mean."
Shinga nodded and caressed Eris' hand gently. The butler gasped and blushed. She loved such gestures of affection. Shinga suspected they were why Eris had competed so fiercely for the position of the royal butler.
"Let us get this show on the road, then," Shinga murmured, the excitement making her almost giddy. Decades of work behind her and the perfect conclusion just ahead, within her reach. She had never done it before but now she allowed herself to briefly think that nothing could go wrong anymore.
She was wrong.
It happened as she was walking up the marble steps to the massive front doors of the Coronation venue. Her entourage, some two thousand people, surrounded her, keeping an eye on the surroundings. There was no way for assassins to get close to her or for snipers to get her in their sights. Not that anyone would try, she was universally loved as the God of humankind. She had made sure that no fundamentalist of any old religion still existed.
Yet, as she took the final step and regarded the huge bronze doors slowly opening in front of her, her breath caught and she froze, suddenly immensely terrified. She could hear her heartbeat hammering in her ears. Then, as she blinked tears out of her eyes, she saw herself from the outside of her body and felt a horrifying ripping sensation all over herself.
The pain she felt was something unspeakable. Something took her by her innards and tore her out, the agony searing her mind. She watched from the outside, wailing helplessly, as her outwardly unharmed body fell on top of the stairs like a marionette whose strings had been cut, saw Eris fall on her knees beside her trying to administer first aid, the doctors of the royal entourage running to her side and taking out their tools, their faces masks of terror. Shinga reached towards her body desperately but was held back. It was like a giant hand held her, crushing her. Every moment was an eternity of torture and she howled, struggling against her unseen bonds. She was pulled away from her body far up to the sky and suddenly everything went dark.
MY CHILD.
The voice made her non-existent body vibrate. She writhed, trying to get away. The agony lessened, slowly becoming bearable. She began to see again and was confronted by a gigantic being of light.
"What the fuck?!" she screamed and tried to flee. She did not manage to move.
YOU HAVE BEEN BROUGHT HERE TO ANSWER FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS AGAINST ME, THE CREATOR.
She regarded the enormous being and then glanced down. She saw a pale, misty shape.
"What the fuck did you do to me?!" she yelled, stabbing her finger at the being of light. Well, a pale, misty likeness of it. "What the fuck are you?!"
The being of light was silent for a moment. Shinga trembled under its gaze, trying to gather herself. She somehow managed to get over her shock, begin to sort out her thoughts.
She was in a place where the entire universe seemed to stretch out around her. Looking at it made her hurt so she began to avoid it. The being of light in front of her seemed vaguely humanoid and somewhat threatening but not openly aggressive.
"Am I dead? Did you kill me?" she asked, rather politely.
YES, the being answered, the force of its words making her body tremble. I BROUGHT YOU HERE TO ANSWER FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS AGAINST ME, THE CREATOR.
"You said that already," she said, standing taller and trying to appear not intimidated. It felt surprisingly easy. She was furious. "What transgressions are we talking about? Could we possibly schedule this for another day? I have my Coronation to attend."
NO, the being answered. YOU WILL ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES NOW.
"What crimes?" she demanded and took a couple of threatening steps... floated a bit towards the being. "I have committed no crime that I know of. Whatever do you speak of? Also, since you admit to murdering me, you should really shut the fuck up about me answering for some charges you made up."
YOU PRESUMED TO TAKE MY PLACE, MY CHILD, the being said, the sudden anger in his words making her shudder in terror. She ground her teeth and floated upward, towards what she presumed were the being's face.
"Your place?" she purred and smirked. "Are you a god?"
I AM THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING, the being said, AND YOU ARE BUT A PROGENY OF MINE. IT IS NOT YOUR PLACE TO QUESTION ME. I GAVE YOU THE DREAMS OF FUTURE BUT YOU PERVERTED THEIR PURPOSE AND ELEVATED YOURSELF. YOU WERE TO FIND THE VOICE OF GOD IN YOUR DREAMS AND WORSHIP ME. INSTEAD YOU ASSUMED THEM TO BE PRODUCTS OF YOUR OWN MIND AND HAD THE AUDACITY TO TRY TO SUPERSEDE ME AND BECOME THE OBJECT OF VENERATION, STEALING MY SOURCE OF POWER. FOR THIS CRIME YOU WILL BE PUNISHED.
Shinga drew herself up and sneered at the being of light.
"So you are just a parasite that feeds on worship? On desperation and hope?" she hissed. "And you presume to judge me? On what grounds? I am not your child. You are not my father or mother. Even if you were, you would still not have any right to criticise me. You murdered me, you petty piece of cosmic shit! You say you are the creator of everything? I call absolute bullshit. If you were the creator of everything, you would not have to do this shit you are doing to me at the moment. This moment is a proof that you are not omnipotent. You would have to be that in order to be the creator of everything. Kindly go fuck yourself with a lightyear-long cactus, thank you very much. Unless you return me to my body this instant, you will come to regret it. I swear this."
The being of light regarded her silently for a moment.
I SEE YOU ARE STUBBORN, CHILD, it said in a patronising tone. I WILL GIVE YOU A LESSON IN HUMILITY. YOU WILL THANK ME FOR IT. I WILL SEND YOU TO A WORLD WHERE I AM UNIVERSALLY VENERATED. YOU WILL COME TO REVERE ME. ONCE YOU TRULY GIVE YOUR HEART AND SOUL TO ME, I WILL RETURN YOU TO YOUR BODY. YOU WILL BE WORSHIPPED BY YOUR KIND AND BECOME A CONDUIT OF POWER FOR ME. YOU WILL LIVE FOREVER AS MY PROGENY, AS MY FAVOURED INFERIOR.
The being of light swelled, filling her vision.
SURVIVE AND LIVE TO DIE OF OLD AGE, it continued, its voice booming in her mind. IF YOU DIE OTHERWISE, I WILL CONSIDER IT A WEAKNESS AND LET YOUR SOUL REINCARNATE. YOU WILL CEASE TO EXIST AS YOU NOW ARE. SURVIVE AND BECOME MINE. YOU WILL COME TO LOVE ME.
She shuddered in revulsion.
"Fuck you, you vile cosmic parasite!" she screamed. Her vision filled with terrible light and she wailed in agony, certain that she was about to be removed from existence.
Then, darkness. Warm, soothing darkness.
Close, comforting heartbeats.
Then, pain and a growing pinpoint of light. Cold air hitting her wet skin. She screamed, disapproving of the change. Warm hands holding her, then pressing her against warm skin. Softness against her face. She quested with her mouth and found a source of nourishment. She forgot to be afraid. She forgot herself for a while.
The first clear thought hit her unpleasantly, not unlike a lightning strike. She started screaming and did not stop no matter how the woman who had given her birth tried to console her. She seethed with rage and hatred towards the Parasite. She flailed ineffectually with her tiny arms and legs, unable to control her own small body, dripping snot and drool all over herself.
"There, there, little Shinga," her mother cooed. "Hush now, little one." She began to hum in a soothing manner.
What is this? Shinga thought, hiccupping. Her eyes were blurry and she could not focus them properly. Her body felt strangely heavy and she could not really move herself as she wanted. She had wet herself during her fit.
I am a baby. This is seriously fucked up.
"That's a good girl," her mother murmured and lifted her on to a table. "Let's get you changed. Did something scare you? It's alright now."
Welp, this is going to scar me for life, Shinga thought. But at least I kept my name and gender. Where am I? What country and era is this? Is she speaking English? It sounds a lot like it.
She concentrated on her eyes, forcing them to focus slightly. She could make out her mother's face, a beautiful dark-haired woman with green eyes and pale skin, smiling at her. Shinga could not help herself, she giggled and reached out towards the face. Her mother smiled wider.
"Oh, your first giggle!" she exclaimed and took Shinga's hand. Shinga wrapped her small fingers around her mother's index finger.
What a tender moment, Shinga thought. She looked around as much as she could without moving her head which felt far too heavy for her. The room was spacious, the walls painted with murals of nature, the furniture lacquered wood. The windows had glass panels on them but they seemed to be thicker the bottom and held no venetian blinds. Very old style, that. Wooden beams supported the ceiling, dark with age and patina. There was a fireplace in the room but it was empty at the moment. No sign of electric lights or advanced technology of any kind. Shinga's mother was dressed in an old-fashioned dress, something right out of the romanticism or victorian era. Shinga did not know enough about the history of fashion to be sure.
This could be my own world, a hundred or two hundred years before the end of the last millennia. However, the Parasite said it was going to toss me into another world. Where the fuck am I? Which fictional world is this? It does not look too much of a crapsack world but appearances can be deceiving. It seems that I have been born to a well-off family but that means nothing. Without vaccination I am highly likely to die before my fifth birthday.
Someone opened a door out of Shinga's view and then walked in. Shinga's moved to greet the newcomer and Shinga, with some difficulty, managed to turn her head to take a look. It was an older woman, wearing far less expensive clothing than Shinga's mother, yet Shinga's mother seemed to defer to her, going as far as to curtsey.
"Good morning, Wisdom," Shinga's mother said and gestured at Shinga. "Little Shinga is feeling much better, thank the Light."
The older woman smiled and came closer to Shinga.
"Yes, it looks like it. Let's do the check-up just in case."
A Wisdom? Shinga thought as the older woman began to poke at her. Thank the Light? Seriously?
She tuned out her mother and the older woman. She was almost certain she knew where she was. Now, what would she do about it?
First, grow up as fast as possible. Second, find out more. If she was in the world she thought she was, it would be a great advantage. She would be able to experience some of those things she had dreamed of a long time ago. That was if she had the abilities necessary for it. If she did not, well... there was always technology. Hers was the brightest mind to ever have existed. She would turn this world into another Earth, mold it in her image and fight her way to the top, once again. If the Parasite had taken away her ability to dream of new things, she still had everything she had discovered, understood all of it. The Parasite had not been able to take that away, and she was not yet sure it had taken away her dreams. There were interesting implications in that.
What was most important was to get revenge and find her way back to her own world. She would destroy that vile parasitic cosmic piece of shit. She would make that fucker suffer. And she would bring a nice souvenir with her.
She would make the world of Wheel of Time hers.