(A/N): It appears that some of the terms I've been using may have caused some confusion. Since it is unlikely that I can explain in-story, I will explain here. When Memory refers to Alestrovon as "Greater Deity" it is not in a comparative sense but rather as an intrinsic rank to show how powerful he is. The Relinam used a simple system to rank gods. From strongest to weakest, they are; Overdeity, Proto-deity, Greater Deity, Intermediate Deity, Lesser Deity, Demideity, Quasideity.
Scarred Silver
Chapter 10: Pride aside
Alteara watched as her master, Alestrovon and Lizan Killranae stood on the ramparts of a great castle. From the design and the materials, she guessed that they were back in the same place where Alestrovon first met her master. Her guess was confirmed as she saw the vast; rolling grasslands she had seen earlier. But the grasslands were not empty this time. Marching upon the fields were thousands of armored figures. Column upon column of them lined up as if to face something just past the horizon.
The spell took notice of her focus on the landscape and smiled. Alteara couldn't help but notice a little pride creep into the spell's tone "What you're looking at is Anseria; The Eternal Battlefield." it said. "It is Alestrovon's home world where the souls of his worshippers reside. As a greater god of war, Alestrovon watches over the armies of worshippers as they clash eternally in glorious battle." The spell's smile lessened as a hint of anger crept into its tone. "But, this time, Alestrovon's worshippers weren't fighting each other. When Meggidas learned that Alestrovon had befriended Raven Huer, he demanded that Alestrovon abandon both Raven Huer and Lizan Killranae. When Alestrovon refused, Meggidas withdrew his protection; allowing Hasmiya to send to send her children to Anseria. He had hoped that Alestrovon would abandon the two "abominations" to remain safe."
The spell's smile turned into a smirk as it continued to watch the scene. Another army marched from the horizon and into view. Alteara recognized the hairless, metal-skinned, winged humanoids. They swarmed across the landscape and darkened the sky with soldiers. "So much for "favored son"." The spell said sardonically. "Hasmiya herself could not directly attack Anseria as proto-deities could not enter each other's realities. You can imagine her regret at not attacking them while they were rescuing Lizan Killranae. Likewise, Meggidas's disbelief when Alestrovon refused to abandon his friends." The spell snorted; its smile widening slightly for a brief moment. "Pride." It sneered.
The armies clashed silently. Alestrovon, Raven Huer and Lizan Killranae leapt from where they were watching and into the fray. Alteara watched as the image seemed to move farther away. Even when the battle seemed so distant that it looked like a swarm of bees was attacking an anthill, she could still see the explosions from what could only be from spells.
"The battles came one after another." the spell went on. "Hasmiya knew where her advantage lay and the difference between her and her outcast brother. Raven Huer had the ability to enter different realities but he possessed no ability to create one of his own. Whereas she could not enter another proto-deity's reality but she can create children and mortals to mount an unending assault on Alestrovon's world. Alestrovon and Lizan, both cut off from their parents, could not possibly match this power of creation. "
The spell fell silent. Alteara watched the battle for a while; waiting for Memory to continue. She didn't know how much time went by as they simply stood there. She began to worry that the spell had somehow malfunctioned and that she was stuck.
After what seemed like hours, the spell turned towards Alteara and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry." it said. "Perhaps Raven Huer overestimated Lizan Killranae's accommodating nature when he decided to use her personality as a basis. This is a difficult memory for me to talk of."
"I wouldn't mind if you skipped it then." Alteara said.
"Empathizing with a spell now?" the spell asked. "Raven Huer must be proud to have one more student who has survived his methods."
"How did you-?"
"He has marked you." the spell interjected. "How else did you manage to activate me?"
"Sir Valen is also one of his students." Alteara replied. "But he couldn't activate you."
"Is he now?" the spell said. "He must have lost his mark along the way. Such a thing is possible. But I'm going off track. Again, I apologize for stopping. These were the best times Lizan Killranae ever had; fighting side by side with Alestrovon and Raven Huer, earning the ever-growing wrath of her "mother"…how pathetic it must be if your fondest memories are about slowly losing a war."
"They were losing?" Alteara asked incredulously.
"Hasmiya attacked Alestrovon's world daily." The spell answered. "Faced with a proto-deity, even a greater god will show his limits. Raven Huer offered to leave. He even offered to return to his prison-plane so Meggidas will protect his "favored son". Alestrovon and Lizan would have none of it. The three of them fought on even as Anseria threatened to collapse and kill them all. Someone had to give in. Hasmiya had to stop her attacks, Alestrovon, Raven Huer and Lizan Killranae had to be destroyed or Meggidas had to interfere."
A great explosion of light suddenly tore Alteara's gaze from the spell and back to the distant battle. Immediately, she looked away and shielded her eyes with her hands. It was as if a sun had materialized right in the middle of the fighting.
"In the end, it was someone else who acted out first." the spell said softly.
The burst of light faded as the image shifted once more. Alteara watched as a tall, blurry figure stood before a familiar-looking young girl. It took Alteara a moment to realize who the young girl was. "The Source." she breathed. The Source was not smiling affectionately this time. She was staring sternly at the blurred figure before her and the golden light that emanated from her seemed to shimmer in hostility.
"Hasmiya's use of her creations angered her mother." the spell said. "The Source demanded that she stop creating just to have something to hurl at her enemies." The spell made a half-hearted attempt at stifling a laugh before continuing. "There is no disobeying an Overdeity. Hasmiya withdrew and Anseria was spared."
Alteara watched as they found themselves back in Anseria. She was looking down from above the grasslands this time, where she could see another battle. But this time, it was between the soldiers who fought for Alestrovon. There wasn't a trace of the metal-skinned warriors that Hasmiya sent. Her master and his friends were not participating. Over the horizon she saw Alestrovon's fortress; a structure would dwarf even a mountain. Despite the great distance, she could still see some of the individual spires and walls.
"Anseria was at peace for a while after that." the spell said. "Well…peaceful in a way that a greater god of war's realm can be, at least. With his sister chastised, Raven Huer dared to hope that he had found himself a home." The spell's expression saddened and its voice dropped. "He was wrong. The peace didn't even last a century. Meggidas, not content with inventing pride, decided to invent wrath as well. He confronted his wayward "favored son" in Anseria, demanding that Alestrovon cast Raven Huer out or be destroyed."
Alteara inhaled sharply when the fortress she had been staring at suddenly blew apart. The armies swirling nearby stopped to stare as well. To see something so violent occur in complete silence was surreal. The explosion itself seemed unnatural. The giant chunks of stone that flew from the blast were shaped into cubes and flew into all directions in a perfect ring around the fortress's remains. When the blast cleared, the upper half of the structure was gone. The lower half was perfectly level, as if someone had perfectly cut the fortress in half.
"Alestrovon's answer was as you can see." The spell said.
The image then moved in swiftly towards the fortress. Alteara found her gaze immediately going towards her master. Raven Huer stood at the center of what would have been a hall if there were walls and a roof. Now, there was nothing but the white-stoned floor. He was staring defiantly at a blurred figure just a few feet away. To his left stood Alestrovon, who had both swords drawn, while to his right stood Lizan Killranae, who had her bow drawn and an arrow nocked.
"Meggidas, the prideful wretch that he was, could not accept that anyone…anything would choose something else instead of his will." The spell said. "In a rage he attacked the three; promising to obliterate them and all of Anseria and erase the memory of their existence." The spell smirked again. "Like some foolish child trying to get rid of his bed sheets after wetting them." It sneered. "Raven Huer stepped up to fight his eldest brother. He did not have the power of creation but he could match Meggidas in direct combat; not only that, he was more than happy to take on the proto-deity who was the first to denounce him as a monster and he had Alestrovon and Lizan with him. It was a fight he knew he could win."
The image blacked out quickly and then reappeared. For a moment, Alteara thought that she had merely blinked. But in that moment, the scene had changed. Anseria was gone. Instead, she was staring at a vast, dry expanse of cracked earth. The sky had turned dark; lit only by a very weak sun. Thousands of scattered weapons and armor covered the ground. Most of them were broken and useless. The image was still shifting, hovering over the great expanse as if searching for something.
"Was it over that quickly?" Alteara asked.
"The battle lasted for centuries." The spell replied. "You do not have the time to watch it. Your senses would find it next to impossible to perceive what such a battle would look like anyway. As Raven Huer had hoped, they won the battle and destroyed Meggidas. But the price was heavy. Anseria was ruined and twisted into this horrid realm. The world where a proto-deity was murdered was transformed into a plane of true death. Anseria was no more and its desiccated husk became known as Deicidium. But the loss of a plane was not the true price Raven Huer paid to slay his hated "eldest" brother."
The image finally hovered over the ruins of Alestrovon's fortress. There was nothing left of the magnificent structure but a few scattered stones. What immediately caught Alteara's attention were the three who had managed to destroy even a proto-deity. Her master was kneeling over the armored, supine form of Alestrovon while Lizan stood just a few feet away; her face twisted with distraught. Raven Huer had buried his face against the chest of his motionless friend. Despite being a passive observer, despite not really knowing what Alestrovon was like, Alteara felt her heart wrench at the sudden burst of emotion her master was showing. She had never seen him like this. She had not even tried to imagine him like this.
"In his final throes, Meggidas made one last stroke at his wayward son." the spell said softly. "Alestrovon was struck down and there was no restoring him. With Meggidas's death, his created reality was already collapsing in on itself. Everything and everyone that had come from him was about to follow him in his destruction. Raven Huer refused to accept it. For the first time in his life, he cast aside his own pride and cried out for help."
A familiar golden light suddenly burst forth near the three. Despite the brightness, Alteara did not even need to squint. The child-like appearance of The Source emerged and she knelt next to Raven Huer, who looked at her pleadingly. His red eyes; eyes that had always been fierce and proud, were liquid with other emotions; despair and desperation, grief mixed with a small glimmer of hope. Alteara felt her chest tighten and tears welling up at the sight of him.
"Her son's pleas moved The Source, who had been content to suffuse all creation with her presence and watch, to action." the spell went on. "She agreed to use her power to bring back Alestrovon even from the finality of Deicidium and Meggidas's demise. But there was a catch. Only True Creation was capable of such a feat. Not even The Source could bring forth that power alone. Only when she harmonized with The Shaper could True Creation be brought forth."
"And in there lay the problem." the spell said grimly. "The Shaper had taken a different stance about his children than The Source. While The Source moved among all creation, suffusing every world with magic, The Shaper turned his back on his children almost immediately after he helped create them. He resided in his distant personal plane of Sanctum where he watched his children in disinterest. To bring Alestrovon back, Raven had to cross into Sanctum and plead his case before his father. Here, The Source could not help him. The Shaper will refuse if she argued Raven Huer's case for him. The Source warned her son of the danger. Sanctum was separated from all created reality by a seemingly eternal expanse of void. Even if Raven Huer survived the trip there, he would have to convince The Shaper to hear him out."
Raven Huer stood up, his face defiant and confident once more. Even though the spell was talking about how impossible her master's task was, Alteara found herself believing that he was going to succeed just by watching his expression. Suddenly, Lizan Killranae grabbed a hold of Raven Huer's arm; her face angry and desperate. "Lizan Killranae pleaded with Raven Huer not to go for fear of losing him as well." the spell said sadly. "He refused to listen. He left then and there to reach Sanctum."
The spell's expression hardened. "That trip would be the beginning of his fall." it said. "And if he fails in his task now. It would be the beginning of his destruction."