Chapter 39- The World Tree

Mor Ardain

Emperor Niall was in the throne room doing paperwork when General Luke approached him.

"Your Majesty," Luke said. "Yesterday we sealed Section 47."

"I see," Niall replied. "This is even faster than the surveys estimated."

"That's not all. We've detected surges of geothermal energy in the royal precincts. We can't hold out, even here. The ether flow is the lifeblood of the Titan. The temperature increases with its age. I recommend that we should hasten with relocating the capital to Gormott."

"But we've only just recalled the consul," Niall reasoned. "Without a good explanation, that will only anger the Gormotti. We don't want to sow discord for no benefit."

Luke hesitantly nodded. "I understand what you mean, Majesty. It's just… I fear that we're running out of time."

"Indeed," Niall agreed. "But not just for us. Gormott is fertile for now, but the harvests have been declining for years. It's like a cry issuing up from the center of the world." The emperor looked out the window, towards the Titan's head.

"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" Luke asked in concern.

Niall shook his head. "No. Just my imagination. Has there been any word about my cousins?"

"No. All we know is that they and their friends fell into the Great Void before it collapsed on itself. I fear that we must expect the worst."

"I refuse to believe that. If anyone can survive falling into the Great Void, it's them. We must have faith that they're alive."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Base of the World Tree

Frank and his friends exited the portal and found themselves back in the World Tree. Once they were all out, the portal closed and disappeared without a trace.

"Looks like we're all here," Pandoria said. "So how are we gonna reach Elysium from here?"

Frank then noticed Mythra approach an elevator console and switch to her ascended form. Mythra then pressed a button on the console, causing the elevator to open.

"How did you know to do that?" Frank asked.

Mythra reverted back to normal and said, "I don't know. It just looked… familiar. My body just did it on its own. Anyway, we can use this to travel up."

"Could this be one of your powers as the Master Blade?" Jin questioned.

"Possibly. Regardless, we need to hurry. If this was hardwired into my brain, then it must be the same for Malos."

"Agreed," Frank said. "Let's go."

The party went inside the elevator, which proceeded to take them up.

"I've never seen an elevator like this before," Ethan voiced. "Not even on Earth."

"I don't think Earth could build anything like this in our time," Jason added. "Maybe it can sometime in the distant future though."

The Marsanes

Zeke was in a pod, recovering from his experience in Morytha. Once he was done, he exited the pod and found Malos beside him.

"All better now?" Malos said. "I know that it hasn't been easy for you ever since I gave you that Core Crystal. It seems that it's trying to counteract Zeta's darkness inside you, but it's causing your life force to weaken. That pod only slows down its effects, and there's no permanent solution. Eventually you will die. I'm sorry."

Zeke shook his head. "Don't worry. As long as I die after we finish our mission, I don't mind. We made it this far. I plan on seeing it to the end."

"If we could get our hands on Judicium's technology, we could give you some better treatment. Unfortunately, Amalthus keeps it too well guarded for us to even try."

"I knew what I was getting into when I accepted your offer. I have no regrets."

"Even though she'd hate you for it?" Malos asked as he folded his arms. "Especially with you fighting against your own children."

Zeke's eyes filled with remorse. "I know that Selena wouldn't have wanted this. But it's too late. I have to keep my promise."

The male Aegis let out a deep breath. "Alright," he said in resolve. "I'm with you… all the way." He noticed the Blade Eater crack a smile. "You better not get sentimental."

"You were right about Morytha. It seems that destruction is this world's unavoidable fate. Although I do have to wonder, why did it look so much like Earth?"

Malos shrugged. "Beats me. Father never gave me that information. That's one more question we can ask him before we end him." He then turned to Selena's corpse, still frozen in black ice. "Are you sure you still want that thing? Wouldn't it be better for you to bury her?"

"No. She reminds me to never put my trust in the Architect."

"If you say so."

The World Tree

The elevator finally came to a stop and opened on a new floor. With no clear way to navigate, the party decided to keep moving forward. Along the way, they came across some strange robots that suddenly attacked them. While they didn't pose much of a threat to them, their very existence was puzzling.

"This is strange," Ethan said as he inspected the destroyed machines. "These robots are highly advanced, just like everything else here. Way too advanced for anything I've ever seen. Just what is this place?"

"Judging from the structure, it seems to be a tower overrun with plant life on the outside," Dromarch mused.

"Makes you wonder who built this place," Mika added.

The group used another elevator to reach the next floor. Upon arriving, they had to fight a few more robots before continuing onward. After a lot of walking, the party decided to take a break on an indoor balcony.

"Brother. Do you believe that Elysium really exists?" Meg questioned.

The Master Driver eyed his sibling in confusion. "Do you even have to ask?"

"Don't you, Meg?" Jason asked. "I doubt you'd be here if you didn't."

The Flamebringer shook her head. "That's not what I meant," Meg clarified. "I'm just trying to understand how everyone feels. After all, the only knowledge people have on Elysium is in fairy tales."

"That is true," Jin replied. "Frank and Mythra have seen Elysium, but it was only in dreams. Do you have anything to add, Mythra?"

The Aegis shook her head. "I'm afraid not. My memories of Elysium are too few to count and too distorted to understand. All I know is that it exists."

"Well you were still in your core at the time," Nia reasoned. "Maybe that's why you don't have much memories of Elysium."

Mythra shrugged. "Maybe."

"The only way we'll find out if Elysium exists is to go there," Frank said. "If we reach Elysium, maybe we'll be able to save Alrest."

"True enough," Meg said. "I've got no reason to not trust you, Brother, or Mythra. Besides, you did promise Mythra that you'd take her there. I'll support you in any way that I can."

"Thanks, sis."

Everyone was feeling a little hungry so Jin and Pyra prepared a light lunch. After cooking, Pyra switched back to Mythra before eating.

"I swear I'll never get used to that," Nia said.

"Says the Flesh Eater with a human form!" Mythra countered.

The air suddenly grew cold. "Enough you two!" Jin exclaimed, prompting them to stop. The air then returned to its normal temperature. "Anyway what do you all think of me and Pyra's cloud sea crab sticks?"

Meg took a bite and said, "Excellent! I love crab!"

"Me too!" Kasandra said excitedly. "You and Pyra are awesome cooks."

Frank then noticed Mythra wolfing down a handful of crab sticks. "Mythra! Slow down! You're gonna choke if you eat too fast!"

"No, I won't!" Mythra protested in-between bites. "I can't help it. Cloud sea crab sticks are my favorite!"

"How are you able to eat all that?!" Sonum questioned. "It can't be normal for someone to eat six crab sticks like they're nothing."

"I'm an Aegis! I need all the fuel I can get!"

Everyone else burst out laughing.

"That certainly brings back memories," Brighid said with a grin.

"Indeed," Jin added.

The party spent the next few minutes eating before continuing onward. They went through several hallways and another elevator before finding themselves at a three-way bridge.

Ethan then noticed a conflicted look on the Master Driver's face. "What's wrong, Frank?"

"It's nothing," Frank said. "I was just thinking about Amalthus."

"The Praetor?" Nia said. "Why?"

"According to Jin, Amalthus hates Blades and humans," Frank explained. "From the sounds of it, he hates the entire world. In old Torna, humans lived together with Blades that eventually became Titans. When Torna was destroyed, so too were those Titans. Amalthus must have known that the Titans have been dying off for centuries."

"The Titans make up the very land we walk on in this world," Jason said. "Without them, Alrest can't survive."

"Maybe the Praetorium saw this as an obstacle to their power," Meg guessed. "If the Blades were becoming Titans and creating new land, people might have had more faith in the Blades. If a new faith emerged, it would threaten the Praetorium and its dogma."

"It's basic war and politics," Frank spoke up, prompting Mythra to give him a concerned look. "What's the point in the end? Hating everyone… hating yourself… It doesn't make any sense. What do you do when you hate the whole world?"

Jin folded his arms. "Destroy it. That's what Amalthus wants. He hates the world so much that he'd rather see it burn than continue on."

Brighid nodded. "The sad part is that there are a lot of mortals like that."

"You guys remember when I told you that talking to the Praetor felt like talking to Malos?" Frank questioned. "I think I know why now. They both want the same thing. The end of the world."

Mythra gritted her teeth in frustration. "I knew something was off about the Praetor. Five hundred years ago, when he asked me to defeat Malos, he smiled. I think he enjoyed watching the world go to chaos. I told Addam about it, but he didn't believe me. Maybe if I took him out back then, all of this could've been avoided."

Frank put a hand on the Aegis's shoulder, prompting her to face him. "There's no way you could have known what was going to happen, Mythra. You have to stop worrying about the past and focus on the future instead."

Mythra cracked a light smile. "Thanks, Frank."

Pandoria looked ready to say something, but Jason covered her mouth with his hand. "Let them have their moment," the Thunderbolt whispered. "I think its time we ease up on the teasing."

Indol

Praetor Amalthus stood in the Audience Chamber as he reflected on the past, while the monks were doing a ritual. He remembered how when he was a child, his home was attacked by soldiers. He and his mother tried to flee to safety, but they got separated. Amalthus recalled stumbling into one of the soldiers' camps, where he found the body of his mother underneath a tarp. He ended up killing every soldier in the camp while they slept in an act of revenge.

The Praetor was brought out of his thoughts when Hector said, "Your Eminence! We'll be exiting the Cloud Sea shortly!"

"Very well," was all that Amalthus said.

The Marsanes

Akhos and Patroka were in the bridge running diagnostics on the Tornan warship. Suddenly the Marsanes shook as something hit it.

"What was that?!" Patroka shouted.

Akhos checked on of the screens and said, "I don't know, but it came from below!"

The Flesh Eaters then watched as the Indoline Titan burst from the Cloud Sea.

"It's Indol!" Akhos exclaimed.

The crystals on the Titan's wings lit up before striking the Marsanes with a laser beam. The ship shook fiercely as it was hit. Smaller Titans wearing armor carrying Indoline soldiers were then seen flying towards the warship before they too attacked it with elemental fire.

"They took us by surprise!" Akhos said bitterly. "Patroka! Prepare the defenses! I'll analyze the threat!"

"I'm on it!" Patroka exclaimed as she messed with her screen. "You need to counterattack, damn it! Stop trying to give orders and get to it!"

"Ugh!"

"And where the hell is Mikhail?! What a time to let us down!"

"Mikhail's down below," Akhos answered as he typed on his console. "Got it! A bypass to the cannons!" He then adjusted his glasses and pressed a button. "Watch this, scum!"

The cannons on the Marsanes opened fire, killing some of the smaller Titans. Meanwhile Mikhail was working on a console in the Core Crystal chamber. The Blade Eater turned around as he heard the door open, seeing Zeke and Malos enter.

The trio looked at the monitor, which showed an army of Blade Bots and Gargoyle Artifices.

"Ready?" Zeke asked.

"Ready," Mikhail confirmed. "The ship will get you as far as the boundary layer. We can drop you and Malos off there. We don't have a choice. Alrest's ships can't make it past the boundary layer."

"Yeah, no sweat," Zeke said with a smile.

Mikhail eyed his leader in concern. "Zeke, are you okay with this?"

The former hero simply looked at his wife's body. "Mikhail, take care of Selena."

"Zeke?" Mikhail said in confusion as he watched Zeke and Malos leave.

The duo made their way to the bridge. "Akhos," Zeke ordered. "Fire up the Blade Bots and Gargoyles." He put his hands on the helm of the ship as he saw their attackers. "Indol got here sooner than we thought."

Malos folded his arms. "They gave up on the boy pretty quick," the Aegis said. "No surprise."

"Hatch open!" Patroka said. "Ready to launch!"

"Okay! Launch!" Zeke declared.

Blade Bots and Gargoyles exited the Marsanes and began to battle Indol's forces in the sky. The sky was filled with elemental fire and lasers as the two forces clashed.

Inside the World Tree

Frank and his friends were still traveling through the World Tree. They quickly found the elevator to the next floor, but they had to go another room to get a keycode to activate it. There they came across a large robot acting as a guard, which strangely didn't attack them when they climbed up a pillar.

Once they got the elevator activated, they proceeded to the next floor. They had to then fight through a horde of enemies to reach the next elevator.

Once they were standing outside the elevator, Jason said, "I never would have thought that the World Tree looked like this on the inside."

"It definitely appears to be man-made," Dromarch added. "It must have been created by the same civilization as Morytha."

"The birthplace of the Architect," Frank said. "At least that's what Zeke claims."

"Then maybe the Architect built this place," Jason guessed. "Do you really think that we'll find him at the top? Judging on what we saw in Morytha, it looks like this all happened billions of years ago. Not even Titans live that long."

"Even Mythra and Pyra haven't met the Architect," Frank said. "But still… this tower exists. So…"

"Seeing is believing," Meg finished, getting a nod from her brother. "We'll just have to find out for ourselves. There's no use in speculating."

"I have a question for you Blades," Nia spoke up. "Have you ever wanted to extend your life?"

"You mean avoid returning to our cores?" Brighid asked.

"Yeah."

"That's a tough question. I would like to keep learning about my former lives, but to keep living after Meg is dead…" Brighid glanced at her Driver. "Oh, I'm sorry."

The Flamebringer simply shook her head in dismissal. "No, I understand."

The Jewel of the Empire let out a sigh. "The idea of living without her does not appeal to me."

"Yeah, same here," Pandoria said. "There's no way I'd want to keep living after Jason dies."

"And I would rather stay by Lady Sonum's side than be without her," Dromarch added.

"Well I don't even have that option," Kasandra said. "My core isn't whole anymore. When Mika dies, I'll die too. But I don't mind… not as long as we're together."

"Kasandra," Mika said slowly. "You're gonna make me blush."

"As for me, I'm an artificial Blade," Poppi spoke up. "It's sad for me to think about not being with Ethan."

Nia then turned towards Jin and Mythra. "What about you two? Would you want to extend your lives after Frank dies?"

"No," Jin said firmly. "Even though I have my memories of Lora, I still have a hard time accepting that she's gone. There's no way I can go through that again with Frank. I'll stay by his side till the very end."

Mythra shrugged. "You don't need to be so dramatic, Jin. But I know where you're coming from. However… I have to admit that sometimes I wonder why I keep on living forever, with no end in sight. But, it's different now. I'm glad I've stayed alive all this time. Parting is always sad, but it's just part of being me. Though… maybe… Maybe one day I wouldn't mind closing my eyes forever… with someone special by my side."

"Mythra," Frank muttered to himself.

"Huh," Nia said, sounding impressed. "I didn't expect you of all people to get that deep, Mythra. You're more like Pyra than you think."

"If you say so," Mythra passed off. "So why'd you ask us that question?"

"I'm a Flesh Eater," Nia answered. "I don't know how long I'll live for. For all I know, I could snuff out tomorrow. But I can say this much. My life and death aren't tied to any human."

"And?" Mika questioned.

"I've been thinking about Zeke and his Torna lot. They've been collecting Core Crystals, yet they've only used a few of them, with Zeke not resonating with any of them as far as we know. But he hates humans. He could have used the crystals to make Blades and turn them into Flesh Eaters, but he doesn't. He could've easily expanded Torna's numbers with them."

"They do lack in numbers," Jin mused. "Is it really just the five of them?"

"I think so," Nia said. "Maybe Zeke won't resonate with any Blade because he doesn't want them to live on without their Drivers."

"That is a possibility," Frank replied. "I think his battle with Zeta changed him in ways we can't even imagine. Maybe that's the real reason why he never came back for me and Meg. He didn't want that darkness to infect us."

The Special Inquisitor folded her arms. "Maybe. But that still doesn't excuse everything he's done against us. He has to answer for his crimes."

"I know that. I just can't help but feel sorry for him, though. Maybe if things went differently, Zeke would be on our side instead of Malos's."

To be continued