Epilogia
Beyond the scope of sand and loam
where the crabs walk crooked through the tidy foam
and the hart leaps o'er the mountain knoll,
beyond the realm of the mortal soul,
lies the screaming* form of the Godhood-whole
In the bastille Sleep where the shadows roam.
- Anon. The Book of Intervigilium
*In other versions it is 'dreaming'.-ed.
Dreaming is Hyne's final gift to his children-
life without the tyranny of Time.
Unadulterated, unmanipulated, uninhibited.
Only in dreams can mortals truly express their love
for their father.
- The Prophet Iudicium. Deicide (The book of Ragnarok)
INTERVIGILIUM
Mounted on his albinic steed, the helmed knight rode fiercely toward the shadowy castle. The charger slowed to an unsteady canter before the chain drawbridge, snorting and whining. He steadied his four-legged companion, and whispered soothing words to the animal. The young knight peered up into the sky-utterly colourless in it's density.
The cloud of souls gathered around the peaks of Intervigilium had significantly increased. They clung together, haunting the chaos that housed the castle that housed their master.
But they were frightened, which, in turn, caused the horse to fear as well. There was good reason for the horse' skittish behaviour.
Time had come to Intervigilium.
The Knight and his charger flew to the palace doors, galloping fiercely across the massive link bridge that joined the castle of the dreamer to the mortal portal of Lunarimanum.
The Knight had come far. . .
...especially since his lateness would make his coming all for naught.
He entered.
The foyer had been disturbed. The smell of humans...
The smell of mortal flesh.
Dismounting, the knight sent his steed back through the door to join the heavenly gathering.
He ascended the spiral staircase, strode through the hall and entered the parlour.
The paintings. . .
Had been touched.
Fingered. Desecrated.
And one had been stolen.
He reached up to caress the bare wall.
"Iudicium. . ."
He closed his luminous blue-green eyes and clenched his fist.
He was too late.
"They are gone."
The knight whirled around and came face to face with a young woman, clad only in strips of blue gauze wrapped tightly around her chest and hips. Her smile was forced and her eyes were hard.
". . .Shiva."
"I'm glad you've returned to Intervigilium. They're waiting for you upstairs." She whispered, her gaze falling to the plush crimson carpet underneath their feet. He nodded and left silently- making the long journey to the north tower.
The natural entrance had been sealed, so he was forced to traverse through the clock tower to reach the adjoining trestle. He paid the small, leather-bound journal no mind.
He strode across the stone skyway, entering the throne room through the heavy, gilded double doors.
The throne room had been traumatized.
A battled had erupted here. Empty bullet shells lay scattered across the room, atop ornate area rugs that were still in the process of drinking up the spilled blood.
Human blood.
The knight bent down, stroked the wet material, and brought his finger to his mouth to taste the liquid.
Hero blood. Villain blood. Some human, some not.
". . .triune."
He whispered, standing erect. Intervigilium, the immortal Palace of Dreams, had been desecrated by mortality, humanity and Time. Mortality and humanity had vanished with the act of decompression, but Time remained.
"Ultimecia. . ."
"Is lost in the flow of mortal-time." A man, shrouded in brilliantly coloured veils and robes entered from the skyway. The Knight nodded a greeting.
"There were mortals here. . ."
"You know who they are." The shrouded man grunted, surveying the scene.
"So they defeated her."
"...In a sense. But in allowing her to take a hold of Intervigilium, even briefly, they've opened the door for something far greater."
"But. . .no...Gilgamesh. . ."
"Come. Let's gather with the Council." The great swordsman Gilgamesh motioned to the young knight to join him in the centre of the room. Underneath the skylight which presented the vision of the heavenly host- the dead souls circling- Gilgamesh spoke the incantation. Suddenly the room became swollen with light. As it faded, a simple wooden door grew from the floor. Wordlessly, the two Guardian warriors entered the Chamber of the Dreamer.
They were greeted with a scream.
The most beautiful scream ever uttered. Inhuman, godly, monstrous- absolute sound and perfect over and undertones ricocheted through eternity. It was the sound of life itself being tortured and torn to shreds.
"No. . ." The young knight cried out hoarsely as he stepped into the room.
"Stay."
The guardian warriors paused. Gilgamesh calmly closed the throne room door.
A boy-child, dressed entirely in navy blue trimmed with gold approached. His heart-shaped face was earnest and lovely in the soft light of the room.
It was a simple bedroom at the top of the north tower, technically above the throne room, but only because the owner of the castle could manipulate physical dimensions. But it was simple- entirely round, with large bay windows to let in the soft glow of the circling host. There were two stiff-backed chairs, a small divan and a medium sized canopy bed with white curtains and oak posts. There was a handless clock on the ceiling and, because the dreamer had a quirky sense of humour, there was a sheep mobile hanging from the centre of said clock. Just above the bed.
The blue-clad child who held onto one of the intricately carved bedposts, raised an eyebrow.
"Do you honestly believe you can help him?" The delicate boy asked softly. The knight hung his head in defeat.
"I. . ."
"How long has he been like this?" Gilgamesh intervened, taking a seat on the divan. The boy shook his head.
"You've answered your questions, Gilgamesh. He's been like this since Time invaded Intervigilium. Since Ultimecia compressed time and enabled herself to take hold of Intervigilium."
"But time has been decompressed- why does time still flow in this dimension?" The knight asked desperately. A voice from the corner shadows spoke.
"Because the God of Time is imprisoned in the body of a mortal. Thus, the power of time has been taken out of the hands of the immortals. Ultimecia still lives, traversing the planes of time and space. She continues to have some control over this dimension."
A fourth creature stepped out of his vigilant corner. He was the fourth warrior, clad in armour and leather with a brown hooded cloak trimmed in fur like a lion's mane. His voice was coarse and hollow and each word was heavy-laden with pain and thought.
"Griever."
"You want to ask me how this affects intervigilium, don't you, Odin?" The guardian god asked the wayward knight. Odin nodded slowly- his confusion evident on his handsome face. Griever, in his mortal form, glanced out the window at the souls. "They're frightened because they are again living, but without bodies, or stories. They feel the maw of time and only know the fear associated with dying." The holy guardian growled. "The suppression of Vigil and the compressing of time, along with the presence of the Triune has created a dimensional pocket. This has been prophesied by the Trance prophets since the dawn of knowledge. We are now ensnared in the Dead Drift."
The Dreamer continued to scream. Odin glanced out the window and was entranced by the violent swirling of the apparition-lights. The souls-within the confines of time-appeared as transparent skeletons of light, much as they did when Vigil summoned them to the earth to consume mortals.
"So until Vigil is released from that leonhart-twin, Intervigilium is stuck in a state similar to the earth?" Gilgamesh posed the question. The child shook his head.
"No. . .time will leave only when the trance prophecy has been fulfilled."
"The Triune. . ."
"Everything is in place." Griever interrupted. "The Dead Drift is similar to the black hole of all dimensions. Time has been compressed and released, but now there is only one reality- all alternate realities have been prematurely ended or have merged with the reality that created the time compression. This is the only timeline left and we do not know what will happen."
"How can we not know?" Odin interjected. "How can we not know the future when we can follow everything beyond this point. . ."
"We know everything before and after the Dead Drift. We do not know what will occur within this space of time. It is possible that this world might be destroyed. . ."
"But Ultimecia is from a thousand years in the future. . ."
"That does not mean the world will continue as it is." The child answered. "All we know is that a world linked to the present one- the sole reality- continues. However. . .there is a possibility that the world of the future is simply created anew after the last one is destroyed. There is no way to know."
"Only one creature knows for sure...and his screams are hardly comforting." Griever finished. Odin hung his head.
"What does he dream?"
"He lives the Dead Drift just as we do. He has no control- instead of creating the world, he is being forced to watch the random actions as they come together to shape his planet." Griever responded.
"We are living it as well, aren't we?" Gilgamesh asked. "That's why we're in our human forms as opposed to our immortal, guardian bodies."
"If you traverse Lunarimanum or are called by a mortal, you will still be your guardian form. But, as a last resort, the Dreamer thrust us into our human bodies, the bodies we had before we were martyred, so to save us the pain of experiencing what the rest of the host does. It was a small gift." The young boy answered, staring at his hands. The screams still rent the air.
"Bahamut, have the rest of the Guardians returned to Intervigilium?" Griever asked suddenly. The boy nodded.
"Yes- most of them traversed through Lunarimanum."
"We will have to reveal all of this- they will be wondering why they're human again." The fur-clad guardian continued. "And they must be made aware of our state."
"How long will this last?" Gilgamesh asked. "I mean, these human bodies will only last so long. Once they die, we will be swallowed up with the host."
"Our time line is directly equivalent with the one on the earth." Griever turned to him. "But I do not know how long it will last. It depends on the events of the Trance prophecy."
The council fell silent, and the only sound echoing through Intervigilium was the Dreamer's beautiful cry.
Obviously frustrated, Gilgamesh rose from the divan and exited silently. Bahamut quickly pursued him. They would gather the earth guardians and reveal the situation.
Odin and Griever met at the windowsill and stared out at the host.
"You know nothing. . ."Odin asked softly.
"It's a large hole in my memory."
"The earth may be destroyed. . ."
"Not only that. . ."Griever interrupted. "But there is a chance that the Triune may overthrow Hyne- so it is foretold and was revealed to the Hyenite order twice during the trance quests of Seto Almasy and your father, Grand Master Viator before the first coming." Griever ran one nimble finger down the windowpane. There was no condensation in Intervigilium. "The second coming is upon us, Odin. And even the creator weeps in fear."
The heavenly host circled the spire that housed their screaming Maker.