Not a lot of Max in this one, but plenty of Virgil, and the one who would become Skullmaster. Writing the slow descent of Virgil (Areti) from virtuous Teacher into becoming a willing pawn for genuine evil was not a fun process, but I hope it's entertaining to read. It makes my skin crawl thinking about being that evil and manipulative. Not coincidentally, I absolutely have ideas about killing Skullmaster for real someday. I'm not there yet, not even soon, but someday. The outline has been written!
Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 6: That Lovely Little Gun
For just a moment, Max pulled himself out of the flood of memory, like taking a gasping breath in the middle of a river's current.
I'm the Krateros. I was destined to destroy Lemuria? But...I didn't. I couldn't.
Virgil helped Skullmaster to try to keep me from being born?
And he didn't tell me…about any of it.
He really was lying all this time…
He felt the swift touch of Morgan's presence. Rest easy, Chosen One. I will not let him harm you. But there is more to know.
But!
And he was engulfed in the past again.
-==OOO==-
Areti emerged from beyond the Diamond Door a changed person. No longer so sure of his own future, no longer so proud of his place in Lemurian history. No longer so trusting of the Elders and Eldest who were, at best, complicit in tragedy and, at worst, the greatest threat to Lemuria ever conceived. Only days before, Areti would have cast aside any idea, no matter from whence it came, that the Elders or Eldest might be in the wrong — now, he could not see them in any other light. And it brought him to question everything else he had ever known.
How could he trust in his own Destiny if these were the plans against his people?
How could he trust in the confirmation by the Eldest that he was the one from the Four Thousand Epos, or that what was meant in those passages he held so dear was truly noble and good?
What if his Teaching, his Destiny, was meant to further the destruction of his very people?
Areti was shaken to the very roots of his soul, chilled as if the SunSoul had never shed its warmth upon him. All that had been True was now False, all that had been his long-sought-after Wisdom was now Foolishness. All that he had ever wanted, ever worked to achieve, was now tainted and evil.
Areti did not remember making his way back to the home he shared with this student. He did not remember pulling the cover from his bed and wrapping himself in it as if its warmth could thaw the frozenness of his mind. He did not realize that he was passing into shock, his very body failing with the upheaval of his world.
He must have been lost in that numb fog for most of the day, for he only roused back to himself when S'arelmari forced a cup of warm tea into his hands, holding it still when Areti's own were unstable and shaking.
"Drink, Teacher." S'arelmari was calm, his tone gentle. "It will help."
Areti obeyed, and the tea revived him. He glanced to the window, surprised to see the daylight already fading.
"I am sorry, my friend. I had no idea that my search for knowledge would lead us to such darkness."
"No, S'arelmari." Areti shook off the last of his stupor and faced his student, heart hammering in his chest. "It is not you who has brought this upon us."
"No. It is the Elders." S'arelmari looked away. "I still cannot fathom such a level of betrayal. How could they? How dare they?"
Areti met some of S'arelmari's rising anger with his own. "We must learn more. I wish I could believe that we would find some sort of explanation or exoneration, but I now know better than that. Instead, I believe we must begin to comprehend how far their ill intent goes, and its purpose."
"It's purpose?"
"Why destroy Lemuria?" Even asking it aloud caused something in Areti's bones to ache. "What possible benefit could anyone derive? It cannot be merely a whim, for these plans are eons in the making. No, there must be some purpose. And we must discover it."
"But, if we are found out," S'arelmari began.
"Then we will not be." Areti drew a deep breath. "How much do you know of what lies beyond the Black Door?"
"Only that which we saw briefly before the Diamond Door revealed itself."
"The Black Door opens only after one has been passed by the Elders, after one has received the Rite of Naming," Areti explained. "The knowledge there is dangerous in the wrong hands, perilous to trifle with. It is forbidden to all but those who have proven their dedication and their wisdom. There is a reason that final Door is black."
"Why does such knowledge even exist, then, if it is so treacherous?"
"Knowledge is knowledge," Areti said. "It, in itself, has no morality other than that which we assign. And to know nothing, to be ignorant of that which could be used for evil, it leaves us more vulnerable to such acts." His breath caught in his throat. "In...in order to safeguard the future of Lemuria, we must know the face of darkness that we may…" He felt himself shaking.
S'arelmari raised a hand. "Please, do not push yourself beyond what is safe, Teacher." He drew the teacup away before Areti could drop it.
"None of us are safe," Areti said. He felt his strength returning at last even as his body rebelled. "Not if our own Elders plot against us. But Destiny has given us a way to prevent them." He smiled at S'arelmari. "Your entrance to the forbidden chambers of knowledge can be nothing but that which must be. For without this, we may not have learned such secrets in time to act."
"But what will we do?" S'arelmari asked. He, who had been so certain back in the Diamond chamber, seemed to be hesitant once more.
"We must do what we are meant to do," Areti said. "I am a Teacher. I know this. And no betrayal by the Eldest himself can deny that which rings true in my own soul. I cannot lead a force to preserve our people, cannot rally a power great enough to protect Lemuria. But I can guide, and I can instruct."
"Guide and instruct whom?"
"You, S'arelmari. You must lead us."
"But...but I am hated. I am a demonspawn."
"And yet you see clearly. S'arelmari, I am sure that when we find those who will listen to reason, who will hear us and believe, they will see in you all the greatness that I see as well. I can teach you the knowledge that lies beyond the Black Door, how to hide from penetrating eyes, how to gather power and store it for use when needed, how to do what must be done for the sake of Lemuria."
"If you Teach me," S'arelmari said, "then I will not be afraid to use this knowledge to save us all."
"Yes. This must be our Destiny. Spies we must be, perhaps saboteurs, even traitors. But only until the people of Lemuria see the danger which smiles from the council chamber. Once they know what the Elders very nearly brought about, they will understand that our methods were not evil — they were our last resort."
"Very well." S'arelmari held out a hand, much larger than Areti's own. "Teach me, then, and together we will save our people."
Areti grasped his student's hand and had never been more assured, and more frightened, of anything in his life.
-==OOO==-
Their days, from any outward appearance, changed little after their revelation. Areti and S'arelmari spent a great deal of time in seclusion or in private corners of the library studying. S'arelmari was officially in the cycle approaching the Verdant Door, which required rather a great deal more individual instruction with other Teachers than those previous. This led to Areti speaking to his peers at length, trying to find others who would be willing to sit with his student for such sessions. And, while many Teachers were uncomfortable spending time with the demonspawn S'arelmari, a few were eager to educate the pariah of Lemuria.
What none knew, for they did not look close enough to observe, was that the subject matter of Areti's lessons had changed.
No longer did they seek the Wisdom of Lemuria, pouring over her ancient texts and examining the nuance of every line. No longer did they discuss the morality and ethos of all that they learned, seeking the correct path forward. No longer did they bother with the finer points of instruction.
Instead, Areti unleashed his knowledge of all things that were to be forbidden to S'arelmari — of blood magic and trickery, of manipulation and dishonesty. S'arelmari, for his part, proved to be as adept at such acts as he ever had been at memorizing the Four Thousand Epos or composing a treatise on its meanings. As always, Areti found in his student a willing and able pupil, quick to assimilate knowledge and quicker still to master it.
As their comfort with their subversion grew, so did their daring. It was less than a season from when Areti and S'arelmari first attained the forbidden knowledge until they identified a Teacher who might be sympathetic and began bending his ear to their fears. Such a conversion of a dedicated and loyal Teacher took another two seasons, but it ended in success — the Teacher came to see the truth in their words and vowed to assist. After that came another, and another.
"If we are in error," S'arelmari always said to them as they slowly turned to his side, "then my Teacher and I alone will bear the burden of shame. But when we are proven correct, then it is all of us together who will be remembered as the heroes of Lemuria who saved it from destruction from within."
S'arelmari and Areti had always played Lemurian chess when not working on S'arelmari's studies; now those games had become the vehicle for planning and strategy. They diagrammed out their arguments, their next steps, even how and who they might next convince to join their cause. Areti had been nearly undefeatable at the game in his own time as a student, but S'arelmari bested him regularly.
It could not frustrate Areti — it enhanced their approach exponentially.
Areti and S'arelmari's plans had developed two primary goals — to remove the Elders and Eldest from their offices to prevent further risk to Lemuria, and to thwart any chance of the Krateros rising to ensure that Lemuria would never be destroyed.
It took little time for Areti to realize that he was far more at ease with the latter than the former.
"After all," as he said to S'arelmari one day, "to prevent the birth of one is no great loss — he will never exist and therefore we cause no harm to him. But to act against those who have been our Elders...it makes my heart recoil even as I know it must be done."
"Have no fear then, my friend," S'arelmari was quick to assure him. "There are two of us, and more every day. Let us each take one task, and then we know both shall be accomplished."
And so Areti bent all his energy to his study of the Krateros.
However, as he learned shortly thereafter, the greatest knowledge of the Krateros was still held beyond the Diamond Door, which he dared not risk for fear of revealing anything to the Elders. With little to go on in the way of direct sources, Areti began looking for tiny ties of insight, ripples of a passing mention, events that influenced events that influenced events, which he could trace back to the supposed hero. In this way, he discovered that the Krateros was everywhere in Lemuria's future, a rock cast into a still pond that changed everything the water could touch.
"Eliminating the Krateros will not be simple," he said to S'arelmari one night. "There are multitudinous redundancies in every possible future indicated by every text to ensure his rise. We have some millenia before that time, of course, but cutting them all off may be impossible."
"If there is anyone who can find a way, I trust that it is you, old friend," S'arelmari said. "But perhaps we do not need to prevent his birth. Perhaps we need to simply render him powerless."
"Ah. But I cannot yet trace the source of his power. Such knowledge must be guarded by the Diamond Door."
"I know you will think of something, Teacher."
So Areti persevered. He was only vaguely aware of S'arelmari's growing group of dedicated followers, preferring to work on his research alone. He was, after all, a Teacher, and so the studying of his pursuit helped him feel more at ease than addressing a column of allies in their defense of Lemuria.
But their time was growing short. In a matter of years, S'arelmari would be summoned for his next examination at the end of his cycle. And while Areti was confident the Elders would pass S'arelmari in spite of the interruption to his studies, he feared that they might learn something of the forbidden knowledge they had attained, or that Areti himself had divulged, and all might be lost.
"For if they learn that we know of their treachery, then they will cast us out before we can act," he said.
"Then we must ensure that we take them from the seats of power before they can examine me," S'arelmari said. "I do not know how much support we can raise in such a short time, but I know that we must try."
"Then, at least, even if they do cast us out, perhaps our questions will engender doubts in those who remain," Areti said, thinking. "And those doubts could allow our allies to continue in our place."
"While we prepare for the day that they open the gates of Lemuria to us anew, that we oversee the preservation of our own people and the downfall of those who would destroy us." S'arelmari grinned, his broad mouth revealing his many teeth. "That is, as you have taught me, the great danger of rebellion. It is like a wildfire, spreading with the wind, and very difficult to extinguish."
"Let our flames be mighty indeed," Areti said, thinking of the Krateros. "For we shall need all their power if we are to save Lemuria."
"Perhaps this is why I am what I am, then. For demonspawn are not harmed by fire."
Areti shook his head. "I am not so blessed, I fear." And he did fear, a very great deal. Not to die — not in the service of Lemuria. But to fail.
"I will protect you, my friend," S'arelmari promised. "In my shadow, no flame shall reach you, and we shall find victory."
Areti let out a breath and wrapped his heart in trust. S'arelmari was Destined for this, as was he. Together, they could defeat the Krateros and preserve Lemuria from all threats. Together, united, they were powerful indeed.
This must be why Destiny had brought them together. It was the only possibility.
-==OOO==-
Virgil battled through the myriad energies that swirled around him, biting into him and trying to drag him back.
It had been many thousands of years since he had interacted so directly with any magical forces; for the most part, he preferred to let Destiny play out as intended, and he was a middling sorcerer at best. He knew the theory, and even the techniques, but his own mystical gifts were thin and unreliable. To augment them, he had learned, took a type of power that led quickly to darkness, and after everything, he felt much more at ease not even approaching such.
But, for the sake of the Mighty One, he would dare this and far more.
The burn in the palm of his metaphysical body was like an ebb of flame, sending heat trailing up his arm. The Crystal of Souls, even as a fragment, was still potent. Fueled as it had been by the trapped souls of Atlantis, it bore the dark memory of the pain and torment of those locked within it, and if Virgil's concentration slipped for even an instant, he could hear the echoes of their cries swirling around him.
It was a great sacrilege to use those powers of darkness even for a noble purpose. But, as Virgil reasoned, he had little choice. And it was hardly the worst sacrilege he had ever perpetrated.
I must not fail. I must reach the Mighty One before all his faith in me is undone.
Morgan le Fay's strength here was much greater than his own, however, and now that she was aware of his attempts to penetrate her control, she had erected powerful defenses against him. Virgil had surmised that she gained access to the Mighty One's mind through a similar energy conduit that linked the boy to Bran — which meant there was little he could do to disrupt it without risking the boy's safety, and possibly his sanity. Instead, he could only attack with what little power he could muster and hope it would be enough.
For if I do not stop her, there is no telling the damage she could do to the Mighty One. If she can work magic through his very body, she already has greater influence over him than Skullmaster or Bran ever did.
And that thought chilled him to the bone. Mighty Max had barely survived his encounter with Skullmaster in Toyama, and it had taken extensive therapy and healing to return him to even some semblance of the boy he had been before. What harm would Morgan do, what suffering would she cause by such a greater violation?
How much more can the boy withstand?
That fear almost dislodged him from his aim, a distraction he could not afford. While he was afraid for himself, for what Morgan le Fay might reveal to the Mighty One, for what it might cost him in his relationship with the boy, these fears could be managed.
As long as the Mighty One was alive and well to hate him, Virgil could endure that.
But if Morgan le Fay fractured his mind, if she rent that which was both so very strong and so very fragile, if she broke the boy's spirit when even Skullmaster had failed…
Then it will all have been for nothing.
And I will lose the most important thing left to me in all the world.
Grief threatened to swamp him, but Virgil forced his emotions down and brought his mind back to order.
It cannot happen.
I will not let it happen.
Even if it costs me my life, my mind, and the Mighty One's trust, I'll save him.
No matter the consequences.
But that, of course, was the whole problem.
-==OOO==-
In the short years since Areti and S'arelmari had discovered the plot against Lemuria, everything had changed. Rather than facing their desperation alone, now there were dozens of active supporters and scores of those who knew of their work at least obliquely and had provided assistance. S'arelmari had already begun to master the forbidden knowledge beyond the Black Door, taking to trickery and deceit with an ease that would have alarmed Areti previously; now it reassured him.
They had even managed one trip into the Diamond chamber, only for a single night, but enough to gain more knowledge about the Krateros and his part to play in the destiny of Lemuria.
"But there is no time!" Areti fumed, pacing back and forth within their home. "There are only two more years and two seasons before you will be examined at the end of your cycle. We have come far, but we will not be ready so quickly."
"You fear we will be discovered?"
"It's possible." Areti regarded his student. "The Elders and the Eldest are clever, far cleverer than we, and they see far more. Something we may not even consider could be our undoing."
"Then," S'arelmari said, "we must remove them from power before they examine me."
"By my calculations, we need a decade, perhaps two, before we will sway enough of Lemuria to prevent an uprising against us," Areti said. "We will do our people additional harm if we force them to attack us while we act to protect them."
"Then we can only hope to act without consensus, and gain it later when we explain all."
"Yes, of course, but if we act with only the support we have now, or that we may attain in the next two years, we will be hopelessly outnumbered." Areti shut his eyes. "The people of Lemuria will see an attack, an attempted takeover, and they will resist us before we can illuminate them."
"Then perhaps..." But S'arelmari trailed off.
Areti looked up at his student, and saw an idea brewing in the dark eyes. "Perhaps?"
"It...it is an audacious thought, my friend."
"Audacious is all we have left to ourselves, I believe," Areti said. "Tell me, please."
"If we cannot act with the support of the people, then we must find a way to ensure their compliance — at least until we inform them of our true purpose."
Areti frowned, listening.
"Therefore, when we act against the Elders, we must do so in a way which discourages resistance." S'arelmari's hands clenched. "We must...it is regrettable, but inevitable...we must attack with so much force and power, the people of Lemuria do not dare to cross us."
"S'arelmari, that — "
"It would only be to protect them," S'arelmari said quickly. "Not to hurt anyone. But to dissuade them from any action. To make any possible move against us unfathomable. If we can overpower the people of Lemuria so completely that they do not fight us, then we will not have to fight them in their own defense."
Areti's heart quaked, but he found himself nodding. "I cannot fault your logic, though it is reprehensible. To turn such power against our own people…"
"Not in truth," S'arelmari said. "Only to threaten. You and I would know we meant no harm, and that such threats were never to be fulfilled. But it would hold them enough that they could be brought to understanding with minimal blood shed."
"I see your reasoning. But where would we get such power?"
S'arelmari regarded his Teacher. "I believe, my friend, that you must answer that. My knowledge is incomplete. I cannot hope to locate something of this kind, not without a great deal more studying and trust by the Elders."
Areti let out a breath and nodded, his shoulders falling in shame and defeat. "You are correct. In the course of my studies, even now, I have come upon many references to great powers like that of which you speak."
"Then choose one," S'arelmari said. "The most iconic and devastating you can lay hands upon in time. The greater its renown, the more the people of Lemuria will bow before it and thus be spared."
"But the consequences of seeking such power, and of using it…" Areti had already surrendered to his student's logic, but guilt still gnawed at his mind. "Even though we are in the right, even though we act for the best of all, we may still lose our people. Even using such power in defense of Lemuria, we may yet be cast out and despised and feared."
"But for the sake of Lemuria, we must proceed anyway," S'arelmari said. "No matter the consequences. You would give your life for our people, as would I. We must be willing to risk everything imaginable to protect Lemuria from destruction."
"Very well." Areti drew in a deep breath. "I will adjust my aim and choose for us a power, a weapon great enough that we shall never need to use it. Perhaps the Arcana, or something connected with the Krateros himself."
"I trust in your choice, Teacher," S'arelmari said.
A season later, Areti arranged to show S'arelmari the Arcana. The student was not permitted to touch it, nor study with it, but Areti managed to copy all its essentials in secret, so that S'arelmari would be prepared to master it when the time finally arrived.
-==OOO==-
It was a year before their plans must come to fruition or all would be lost. Areti and S'arelmari had grown their supporters immensely, and both were also as well-versed as possible in the Arcana's powers. Time was short, but they worked diligently, ever so much more than they ever had on simple lessons and teachings.
Areti had split his attention between the Arcana and continuing to investigate the matter of the Krateros, trying to uncover how, exactly, the legendary hero would destroy Lemuria and himself and S'arelmari. At last a reference to a nearly-forgotten text had guided him to new information, and he rushed to tell S'arelmari about it.
"I have it!" Areti burst into the private space in which S'arelmari was pretending to study — in reality, he was coordinating their forces for the day of truth. "I have it!"
"Have what, Teacher?"
"I know how to prevent the rise of the Krateros, at least for a time. It should give us an advantage when he eventually does enter the world." Areti was flushed with victory — here, at last, they could thwart the final and most dangerous threat to Lemuria!
"Oh? How? And when?" S'arelmari asked.
"Ten thousand years from now, the Krateros will rise from one of those human peoples — and I do hope they are more civilized by then. He is positioned by Destiny to wield great power, and to be a defender of humanity. However, his path is very tenuous. I believe, if we make use of the Arcana when we hold it a year from now, we can strip his powers."
"How do you mean?"
"A human hero will still be born, and will still take on challenges and such — he would be one of many, probably. But if we change the course of magic in the world, the correct forces will not coalesce at his birth. He will be born, but not born the Krateros."
"And then we can easily defeat him," S'arelmari said.
"Yes. However," Areti said, "doing so will almost certainly guarantee the rise of the Krateros much later — fifteen thousand years from now. And when that time comes, he will be very powerful indeed."
"But by slowing him down, we stand a chance of mustering great enough forces to subdue him," S'arelmari said. "Or, better yet, to kill him as a babe in arms before he can even strike at us."
Areti flinched.
"My friend." S'arelmari's voice was soothing. "I know it troubles you to contemplate ending the life of an innocent. But remember — the Krateros is not innocent. He will be a murderer, and he will be the end of all that is Lemuria. He is a monster, a demon far worse than the Anathema Hallusko who comprise my own lineage. We must be prepared to kill him the instant we have the opportunity. There is no other hope for Lemuria, and no other hope for us."
Areti swallowed. "But, to kill a child?"
"To save me?" S'arelmari asked gently. "My Teacher, would you kill a monster, even as an infant, to spare my life. For if we do not, then not only will Lemuria fall, but we shall perish also."
"I know." Areti reached out and laid a feathered hand on S'arelmari's arm. "You are right. For your sake, you who are my student and friend and the nearest thing I may ever have to a true companion, I would take the life of a monster. No matter how small or young."
"Then let us vow here and now." S'arelmari held out a hand. "No matter what happens in a year, no matter if we succeed or fail. We will delay the Krateros for fifteen thousand years. And when he is born, one of us will kill him. For Lemuria, and for each other. And then you and I will be able to live our eternity in peace."
Areti grasped the hand and held it.
"For Lemuria, and for you, my student. My friend. For all that is good, when the Krateros rises, I will help you kill him."