Adventures of John: Ravages of War
Chapter 8: Searching for Answers
For the next while I spent my time continuing my struggle against the forces of Order and Chaos. I attacked their encampments, battled their leaders, continually brought nature back into balance, and continued to seal the tears in the barriers between the realms. I soon realized, however, that it wasn't enough. I could do whatever I wanted in the magical realms, but this war is affecting every aspect of our universe. It is tearing apart the mortal realm just as much as it is the magical ones, and I can't exactly appear in the middle of Syria and fight off the forces of Order and Chaos over there, now can I?
No, fighting wouldn't be enough. I knew that now. I was only delaying the inevitable by doing so. Of course, that left me with an all-consuming question. What could I do? I was somehow connected to Balance, but in a way I still did not understand. Could I somehow use this power to defeat both Order and Chaos? I simply didn't know enough. I didn't know enough about Order, about Chaos, about Balance, about how it all worked. I needed knowledge, so I went to the greatest store of information in our universe: the Grand Libraries of the Loremasters.
I had been to the Loremasters several times before when I was in need of knowledge, including when I was searching for a way to return to Arendelle. They were not able to help me then, but that was because Arendelle is not in our universe, but in another one entirely. The Loremasters have been recording information since the dawn of the universe, or so it is said. I didn't see any of them around when I went back in time and witnessed our universe's creation, but their eldest member, whom I believe to also be the founder, is a tree that once stood in the Garden of Eden, making him the oldest living being in our universe other than God, the angels, and the Celestial Beings such as the Master Mage and the Great Dragon. If anyone would have information to help me discern the true nature of this war and how to deal with it, it would be the Loremasters.
So I made my way to the Libraries, endless halls filled with shelves that towered many stories high, so high that their topmost shelves vanished into the shadows of the ever-distant ceilings. The shelves were filled with tome after tome, but there were far more things on those shelves than just books. Artifacts millennia old looked as new as the day they were made, perfectly preserved in this sanctuary of knowledge. And most precious of all were the crystal vials, filled with mist of shifting colors and hues, a whisper or a sigh sometimes escaping. These were pure memories, memories of important events throughout the histories of realms both mortal and magical.
And throughout it all were the Loremasters, standing silently in their Jedi-like brown robes. Dedicated to only the gathering and safekeeping of knowledge, they do not concern themselves with the worries and wars of any world, other than to record it. Few know the way into the Grand Libraries, and even fewer visit. The Loremasters do not take kindly to their knowledge being used for one's own benefit, and do not allow anything to be taken. Even I am only permitted to view the tomes, and even then there are many that I am banned from. The former contents of the Library of Alexandria are included in this number.
And so, with aid from the Loremasters, I began searching. And I kept searching. Even without the fluid nature of time in the magical realms, I doubt I would be able to give you so much as a rough estimate of how long I was in there. Days and weeks passed in a blur, tome after tome read, each more disappointing than the last. There were infinite references to the duality of Chaos and Order, as well as mentions of the importance of Balance in the natural state of the universe, but nothing told me anything new. There were no volumes that narrated the beginning of the war or explained why every universe seemed to face this same dilemma, no secret use of the power of Balance that could forever end the war.
"I have found nothing," I stated as I stood before the Elder Loremaster, the ancient tree from the Garden of Eden. "You know what will happen if either force wins this war. There will be no new knowledge. If Order wins than all progression will be stifled, and if Chaos wins the people of the universe will be too busy killing each other off to care about learning and developing. Please, old one, help me find a way to end this war."
There is none, the ancient being's thought came into my mind. Nor should there be. This war must continue. Opposition is needed in all things in order for there to be innovation. If humankind is to progress and continue accumulating knowledge, this opposition must remain. That does not simply mean that neither force can win. It also means that neither can be destroyed, even if the other were to be destroyed as well. If that were to come to pass the absence of opposition would bring our universe into a state of nothingness similar to that of the endless Void.
"So I've been searching through your libraries for who knows long for nothing?!" I exclaimed, flames bursting from my clenched fists. "Thanks a lot for that!"
So temperamental, the Elder commented calmly. You humans curse Cain, claiming him to be the worst of your kind, yet you seem to be far more like him than you would desire to admit. I was not saying that your search was in vain, young one, simply that you have been looking in the wrong place.
"Than what am I supposed to do then?" I asked him.
It is not my place to tell you what to do, he replied with what I could swear was a chuckle. I am simply a recorder of knowledge. I can give you information that you require, but I cannot point you toward your path. Only you can determine your own destiny.
"Great," I muttered to myself. "More cryptic words of advice from a magical creature. I never get enough of that." So I left the Grand Libraries of the Loremasters with more questions than answers. According to the Elder Loremaster, this war is unwinnable. I can't somehow eliminate both forces. I can't pull a miraculous victory out of my hat. How then, am I supposed to defeat them? Were they all correct, all those magical beings and people from alternate universes claiming that there was no way I could stand between them?
No, that cannot be true. The Elder told me I could not end this war, but I could sense no fear or despair in him. He would tell me what, but I know that he has knowledge that could help me find my way. That means there is a way, somehow, to save us all. I will find that way. Until then, I think it is time I took the fight to the top. The leaders I have faced so far have either been disposable or those that they knew I could not completely destroy. While I still haven't unearthed the mystery yet, I know I'll sleep a lot easier knowing the big guns are dead. Tomorrow I will earn a new title. Tomorrow I become the Godslayer.