Chapter 7
At the Edges of the Universe
The stars fell like patches of rain as Chrysoberyl zoomed through the vastness of space. Hurtling past the planets, skimming by every solar system, the vessel embraced the darkness, flying at a million miles an hour. Using the tracking device given to him by Orange Pearl, he was given coordinance. Following the chart, he flew past hundreds of different solar systems, and when soaring around a sun, he found a planet desolate to other neighboring systems.
The planet sat in what Chrysoberyl could only describe as the middle of nowhere. Lying in the center of absolute darkness, the orb was miles away from a sun which could be seen as nothing but a dot. Such a small planet, and Chrysoberyl wasted no time, increasing the ship's speed.
If he were to judge the time by earth standards, Chrysoberyl would predict it had been about a month since he charted his destination, and did not stop even for a second. The thoughts going through his mind were nothing besides vengeance. He had pushed away everything Lapis Lazuli said to him. Who cares if no one would remember Red Diamond, or the male Gems for that matter? This is his mission, his duty to fight for His Diamond, for the wrongdoing his enemy placed upon him. He grew irritated, wanting the ship to go faster, but since it is a very old model, he could only fly as fast as space would carry him. His krystal had gotten worse overtime as well, but not as quickly because he wasn't summoning anything, or using it for anything of importance.
Chrysoberyl looked at his wrist, clenching and unclenching his fist - now it hurt to even move his fingers. He sighed, knowing he will use the last bit of strength to fight the Great Pagan of Infinite Bloodshed.
He entered the planet's atmosphere, which was abnormal to the ship's knowledge - this served as a surprise to Chrysoberyl. To his conclusion, that information only meant one thing: This planet is not just separate from any other solar system, but it is the most remote planet he had encountered. As the darkness of space faded from view, flames erupted on the glass. Chrysoberyl gasped as red lights flashed all around him, but forced the vessel to keep moving. The speed increased by the second, to the point where the ship could not maintain control, and started falling. It was space itself which kept it going, and without the ship in that zone, Chrysoberyl found himself in a free fall.
On neighboring planets, it was uncertain if the environment could physically injure a Gem, and because this planet was undiscovered, the crash might shatter him in an instant. The ship upon landing could close in on itself, crushing him without feeling anything. When the vessel passed through the clouds, Chrysoberyl was awestruck to find towering crystal structures as big as the buildings back on earth. The ship tilted forward, and Chrysoberyl saw that he was not far away from impact.
He looked around, trying to think of how to avoid collision. The engines were completely out of power, and he could use nothing to slow down - he was about to collide with the buildings. A piece of the ceiling broke, almost falling on his head. Chrysoberyl looked over his shoulder, his eyes falling on the spare suits he had. He didn't know the domain, and the atmosphere could kill him. He pulled himself away from the controls, grabbed a territorial suit, and ran full speed.
Chrysoberyl kicked the glass, which shattered on impact. Holding the suit in his arm, Chrysoberyl was in a free fall while the ship belched smoke; it pummeled into one of the structures, and exploded. The wind slammed against Chrysoberyl's face as he zoomed by towers, heading straight for the ground not that far below. He hated to do it, the pain was intolerable now, but there was no other way to save himself. His krystal shined brightly, and with a wave of his arm, Chrysoberyl summoned the sword connected to a long chain. The blade flew in the air and drove into one of the buildings. Chrysoberyl swung high in the air, did a flip while disintegrating the weapon, and landed on the tower.
He took a moment to catch his breath, letting the pain sink in for a long minute before finally disappearing. Chrysoberyl turned around and watched a cloud of smoke rise into the air - the last of his ship, destroyed at last. He looked around, expecting the giant to step out of nowhere and attack him, so he hid. He then remembered the atmosphere. It did not seem to infect his body yet, but for safety, Chrysoberyl stripped his flight suit, and donned his territorial suit. The torso was fiery orange, while the slacks were black, and the boots green as grass. Chrysoberyl pressed a button on his chest and a mask enclosed his head; it was stone gray, with narrow black eyes. He stepped out from behind the building, and pressed on.
Chrysoberyl considered it to be best if he were to trek across the structures to get a better view of the landscape. He ran, and jumped, hundreds of yards above the ground, and fell, landing on the next structure. His body clanged against the flooring, like rock pounding against rock. He stood, looked down at what could have awaited him if he missed the fall, then continued.
He leaped from tower to tower, climbed skyscraper to the next skyscraper, and after about an hour, inactivity took place. Chrysoberyl stopped at one point to contemplate: Where was Red Diamond? He left the tracking device on the ship, but it could not lie - he had come so far, this had to be the place; if not, everything he did to get here would be for nothing. Chrysoberyl continued onward, trudging through the crystal city, comparing it to the megalopolis of Homeworld. However the structures were very different, as if they weren't made intentionally to be a building to house citizens. Rather, it looked as if they were torn from the ground, and placed randomly - is this the empire Red Diamond planned to build?
Another thirty minutes of finding nothing except dust and rubble here and there, but the next time he lifted his head, Chrysoberyl stopped as suddenly as a flask robonoid would.
A crater sat before him, as if a meteor had struck this place long ago. Judging by the sheer size of it, Chrysoberyl guessed it ranged to be the same size as earth's New York City. Crystals lay inside, smashed to pieces and left as nothing but rocks or boulders. Whatever had done this dug deep enough to make the crater appear endless - a black hole brought from space and encrusted in the planet. After a little more examination, Chrysoberyl tilted his head, noticing the crystals were not tossed in like garbage, but rather placed in a fashion, resembling something of a construction site.
Chrysoberyl narrowed his eyes and scanned his surroundings, a screen appearing in front of his face inside the mask. Codes flashed before him, showing results of the landscape - chemicals and radiation were not present in this area, and of course, no lifeforms. Chrysoberyl stepped out into the open. He looked around, on his guard but not making his krystal glow yet. . . . Then he jumped from surprise by what rounded the corner.
The figure rose over everything; the towers were the size of desks compared to it. The monster looked around as Chrysoberyl backed up against the wall, watching the brute examine the crater. It stepped forward, and dropped an armful of smashed crystals on the ground. The figure knelt down and sorted the rocks, whispering to itself, careful to avoid the rubble around it. A minute went by before the behemoth let out a sigh, and stood, studying its work, then took a step back. The rocks were rammed into the ground, making a square, which surrounded larger boulders as a planting ground for a larger structure.
The giant walked around the crater, and grew smaller as it walked away from Chrysoberyl, and ended up on the opposite side. It stood in front of two pillars, its stance firm as a soldier awaiting orders. The figure wore a red robe, torn at the torso, exposing its abdomen; a piece of the robe was torn to make a string, wrapped around the waist to create slacks; the hair was a river of blood reaching its shoulders; the gaze was ice cold, just as it always is in space. The figure grabbed the pillars, and ripped them from the planet. A loud ring echoed off the towers, forcing Chrysoberyl to cover his ears. He turned back to the figure and scowled - after so many years of lying in waste in a dead end life, he had found the murderer hidden in the vastness of the galaxy for thousands among thousands of years.
Salocos the Red Diamond held his two katanas high above his head, creating the symbol he always saluted to His Creator, but looked different somehow. The swords were crossed in an X, which reminded Chrysoberyl a little of Purple Diamond's krystal cut. After examining it more, he came to the conclusion that the salute served as an insult to Black Diamond. Whereas all Gems, including Diamonds would hold their hands above their heads and link their nails together to show respect, this sign was the complete opposite, cursing Their Creator for a wicked form of entertainment, or to show they wished to be shattered than serve.
Red Diamond lowered his weapons, letting them brush against the soil. Chrysoberyl made his krystal glow, wondering if this is a symbol to present a battle stance. Salocos turned his head, right in the Gem's direction. As silence fell, Chrysoberyl paused like a statue - was he spotted?
"Grahs-Drayia," the giant boomed, "don't you know how to show respect? I suppose you brought back the shards of Orange Pearl?"
Chrysoberyl's eyes went wide.
"Ignorant Pearl," Red Diamond said under his breath, but could easily be heard. He stomped forward. "I grow tired of these Gems. Orange Diamond is dead, and I want it to be nothing more than a sheer memory."
In less than ten seconds, Red Diamond was towering over him like a human stands over an ant. Chrysoberyl dashed out of sight, and leaped down to the next level of the tower.
"Do not run from me, Pearl," Salocos boomed. "You think you can play games with me? I'll shatter you for your disobedience."
Just as the Diamond turned the corner, Chrysoberyl jumped off the building, and landed on the ground. He ran and disappeared under another structure just as the giant stopped in his tracks.
Red Diamond darted his eyes left and right, and let out a deep sigh. "I have repeated this phrase again and again: I can crush you between my fingers for the pleasure whenever I want to. Do not make me wipe you off this planet."
Behind his back, Chrysoberyl threw his sword into the air, which drove into a crystal tower. He pulled himself up into the air with one arm and landed on the building. He stared at the back of Salocos' head as the giant looked around in frustration.
Chrysoberyl wrapped the chain around his arm and said to himself: "Today, after thousands of years, you will regret your actions for what you did long ago."
Clutching his sword tightly in hand, Chrysoberyl ran full speed, and jumped off the tower. He held the blade above his head, and struck with all his might. Inches away from the strike, and Red Diamond spun around. Chrysoberyl locked eyes with the giant, a hint of fear coming over him. Salocos waved his hand, and knocked the Gem out of the sky, shattering the mask. He let out a scream as the world spun in circles. Only a few feet away from the ground, then Chrysoberyl felt something crush his legs. He stopped mid fall, then rose up into the sky. Held upside down, he found himself face to face with Salocos the Red Diamond.
Chrysoberyl did not plead for his life as most Gems would when held against their will. Red Diamond tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. Judging by his expression, he was baffled.
Nonchalantly, he tossed the Gem to the side, saying to himself: "I will never know what goes through these Gems' minds."
Chrysoberyl drove his sword into the side of the tower. He fell as sparks flew, but eventually the weapon made him stop.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, Chrysoberyl lifted his head and screamed: "RED DIAMOND! I have come to avenge the one you have wronged. For years, Homeworld never knew the name of the murderer, or how your brother died. But I have lived with the secret, and I know the truth."
To someone of his size, Red Diamond only heard muffles. He turned around, facing him with a tilted head.
"Did you suppose you could live with your guilt?" Chrysoberyl shouted. "You think you can run away, and no one will find you? Could punishment not be inflicted? I am the punishment, Red Diamond, the judge and jury who will condemn you to shattering."
Salocos studied the Gem for a while, and knelt down, meeting eyes with him. After a moment, he came to the realization: "You. The witness. You are the one who has been following me."
Chrysoberyl smirked. "A kingdom built upon the remains of your brother? You will never rise to power, not while I still hold the truth."
"Everywhere I go, no matter what planet I resign on, you are always there, fighting me. Forcing me to flee just to get away from you - how absurd."
"Your Pearl is no more, she is shattered by my sole weapon. Do you think you can send your servant to kill me, and bring back my remains? Did you suspect she would tell you how much I screamed and begged for my life? No, Red Diamond, I am a warrior, trained for years by your brother, My Diamond."
"You have a disease - there is something wrong with your krystal."
"I have lived through that pain for far too long. After several thousand years, I will avenge Orange Diamond's death with your screams of the same agony I have been influenced by."
"After all these years of fighting, making speeches that you will destroy me, you could have spent your whole life trying to cure your disease, and save yourself."
Upon hearing those words, a truth came to Chrysoberyl that he did not see even after so many long years. His life, his passion, his love for the battle, the loyalty to His Diamond, the devotion taken to spend a lifetime tracking down the murderer, and doing whatever he could to shatter him. All for nothing, he now realized - that was the truth Lapis Lazuli was trying to tell him! There was no reason to go after Red Diamond - all these years of fighting, a wild chase from one planet to the next. Limbo, that is what the humans referred to it as - insanity of a one man war against what? A villain that will not be remembered by the new generation? A fighter wanting to finish a battle that no one will recall?
Chrysoberyl's head fell, his gaze landing on the organ of a krystal he now had. The piece of him that caused him pain for so long, killing him slowly, torturing him day after day, night after night, decade after decade. The realization that even his enemies kept telling him finally reached him.
"Heh, heh heh heh. Heh, heh, ha, ha, hahahahaha . . . . HAHAHAHAHA!" Red Diamond's wicked laughter soared through the air, stretching across the wasteland. "I was right! I told everyone, including my siblings, how ignorant you Gems can be. Just like Pearls, you never learn when to let go. You're all so soft, so comical, it drives me to lunacy - I grow mad thinking of it all. In my prime, I watched you struggle to even lift a sword to impress your leaders. Don't spill out all these speeches of revenge, I've heard it come out of your mouth multiple times. Truly, what makes you think you can shatter me?"
Salocos cracked his neck, stood, and walked off.
Chrysoberyl leaped off the building, pursuing the Diamond. "I have failed many times beforehand, but I finally know a way to shatter you to pieces."
Red Diamond spun around, stomping his foot, throwing the Gem off his feet. "Silence fool; do not remind me of your repetitive words of wisdom and vengeance, and save me the hour long duel you know you cannot win."
Chrysoberyl summoned his weapon, a surge of pain flying through him. "This is the first time I have held this weapon in over three hundred years. I used it to kill your servant, and I will use it once more to end your reign of terror."
Salocos winced. "Put that thing away, insolent knight - you disgust me with your suffering." He shivered, then came to a thought: "Reign of terror you say? Dear Gem, what kind of terror have I inflicted upon the universe?"
"Orange Diamond's people. I watched them weep at the shattering of theirs, and my master."
"Don't tell me that debate is still going on. That was years ago, back when I had plans to overthrow my brother and take the colony for myself."
Chrysoberyl paused, contemplating. "Then, you mean to say you killed My Diamond out of jealousy?"
Red Diamond scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. I merely wanted all the glory to myself, not rule beside my ignorant young brother. I suspect the time has long passed since then, but I am sure you can recall Green Diamond's demise?" He smirked down at him, and judging by his expression, everyone really could remember. "Maybe it was only the power sealed inside the Spear, but this horror sparked an idea inside me: If Our Creator could be brought to such a heavy amount of strength, think of all the power held inside me! I was inspired to take action, to test my hidden ability on a planet of my choosing, without my brother interfering and telling me otherwise, and without you to thwart my plans.
"There is your answer, that is why I killed my brother. He was fearful of Lord Onyx as any other Krystal; he practically begged me to not press my limits. I was inspired, it is what he gave all of us Krystals: The ability, the strength, the determination to fight, and bring our powers to their fullest. I wanted to be the first to take that step." Salocos lowered his head, and sighed. "I knew Rofahl better than the Creator ever would, and I knew my brother would do everything in his power to stop me. I tried to convince him of what we are capable of, but the death of Green Diamond weighed about the same as it did for White Diamond. He told me one day, that when we build our colony, and I attempt to reach my full potential, he would shatter me the same way Black Diamond shattered our sister.
"On that day, when I came to him, we had that conversation last the whole daylight hour. My castle had never been so silent. I remember crowds started to form, Gems of all colors wondering what was happening. I tried to convince him again, and of course, he refused. For old time's sake, I challenged him to a battle."
"Then you killed him," Chrysoberyl finished.
"It was the only way I could get rid of him." Red Diamond paused, recalling the moment when he drove his sword through his brother's krystal. "I fled to pursue construction of my domain. No one needed to know, my people could fend for themselves."
"Why keep it secret? Why run from everyone and leave them in great confusion?"
"Because I knew Black Diamond would punish me for casting wrongdoing upon my brother. If he found out, I would be shattered, or stripped of all my power. Everything I have told you, I told my Pearl, and she agreed to travel alongside me. Apparently, even after getting rid of you, Orange Pearl could not live with that idea in mind. For years, it was only I and Grahs-Drayia, until your friend came and repeated the same fighting game over and over again. You Gems never learn, do you? All of you are on the same, continuous route to a battle you know that cannot be won. You were right about one thing- . . . er, who are you?"
Chrysoberyl paused, gazing up at the giant in shock. "What did you say?"
Red Diamond knelt down, placing his elbow on his knee. "After thousands of endless, unfinished battles upon centuries of centuries, I always thought to myself: What kind of Gem would be so bold to battle me? I understand that you were my brother's greatest fighter, but every Diamond keeps to themselves; who are you?"
Chrysoberyl was taken aback - his greatest enemy, the one he tried to shatter for so many years did not know his name? "Chrysoberyl," he answered.
"Sorry? I couldn't hear you."
"I am Chrysoberyl."
Salocos cocked his head. "You are a Chrysoberyl? Hmm, you must be an Off-Color Gem - Chrysoberyls are usually a whitish green. But didn't Black Diamond give you a name?"
Again, Chrysoberyl found himself at a loss. He had served under Orange Diamond for so long, devoted his whole life to the battle, trained to be the best and became the best. Yet, he couldn't even remember his name. Perhaps, he realized, after wielding the sword for such a long time, he had forgotten his own name.
Red Diamond did not wait for an answer: "Well, anyways, you were right about one thing, Chrysoberyl: I did run, but not because I am a coward. As I explained, I wanted to pursue my full potential, and I wanted to explore that idea with a corrupted species."
A sudden wave of fear passed over Chrysoberyl. "What are you saying?"
"I thought I could harness the power of Corrupted Gems, use them to expand my domain. Because of you getting in my way, I gave up on that concept, and I started running. That is all I wanted from you, to get away. But you couldn't stop, and when you did, you sent Orange Pearl after me."
"I didn't send her to do anything; she wanted to end what I should have ended."
Red Diamond scoffed. "Once again, a Pearl could not live past her grief. You have no idea how sick I was of you and her. I thought it would be a good chance for my Pearl to get the opportunity to fight under my name again - she was so eager, I guess you two have something in common. After all, since I discontinued my royalty, I found myself lost. I couldn't go back to Homeworld, not after all these years - I suspect no one would remember my name even if I did return."
"You are not wrong," Chrysoberyl muttered under his breath.
Red Diamond stood, letting out a sigh. "I decided to take up a new interest, something I found engrossing that I never reflected on very often."
"That is?"
"Science, my friend! The essence of territory, hidden deep within a planet's soil. Look here." Salocos dug his hand into the ground, and pulled up a handful of dirt and showed it to him. "The soil is fresh, I tell you. Most planets need rain, or other matter to stay fresh for the planet to survive. This planet however, doesn't need anything of the sort to stay healthy. I regarded very little of it when I first landed here ages ago, but I never returned to the idea until very late of - let us say - one hundred years prior." He stood, holding his arms out to the side. "This is what you are seeing here - research. These crystals may appear to be towers, but no, they are pillars that I discovered while on this planet, and I placed them here in preparation for studies - I intend for them to be Krystal technology made from scratch!"
Chrysoberyl stared up at him, then gazed around at everything that had been built. Every structure, every crystal and pillar, made for studies; not fit for battles, no colony, no insults towards Orange Diamond, and no kingdom to overthrow Homeworld. He lowered his head, looking down at himself, at the warrior he trained to become. He disintegrated his sword, looking down at his krystal, of what was left of the thing.
All for nothing, he thought.
Chrysoberyl looked up, meeting eyes with Red Diamond. The giant smirked down at him, but his smile quickly faded. He looked around anxiously, as if concerned for something.
"You seem troubled," Chrysoberyl pointed out.
"Did you find that surprising, or embarrassing?" Salocos snarled. "Because of you, I have nothing left to lose, nothing left to fight for," he lowered his head, turning away, a sorrow filling the air, "nothing left to live for. I look at everything I try to do, and search for something that would give me a good reason to continue on. But I find nothing every passing day - it always gets so dark when the planet shifts away from the sun. No one to fight, no one to shatter, no species to rule over." He looked over his shoulder, glaring down at the Gem. "It's all your fault. Not only have you destroyed yourself, but my existence as well. You pushed me away from self sovereignty, and shattered my dreams for your own good.
"The reason I sent Red Pearl out to kill your friend is only because I never wanted to hear my brother's name again. That, and your life. I want it to end, I begged for something to shatter me - maybe the gravity could destroy me, but no, nothing ever can." Salocos chuckled. "I find it amusing that my sister, Fenicos, proved a Diamond could be eliminated by natural occurrences, no matter how powerful we are.
The giant turned, facing the Gem, gritting his teeth. "You, Chrysoberyl, are the bane of my existence. The wall blocking my path of domination. But there is no point in continuing on, you have already taken everything from me. I will not live with this torment any longer, you insolent Gem. I will end my pain, I will end my sorrows."
"What do you mean?" Chrysoberyl asked, taking a step back.
Red Diamond reached to his back, and unsheathed both swords. "I am saying that I am finished with my torment, and I have reached my point of weariness with fighting. Consider this to be 'for old time's sake.' You are not scared, are you? A true warrior does not fret, and does not run from the battle. We Diamonds may have different leadership for our people, but I will always remember those are the words my brother repeated to me even during our own training. After I shatter you, and I will shatter you, I will shatter myself - I do not deserve to thrive like this anymore. Take up your weapon, Chrysoberyl, as you have aimed it at me many times before. I do not care for your condition, or whatever is wrong with your krystal. Now that you are here, we will both end in triumph."
With a leap into the air, Red Diamond spun in circles at a rapid pace. The blades sliced the towers into shreds, and the debris tumbled down on top of Chrysoberyl. He covered his head with his arms, and ran for the remainder of his life.