ULTRAMagic Interval - Chapter 0
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Chaos | Cover | Chapter 1
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Ultimatum was making his way towards the construction site of the ULTRAMagic Guild Hall. He had just visited Blood-Wraith, who had finally been brought up to speed about what had happened in the Realm of Chaos. It was great to see that the boy was feeling better, but Ultimatum was still worried about the future. It did not help that he was now privy to Beorhtric’s secret and that he could not tell anyone about it… The only thing that meeting succeeded in doing was compounding his worry to monumental heights, because to him it meant all of his paranoia was justified and bound to happen. Perhaps Tiberius could alleviate his worries given that he was a primordial who most likely had experience dealing with such issues… even though he could not talk about the elephant in the room to him.
Touching down at the site, Ultimatum could see Tiberius instructing the placement of a section of the hall’s roof. “Master Tiberius?”
“Just one moment, lad…” Tiberius turned back to the construction. “To the left… no, your other left! Almost… perfect!” A girder then fell over on a section of the second floor. “Bumbling magic constructs! Do I have to do everything by myself!?” He then snapped his fingers, fixing the issue with his magic directly.
“I see construction is going well… for the most part,” Ultimatum commented.
“As well as a construct can do. Now, my boy–is something the matter? And no need to be so formal–we’re all fellow guildmates here.”
Ultimatum sighed. “Well Blood’s up to speed and feeling better…”
“Certainly took Mr. Willfort long enough.”
“... but I’m worried about what Ealdhelm and Beorhtric basically confirmed for me.”
“A month later and you’re still worried about Karnage?” Tiberius asked, with Ultimatum nodding. “I can’t say I blame you, Schwarzes. The second phase of the Cosmos has certainly been a chaotic one. While The Lich of Old was a massive misstep, in hindsight I can’t fully fault Eustorgio for being up in arms over the end of the epoch.”
“Is this Karnage situation something we can address right now?” Barry asked as he walked up with Cronus.
Tiberius shook his head. “We’re not ready yet–Remember, this is The Behemoth God we’re talking about. He was master of deception back in the Epoch, and was ruthless to a tee.”
“I’d bring my children into this, if they weren’t busy fighting with each other” Cronus remarked with a chuckle.
“As much as we appreciate your intentions, Cronus, your children are most likely fighting because of your absentee parenting.”
Cronus was about to say something, but stopped. “Fair…”
Barry laughed sympathetically. “To be honest, I don’t think Zeus would be welcome in the forest or The Iron City. Certainly not Shadowland.”
“Heh, Zeus…” Ultimatum then noticed Razor and Mizuki not too far off from the site. “Hey, what are those two up to?”
“They’re just doing a little sparring,” Barry replied. “I was helping them, but I also wanted to see what was up just now.”
Tiberius cleared his throat. “We do have some good news, Schwarzes. Serjiel has finally joined us.”
“Oh goody, where is he?”
A demon then calmly approached the four. He had yellow eyes, skin the color of cinnabar, and curved horns coming from the top of his forehead. His attire was a mix of coarse leather and iron plating. “Ultimatum, it’s great to see you again.” His voice was deep and golden.
“How did things go at The Great Stone Lake, Serjiel?”
“It could have gone better, given the Chaos Wasp conflict. As for the humans of that realm as a whole; they are fixated on aura and soul magic and barely know what’s beyond the lake. A little rough around the edges, but they have potential. I did manage to recruit a lad named Yoshihiro Higasa, however. He’s achieved ULTRAMagic, but needs to clean things up in his realm–his words, not mine.”
Ultimatum sighed again. “Well at least it’s something.”
“Now I don’t wish to distress all of you, but I’m concerned that the tower of…”
“INCOMING!!!” a voice exclaimed with what sounded like an object descending from the sky.
Serjiel was cut off by excited hollering as what looked like a giant fireball came rocketing towards the group. They all dodged and scrambled out of the way as it crashed into the ground. Emerging from the cloud of dust was a familiar, scruffy-haired knight.
“Hey, Wynnstan!” Ultimatum welcomed with a laugh. That certainly shook him out of his funk for a moment.
Serjiel dusted off his clothes. “Ah, the descendant of Mar-Gargn, I see…”
“Goodness gracious, lad!” Tiberius chided. “A meter off and you would have crashed right into the guild hall!”
Wynnstan chuckled. “Oops, sorry about that. Schwarzes, what’s up? I sensed you were upset.”
“Thank you, Wynnstan. It’s just the usual concerns is all…”
“Aw, that sucks.” Wynnstan was also aware of Beorhtric’s secret and was just as nervous as Ultimatum, despite his bravado. “Um, not to change subjects, but can I also get a tour of the guild hall?”
Ultimatum laughed. “Can’t blame you there. Mas… ahem–Tiberius and Alexia are doing an amazing job.”
Tiberius smiled. “Your praises are greatly appreciated, lads. Now, Serjiel, you were saying?”
He quickly looked around to make sure there would not be any more interruptions. “I fear the Tower of Babel may show up at The Great Stone Lake in the near future.”
“The Tower of Babel?” Barry questioned. “Isn’t that just a biblical story?”
“It’s very real, Barry,” Cronus answered. “I remember my father, Ouranos, telling me about the troubles of keeping it away from my Earth.” Barry looked at him funny given the tales across the Cosmos relating to his father, but shrugged, accepting that there was always more to the story…
Serjiel nodded. “It’s a source of great wisdom, but also great madness. Ideally it should’ve stayed a story, but the Cosmos is a truly unpredictable place, beholden to the fantasies of Man. What has my utmost concern is Anne Vozenilek. Milosh may be dead, but that infernal cult isn’t truly gone. I fear Anne may try to do something stupid within the tower.”
Ultimatum nodded, recalling previous events. “And given the outsiders Raisa and Hannibal saw going into Karnage’s tower…”
“Jeez, humans can be real pests, can’t they?” Wynnstan remarked. “Err, no offense, Barry.”
“None taken,” he replied with a hum of electricity that betrayed his seemingly forgiving demeanor.
“Just my luck…” Ultimatum said with one more sigh.
Tiberius felt bad for Ultimatum. “Schwarzes? Zal-Rint was here earlier, looking for you. He apparently has some things he wishes to discuss with you.”
“Oh, okay. May I go see him now, Tiberius?”
“Of course. Wynnstan, would you like that tour of the hall you nearly crashed into?”
He snickered. “Sure, Tiberius. Thank you.”
After saying his farewells, Ultimatum took off with a good flap of his wings. His destination was the Time Watcher Sanctuary as he flew aloft the winding currents of energy snaking throughout the void of the Cosmos. This grand, sterling fortress was the home of a group of higher dimensional entities that watched over the Flow of Time, guarding it to make sure no one damaged time itself. Normally the realm was only accessible to those fifth dimensional and higher, so it was a good thing that Ultimatum was seventh dimensional. The Time Watchers were also the end-all be-all to any conflict in the Cosmos, even if they could only do so much, so Ultimatum was bound to get some reassurance. Led by The Old God Father Time, The Time Watchers had a mostly consistent track record of keeping the Cosmos safe and stable… but even they ran into things that confused and baffled them to no end from time to time…
The realm of the Time Watchers was a beautiful place to behold, resembling what most humans thought Heaven looked like. It consisted of billowing clouds and buildings made of only the most gorgeous marble and granite. Glowing ribbons of light flowed everywhere, while all sorts of entities were coming and going from the fortress. It was tucked safely within the Dream Realm which made it a true safe haven for anyone who visited the sanctuary. Dreams were timeless, allowing the Time Watchers to perform their duties unhindered. And if anyone dared attack them, they could easily move the sanctuary to another area of the Dream Realm. Ultimatum always felt at ease when he visited the realm, as it was one of many places unaffected by the chaos of the Cosmos.
Making his way to the magnificent entrance, Ultimatum was stopped by two guards in shining white armor. “Ultimatum, welcome,” the one on the right said. “Give us a moment…”
“...alright, head on in,” the second guard said after a moment of waiting as the giant, stone doors slowly creaked open.
Stepping inside, Ultimatum was greeted by the usual busy nature of the sanctuary. Strange and bizarre entities from all over the Cosmos and beyond were talking to the various Time Watchers. The Time Watchers themselves consisted of all sorts of entities, ranging from humanoid to the indescribable. Despite how quiet it seemed in the Cosmos proper (regardless of the ongoing conflict with The Eternal Order), matters relating to the Flow of Time were plentiful. Ultimatum even ran into a friend from his time in Universe-X909X (the universe he grew up in that led to his current state of affairs) who was glad to see he was doing alright. After checking in at one of the reception desks, a steward approached Ultimatum and offered to take him to Zal-Rint’s quarters, of which he graciously accepted.
Zal-Rint’s living space was more like a Greek temple of grand proportions atop a tall mountain, but also had a cozy nature to it. A sun shined down on the temple that sat high above the clouds, but it was not cold nor was it windy. Ultimatum walked past displays showing off artifacts and pieces of art from across time and space to one of the many libraries throughout the temple. There was an untold amount of ornate, decorated shelves stuffed to the brim with books as far as the eye could see. Zal-Rint was a bit of a bookworm, so Ultimatum figured he would be there.
“Zal?” Ultimatum called out. “You there? Hello?”
A ladder with a man on it slid around the corner of one of the colossal bookshelves. “Schwarzes, there you are!” he said as he began to climb down.
Zal-Rint was not the most tidy Time Watcher. His brown hair was a bit unkempt, with his white and gold robes being a complete mess. It was easy to tell that he was a scholar, more concerned with reading than talking to other people. There was also the fact that he had a late study session after an epiphany he had the preceding day. Despite being a bit tired, there was always time for his best friend. Regardless, Zal-Rint was a slight recluse–and it definitely showed in how he presented himself and in the organized, yet messy state of his home. Still, he brushed himself off, smoothed out his hair, and straightened out his clothes.
“What were you up to?” Ultimatum inquired.
“Oh, just looking for one of my older almanacs. You know how easy it is to lose stuff in this place and lose yourself in a good book after a good idea” Zal-Rint then led him over to a nice table with a teapot and some cups. “Come, sit.”
Ultimatum was poured a cup of tea and took a sip. It was nice and warm, relaxing his nerves. “Thanks. Zal, I’m worried…”
“I can see that,” he said with a chuckle as he sat down.
“We’re finally rid of Milosh, but that jerk is still causing us trouble.”
“As to be expected. The guild is coming along nicely, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but what Serjiel told us has reignited my concern.”
Zal-Rint leaned over and flipped through one of his tomes on the real quickly. “Unfortunately you’re right to be concerned. Sir Blood-Wraith and Sir Odo aren’t in for a good time… Also what about that little secret Beorhtric shared with you?”
Ultimatum frowned a little, wanting to stay on track. “Is there anything we can do to prevent this issue, Zal?”
He shook his head. “Sadly no. This is a fixed event in the flow of time. And either way, you know who has big plans centering around this event on both sides… I mean, Karnage is going to do whatever he pleases, consequences be damned–and your new benefactor courtesy of Beorhtric is certainly not helping. That level of higher dimensional interference is unprecedented, but given the encroachment of The Lost Era, I can’t really blame him…” Zal could see Ultimatum feeling defeated as plain as day. “Schwarzes? Would it feel better if I told you things aren’t completely hopeless? The Sons of Muspel and Audoin Dethbrand are still a massive threat, but we do have something that shows things are not completely hopeless…”
“How so?”
Zal-Rint sighed. There was a hint of nostalgia to it. “When Leif became fifth dimensional, he had a terrifying vision of the events about to unfold–and not just the stuff he told all of you. He came to us and confided in me what he had learned. I told him the best thing he could do was prepare and play the long game on this one. And then of course his majesty–The Vermilion King, paid the good dragon a little visit. Fortunately everything is in place, so all we need to do is play our parts. Karnage doesn’t realize it, but he truly is the seed of his own undoing.”
Ultimatum was unsure how to feel. “Isn’t this the kind of stuff that contributed to The Vermilion King wanting to overthrow God in the first place?”
Zal-Rint laughed in sympathy. “I understand your concerns, Schwarzes. Leif and I knew you would want to discuss this, so I picked out an event in a certain timeline that I want you to see…” a large, crystalline orb from a high up shelf hovered down to them.
“Okay, but what does this have to do with me, the guild, and what’s about to happen?”
“All of this takes place after The Tyrant War and centers around two people very special to you. Take a look…”
Ultimatum did as he was told and was shocked. “Hey! That’s mom and dad!”
“Indeed. Interested?”
“Absolutely. How long will it take?”
“About a month.”
With a breath to steady his nerves, Ultimatum got comfortable. “Fine with me, let’s see it.”
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