Chapter 15: Ice Demons

Rex Schwartz, now fully aware of his ancient dual personality, known as Invictus Rex had, of course, witnessed the approach and the initial attack of the Tomradi.

He was confident, that the latest TransDim shields would hold against anything these aliens could throw at them from surface weapons. The appearance of these huge disc-shaped battleships however caused great concern.

He brought along a sizeable army of Seenian Sentmacs. Cloned humans that had been altered to be the perfect soldiers and a thousand Omni-analogs. But nothing in terms of space born assets that could deal with such an enormous opponent. It would take a sizeable portion of his own security fleet to deal with them.

Omni-Analogs were the latest product of his highly illegal bio-genetic warrior project, the Leviathan-Column. Merging and combining the genetic and biodata of a thousand Union species, resulting in a nightmarish eight meters tall troll-like creature, programmed to obey him alone. Based on the highly successful Saturnian clone project, from before the gene clone war and the prohibitive Gene cloning laws of the Union. Combining Y’All, Petharian and Botnaar aspects with the fighting abilities of the Dai and Terran Human aggressiveness; his Bio-Engineers created perhaps the most perfect fighter creature. The latest cybernetic SII tech added made these brutes, a most potent army.

Even the awakened consciousness of Invictus was impressed by that, before Rex Schwartz and Invictus Rex merged and became one, only a few weeks ago. Once the Dark One had resurrected and united with him, Rex planned to increase the numbers of the Omni-Analogs by many billions, as a foundation force for a New Empire. The Union and the Tomradi were manageable hurdles towards his goal of ultimate dominance of all that existed in the Omni Verse.

The highly intelligent mind of Rex warned him about the risks to accept this unattainable goal. But the knowledge he gained from translating the Prophecy and from collecting all the legends and myths regarding that so-called Dark One, pointed to a higher level of existence and consciousness. A level that moved the abstract concept of gods and godlike beings into the realm of plausibility. That caused him to dismiss the intellectual objections of his mind.

While his conviction regarding entities of higher existence was confirmed to him, as the apparently weak and human-looking individual calling himself the Yellow Wizard, swept the sky clean of the very powerful Tomradi Battleships. His, still human based, consciousness was frightened for the first time in his life. Such a demonstration of power was beyond anything he could even imagine.

He summoned Proth.

Proth was the leader of a group calling itself the Black Hoods. Proth, ahead of a numerous contingent had arrived at the former Estrella compound, only a few hours after Rex made the transition. According to the information he had collected regarding Avondur, before he came here, the Black Hoods were part of the Circle of Seven. An association of seven groups that somehow governed this unique place.

Proth had introduced himself as the leader of the Black Hoods and vowed unwavering support. The Black Hoods held true to this promise when the Tomradi attacked.

The leader of the Black Hoods appeared before the hastily reconstructed Throne of the First Emperor and bowed deeply before Rex. “Lord Master of all that is, you summoned me. Here I am to do thy bidding.”

Rex looked at the completely shrouded being. It appeared human and from the sound of the voice, it was male. The shroud or robe worn by the being reminded Rex of a monk’s robe. A loose-fitting garment girded by a robe-like tie. The head covered by a cowl pulled deep before the actual face. Rex had noticed, that the Black Hoods wore an opaque mask over their faces and thus creating the illusion of shapeless darkness beneath those hoods. The leader of the Black Hoods differed only by a silvery belt instead of a black one.

“Tell me, Proth would you kill yourself if I asked you to do so?”

The masked man before him drew a sharp-looking dagger from beneath his left arm’s sleeve and put the point against his throat. “Give the command. Lord of Lords.”

“Put that knife away and tell me about that Circle of Seven, about that Yellow Wizard and the Tomradi. Do you wield powers like the leader of the Yellow Robes?”

“No, I do not, and no one does, Lord of Lords. The Yellow Wizard is not more powerful than I am. But his aspect is connected to the Voice and as it appears, he acts as a conduit for ‘the One Behind It All’. The display of cosmic might and control was of such source. The Yellow Wizard acted as an Avatar of these forces if you will.”

“The One Behind it All is an entity of great power?”

“That is a question I cannot answer, Lord Rex. The One Behind it all might be an entity. It certainly is beyond anything and everything that can be grasped or defined. Once you become one with the Dark One, we believe you will be able to grasp and understand what no one else can.”

Rex had to think about this answer for a moment and it caused shivers of inhuman pleasure.

Power of such godlike levels revealed to him controlled by him alone, a power so far beyond what even the original Invictus could imagine. Power beyond that of the Voice, Invictus was certain, as he had appeared before the Voice of the Rule so very long ago.

“Proth, tell me about this circle and why have you come to pledge their allegiance to me?”

“There are Seven Circles indeed, and each circle once and long ago summoned by the Voice became an aspect of the forces that guard and protect this most unusual place in all the Universe. It is here where this Universe came to be. It is here where that divine spark of existence has been ignited. Fueled perhaps by energies and conditions set in motion by pre-cursor realms of existence.”

“Go on.”

The hooded man nodded. “This universe, this realm is like no other that came before or exists in parallel. Not the Netherworlds, nor the Upper Realms. This is the Prime Universe and after the Dark One has resurrected and made the Decision, the meta-verse will be cleansed of all those aspects and entities that linger on. No one knows what will happen when you become the Dark One. Oh, mightiest of Lords, but it is speculated that many or perhaps all rifts will be closed forever. The Cosmic Veil that is torn and full of holes, will be restored and whatever other realms might survive can no longer be accessed from this plane or vice versa.”

Rex soaked up this information. It verified and clarified what he had found in the translation of ‘Prophecy of Before and Yet to come’. He motioned to the leader of the Black Hoods that he was still listening. “Find a seat Proth, and tell me more.”

The Black-robed man found a seat on a chair that had appeared inside a circle of light in the otherwise dark throne chamber. “Lord of Darkness. We, the Black Hoods awaited your return ever since you disappeared and the First Empire fell. We have not lost faith that you will return and take your rightful place as the Ultimate Deity. I know beyond doubt that you are indeed Rex Invictus and I am blessed beyond compare to be the one to serve you and witness your rise, oh mighty Lord. The Yellow Robes worship the Voice and the one behind it. We do not place importance to anyone and anything but you, the Anti-Force of Life and Darkness Incarnate.”

“The Seven Circles worship and follow different deities then?”

“Oh yes, Mightiest of them all. There are indeed seven aspects of this Circle and each is signified by a shade or color. Black, Blue, Red, Yellow, White, Green, and Grey. Some say the Yellow Robes are the most powerful, while the White Shrouds are the weakest. But it is not so, all are equal in the Circle. This world has been ordained to be the place where the Decision is made by you. Therefore the most potent forces have agreed to protect and preserve this place. We, the Black Robes have always represented you, the Dark One.”

--””—

Alice stepped before the man wearing Union uniform and Captain rank. The name-patch on his right chest identified him as Captain Olafson. She and many others of the crew had never met this man, even though there always had been that scuttlebutt that Erica had begun her career as a male.

To her, the person was a stranger, there was no aspect other than the eyes and some outlines in the face that reminded her of Erica Olafson.

She had talked to her mother for over three hours, and despite all the explanations her mother has given her. Alice did not understand it all and the woman claiming to be her mother remained to be a stranger to her. Oh, she didn’t doubt the fact that Angela was indeed her birth mother, but she was an adult now and never had been raised by anyone else but Nestor. To her, that old Terran was more real and a closer parent than anyone. The crew of the Tigershark, especially Narth and Har-Hi had filled those holes that were occupied by uncles, brothers, and grandparents. Ever since she had come aboard the Tigershark she ceased to feel like an orphan. That terrifying Y’All they called TheOther was like a big brother to her. Krabbel, Mao and Shaka were like loving uncles.

Shea, Brana, and Elfi like sisters and aunts and Erica Olafson, had always been that mother she never had. Stern, always correct and proper, but everyone aboard knew she would never ever abandon anyone regardless of the circumstances.

Narth told her that Eric and Erica were aspects of the same person.

“Captain, Sir. General Lichfangh suggested that I talk to you. The woman, Angela Curse, revealed herself to be my mother.”

“I certainly have a few moments, Ensign Enigma, before we leave the ship. I am glad you found your birth mother.”

“Captain, about that. General Lichfangh suggests that you are more than human and an entity known to some as the Dark One.”

“This is so. I am indeed but I have not been restored completely. I sense a deep reason for your line of questions.”

Alice was not sure how to say it, but tried anyway. “My mother claims that you are my father, are you?”

“Ensign ... Alice, I do not know. As far as I know, I was slain or injured when I was that entity. To my knowledge, I have been split into twelve aspects or parts. I do not know how I could have sired anyone, as I was in limbo for many precursor realities.”

The Captain sighed. “One such part is still missing, it is my memory of al that was. I will be able to answer your question then. Regardless if I am or not, Alice. I am very proud of you.”

“Why did you abandon your Erica personality?”

“Ensign, Erica and I are siblings. I am not her and she is not me. We share much and have shared the same mind. But so close to my resurrection, she has stepped back to let me fulfill my destiny.”

“I do not know why I know this, but I must come along because what will occur is also linked very closely to me.”

--””—

That there was something significant about to occur, was not lost to the Admiral of the Fleet. The Eternal Warrior was gone. So was his wife. The commandant of NAVINT had overwritten his instructions regarding the Tigershark.

He was brooding in his office high above San Franciso Bay. While there was plenty of work, some of it literally piling up on his desk before him. He simply could not get his mind of the mysterious event that was looming in the near future. Officially he was human and he never felt to be anything but a Scotsman from Aberdeen, one that just happened to live longer than just about anyone born on Earth, but the truth of the matter was that he had become an immortal and his senses of things closed to the mind of mortals had been sharpened over the millennia of his existence.

Not in the least because he was picked by a higher force to become immortal. There had to be a reason for it.

While he had nothing in form of concrete information, he was convinced that the events he felt were about to occur, were connected to the reason he was chosen to become immortal.

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