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ultramagicalternate · 27 days ago

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UMAE - Schwarzes Biest

Suggested Reading (but not mandatory):

ULTRAMagic Chaos

ULTRAMagic Interval

Origin - Master Post - Patreon

Schwarzes was lying in bed that morning when he noticed something odd. There was a severe draft. This was incredibly odd as the shelter he had made back in the purple desert realm had been fixed up into a proper dwelling. Once the chill set in, Schwarzes further noticed that his bed felt awful. The mattress was springy, the pillows were flat, and his blankets were ratty. He could not take it any longer and opened his eyes.

The sky was a pale yellow and the trees were barren… the trees? How could he see the trees so easily?! Schwarzes yelped once he saw that his small house had rotted away, like it had been there for hundreds of years. The structure was in shambles as rubble littered the floor. He carefully stepped through the clutter, inspecting the damage. The appliances had broken down ages ago, the walls were about to collapse, and a cold breeze devoid of life whistled past him.

“What the… what even happened here?” Schwarzes asked as he carefully left the remains of the building. All of it finally collapsed after that.

Schwarzes felt a bit of sorrow as he had spent so long in that small house prior to arriving on Earth. Walking through the dead forest, the boy saw the remains of his parents house. He had a creeping suspicion they were not there, given how deathly silent everything was. And he was right, the three story house was in shambles and abandoned.

Since it was holding up better than his place, he went inside and sat down on the old couch. The Television was across from him, but it would not turn on even if repaired. Either way, he knew there was nothing to watch. After looking around the dusty, decrepit remains of his home, Schwarzes started to cry. He was alone again.

“Mom!? Dad!?” he called out through his tears. “Where are you!?” No one came at first, but then he heard footsteps. “Hello? Who’s there?”

Stepping through the doorway was a tall, youthful man. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and wore a black and gray bodysuit. The suit had glowing, red lines which gave it a bit of a space-age feeling. Schwarzes knew who it was, as this was the boy who had helped him out so long ago. He immediately ran up and gave him a hug.

“Hey, Schwarzes. Long time no see.”

“Infinity? Is it really you?”

He nodded. “Don’t worry, brother. I’m here for you.” Infinity went over and checked what was left of the dining table. “Wow, I didn’t think these would hold up. Here, take a seat.”

Schwarzes was a little apprehensive, but the rickety chair stayed together. “Infinity, what happened? Where is everybody?”

He sighed and shook his head. “It’s a bit complicated, Schwarzes. I can’t exactly tell you why, but I can probably tell you what happened.”

That was confusing. “So you know what’s going on, but not why?”

“Yup. I may be 5th dimensional, but these things escape even me. You’re currently in the heat death of the universe…”

“Hold on,” Schwarzes interrupted. “How is all of this still here? I don’t know all that much, but I’m pretty sure the sun should have swallowed Earth by now.”

“You’re right, none of this should even exist right now. Antigravity is a funny thing as local reality gets a bit screwy when a universe hits high entropy. In the business we call this state of affairs ‘Entropy Space.’ All of this is essentially an echo of what we once had.”

Schwarzes nodded, processing all of that. “Okay. Do you know how this place exists in the first place?”

“Kind of. What I can tell you is that we all leave an imprint in the quantum realm and some of those imprints tend to manifest when they shouldn’t once the laws of physics start breaking down. The rest is higher dimensional stuff and the other parts I could theoretically tell you are treading into the ‘why you’re here’ category.”

“I see…” Schwarzes got up to pace and think, kicking aside any rubble. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”

Infinity pondered this for a moment. “Well your current situation could have something to do with how I brought you into existence…”

Schwarzes paused for a second. “Wait, you pulled me out of that womb?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’m not exactly well versed in birth, especially for entities existing outside of conventional reality.”

This caused Schwarzes to groan and rub his back, remembering the mishap in question. “So what about my existence is the problem?”

“You’re unstable, with no definitive placement in the flow of time. You probably glitched here so-to-speak, but we can fix this!”

Schwarzes was very interested. “What’s your plan?”

“Elementary, my dear Schwarzes: We just hop on down to The Final Azoth and toss you in.”

“Eh?” Schwarzes was confused again.

Infinity laughed. “The Final Azoth is the black hole everything collapses into to continue the cycle. Once antigravity runs out, gravity kicks back into full gear and BAM!” Infinity sounded excited as he punched his palm and made an explosion sound with his mouth. “The incoming force shatters the event horizon, exposes the naked singularity, and we get a whole new universe. Repeat ad infinitum and you’ve got big bang cycles. Now what we need to do is toss you in before the big crunch happens.”

Schwarzes was in awe of Infinity’s explanation. “Wow, so what happens then?”

“Ideally this will be like getting reset normally and should fix your problem. Since you’re not supposed to be there yet, wormholes and white holes should be working normally. I’m not sure where you’ll end up, but I’m certain you’ll make your way back to me, mom, and dad eventually.”

This filled Schwarzes with energy and enthusiasm, leading him to go straight for the door. “Alright, let’s go!” He paused for a second. “How do we get there?”

“Don’t worry, Schwarzes, my 5th dimensional nature allows me to know exactly where it is. You’d be in trouble without me” he answered as he also went to the door. “Speaking of which, we need to get moving. This place may be eternal, but it won’t last forever.”

That statement made Schwarzes worry a bit as they walked over to the road. Parked at the driveway was an open top vehicle. It looked old and well driven, but Infinity assured Schwarzes it would work. The car stalling a couple of times was not exactly reassuring though.

“Aw come on, you worked getting me here…” Infinity said as he kicked the tire.

While Infinity fiddled with their transport, Schwarzes took the opportunity to get one last look at his former home. He knew he would see it again, but he had no idea what it would be like. Schwarzes was scared of what the future held, but he also felt that he needed to confront these fears no matter what. If not for himself, then certainly for his father. Schwarzes was born of him, so he needed to be there for him. This reflection was then interrupted by the sound of the car springing to life and Infinity celebrating.

“What was the problem?” Schwarzes inquired.

“Old” Infinity said bluntly. “Alright, let’s roll. We need this to get us to at least The Ocean of Madness.”

Schwarzes got in and sat down without hesitation. Even if he changed his mind, he could not stay at the house. “So you’re licensed to drive, right?” he asked with a cheeky smile.

Infinity laughed again. “No, but I don’t think we need to worry. Besides, I’ve done the bumper cars at Coney Island. It’s the same basic principle.”

On a whim, Infinity checked his side mirror. There was nothing at first, until he noticed something that made his blood run cold. In the distance was a figure just standing there. Infinity could just barely make out what looked like a tall, red and black man. Despite the uncertainty, he had a pretty good idea who it was, but maintained his composure for Schwarzes’s sake.

“What’s wrong, Infinity?” Schwarzes questioned, noticing his concern.

“Nothing, bro. Just an echo from the past…” He then gently pushed down the gas pedal and the car shakily moved forward. Infinity then popped in a cassette tape featuring a selection of upbeat rock songs.

It was surreal to travel through places that were once alive with activity. Schwarzes could sense the past as they drove through various towns, long since abandoned. The stillness would have driven Infinity nuts, so he kept playing cassette tapes. Schwarzes did not mind as he quite enjoyed the music. One 10 minute song featuring guitars and pianos became his favorite.

Night was coming and Schwarzes looked up at the sky. “Hey, where’s the stars?”

Infinity chuckled. “You expected there to be stars during the heat death of the universe?”

“Oh, right, duh… kind of unfortunate as I used to watch the weird stars back in the purple desert. Hey, do you know what that place was?”

“That was a Reality Error. They occur when The Unlight overlaps with a universe. Weirdly, The Jungle of Old was extending into the one. All of it is still there if you want to visit it someday.”

“What’s The Unlight?”

“Ha, that. Well basically a rock fell into the void a long time ago and the Cosmos built a realm around it to make sure reality as a whole wasn’t screwing up. Relevant to us is that it’s where my guild hangs out.”

“A guild? What kind of guild?”

“The ULTRAMagic Guild” Infinity said proudly. “We’re a collection of mages and warriors with the ULTRAMagic trait that help keep the Cosmos safe.”

“Cool, can I join?”

“Sure, if you have the patience for achieving ULTRAMagic. Your version of dad pulled it off before you were born, so I see no reason why you couldn’t do it yourself.”

“Nice. Did dad join the guild?”

“Not yours, but the current iteration of him did. We had a bit of a showdown in Red River, not too far off from what your version of dad went through.”

“Wow. So would the guild be okay with me joining?”

Infinity nodded with a smile. “Schwarzes, they’d love to have you as a member. In fact, if everything works out in our favor, you’ll be helping us out more than you think.”

Infinity’s optimism was infectious, causing Schwarzes to forget his worries and dread for a while. They were still stuck in Entropy Space, but how could he be sad when his big brother was right there for him? The desolate nature of their surroundings was eating at Infinity too, but thankfully they were leaving it behind, with the land around them starting to look relatively normal. Everything was still off, but they were making progress.

Eventually Infinity brought the car to a stop at a glen with a body of water off in the distance. “Alright, end of the road” he said as he got out. “We’ll need to walk to the next location.”

“Okay then.” The ground felt weird to Schwarzes. It was wet and mushy, giving him the impression that it was alive despite the contrary. “Is that the Ocean of Madness up ahead?”

“Yes indeed, Schwarzes.”

Schwarzes looked around as they walked, taking it all in. “This place is almost pretty nice. Those clouds aren’t right and what even are those trees? But I could see coming here to fish or go for a walk.”

“Heh, fishing…” Infinity remarked, the irony unclear to Schwarzes. “The ocean actually plays into what I said about the nature of Entropy Space, but I’ll save that for when we actually cross the ocean.”

Schwarzes nodded and shifted his attention back to walking. “Hey, Infinity? Have you been here before?”

“Yup.”

“Really?”

“Right now in fact.”

“Cool.” It then dawned on Schwarzes. “Hey! Wait a second!”

Infinity laughed and slapped his leg. “Got you! In all seriousness, time is irrelevant for me. This is and is not the first time I’ve been here. You don’t have to worry about that though.”

“That’s confusing…”

“Don’t fret, you’ll understand one day.”

“I will?”

Infinity nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Right.” Schwarzes was not sure how to feel about that.

At the shore of the ocean was a boathouse that looked quite rundown. There was also a dock that appeared as if it could collapse at any moment. Infinity did not seem to be bothered, but Schwarzes was rightfully leery. There was also a rowboat there, but it looked just as bad as the dock. Given that there was still no one else around, he would have to grin and bear it.

“Alright, stay here while I see if there’s anything useful in the boathouse” Infinity said as he headed in that direction.

“That boat doesn’t look safe…”

Infinity stopped and studied it for a second. “I mean, it’s floating on the water, isn’t it?”

“Brother, It’s got moss growing on it!”

“Wow, didn’t expect that at this point in time… Don’t worry, moss won’t hurt you, even if it shouldn’t exist right now.” He then went inside.

Schwarzes sighed as he looked out towards the water. All of it was placid, with no waves or tides. A ghostly fog also loomed over it, obscuring the horizon. Seeing a rock on the dock, Schwarzes kicked it in. The splash felt hollow and he could see it sink to the bottom. The seabed was barren, an odd sight to see.

Stepping over to the rowboat, Schwarzes gave it a good inspection. Despite its initial appearance, it looked like it would float. Of course there was a board that looked thin, so Schwarzes tried to fix it. The magic glue he used to build his house back in the purple desert would do. He focused, readied his mouth, spit into his hand, and… nothing but a wad of saliva. He tried again, but got the same result.

“Infinity, my magic’s not working!”

He stepped out of the boathouse, looking a little nervous. “Really now? That’s unfortunate…”

“It’s that board right there” Schwarzes pointed out as Infinity got in.

He looked at it and snapped his fingers. The board thickened up in a flurry of electricity. “We’ll need to teach you alchemy when this is all said and done. Now let’s get moving. There’s nothing for us here.”

Schwarzes slowly and cautiously got in. “Was it that thing again?” He had noticed Infinity was anxious again.

“Pardon?” he asked as he started rowing.

“You know, back at the house?”

“There was a thing? What thing?”

Schwarzes groaned. “Fine, don’t worry about it…”

The lack of movement in the ocean was nerve racking. All that could be heard was the paddles and the rowboat gently moving across the water. Infinity offered to sing a sea shanty, but Schwarzes declined. He was a little irritated over how his brother was not being truthful. Schwarzes looked into the water again, wondering if he could see the bottom. Weirdly what looked like moving scenes were showing up. One of them had a sight that was all too familiar to him.

“Mom!? Dad!?” he exclaimed.

Infinity kept rowing. “The Ocean of Madness is the embodiment of memories and the mind. You could even say that it is an emanation of the collective unconscious in some regards. A lot of it is memories that refuse to die.”

Schwarzes reached in and grabbed the memory. “Got it!”

“Whoa, easy, bro. You don’t want to fall in…”

Something was holding onto the memory. “Hey, let go! It’s my memory!” Schwarzes proclaimed, refusing to let go.

A strange creature rose up from the water, resembling something between an octopus and a column. It gurgled inquisitively at Schwarzes, then released its tentacle from the memory. Schwarzes held on to it tightly as he watched the entity sink back into the water.

“... my memory.”

“So yeah, astral entities like that come here to study the ocean,” Infinity briefly explained.

Schwarzes smiled as he held the memory like a map, watching it play out before him. “I’ll never forget that moment, when I first met mom and dad” he said as it vanished into his eyes.

“If it persisted for that long, then I think you’re meant to persist too.”

“I was wondering about that. I started out as nothing, came to be, then ended up here. Am I truly meant to be, Infinity?”

He nodded. “I’d say so. You may have not had a purpose in this timeline, but the next one? You won’t know until you make it there.”

Schwarzes could not help wondering what it would be like to stop his journey right there. He was not going to, but he wanted to explore the thought regardless. Of course he realized that the ocean would be a bad spot as there was no solid ground to stand on. He was also not the best swimmer, on top of those strange entities looking too bizarre to talk to.

Infinity had to do a bit of drastic rowing as one of the astral entities rose from the depths. This one was colossal, being roughly 50 feet tall. Schwarzes was too amazed at the scale of the being to be scared. After rowing a safe enough distance away, Infinity took a break for a minute to catch his breath. Thankfully a kind entity his size rose up from the depths and offered him a weird orb that revitalized him. Once Infinity was ready, the journey resumed.

As patient as Schwarzes was, he was growing bored. “Infinity, are we there yet?”

He chuckled. “Land-ho, Schwarzes” Infinity said as they met the shore.

“Finally, enough of that boat… so where to next?”

“The Dark Inferno, which is not too far away from here” Infinity answered as he stretched his legs.

The path ahead consisted of a scorched, craggy land, devoid of life. Schwarzes did not like the look of it as he was blasted by a wave of heat, a stark contrast to the chill of the ocean. He took a few steps forward until he ran into a tall man.

“Ah, hello, Mr Biest” the man said in a deep, soothing, echoing voice. On closer inspection, he appeared to be a skeletal man made of black crystal, draped in a red robe of what vaguely looked like screaming faces. His head was adorned by a crown made of a black and orange metal.

Infinity got in between the two, holding a bardiche made of magic. “Stay behind me, Schwarzes!” He then pointed the blade at the man’s face.

“Easy, Igantius,” the man said as he put the blade down. “I’m not here to fight.” The blade was immediately stuck right back in his face.

“Hold on!” Schwarzes interrupted before walking out from behind Infinity. “Is this who you saw, brother?”

Infinity sighed in resignation. “Yes, at the house and the boathouse.”

“Who is he?”

The man chuckled. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am The Vermilion King, former ravager of the Cosmos.”

“Former?” Schwarzes wondered as that was a very odd title.

“Formerly, as I defeated him a long time ago,” Infinity answered. “What do you want with Schwarzes, Vermilion King?”

“Nothing too serious. I just wanted to make sure he gets to where he needs to be given that The Madman needs your help right now.”

“Like I’m going to believe that…”

“No really, I’m not kidding.” The king whistled, causing a portal to open up.

“Infinity, there you are!” a voice said. “Got a moment?”

“Madman? Well not really. I need to escort Schwarzes…”

A stone hand grabbed his arm. “Don’t worry, son, we’ll make it super quick.”

“But Schwarzes!” Infinity protested.

“Will be fine, come on!”

Infinity groaned. “Schwarzes, keep moving forward. Go through the inferno, to the storm, and then to the Azoth. I’ll meet you there!” The portal then closed.

Schwarzes nervously looked up at The Vermilion King. “My parents said I shouldn’t go with strangers…”

The King laughed. “A very wise observation, Schwarzes. You’ll be happy to know that I am well acquainted with Ignatius. In fact, I know him almost as well as his… your parents do.”

That was not as reassuring as it should have been. “So do you know how to get to The Final Azoth?”

“Of course. Follow me.”

The Vermilion King was unsettling to say the least. Schwarzes could sense great darkness coming from within him, but also a strange longing for friendship deep down. It was like he was walking with a bear or a lion that wanted to help instead of hunting him. Whoever this was seemed unfathomably complex.

Schwarzes’ worries would have been relieved had they not come upon The Dark Inferno. It was a fiery, ruined land darted with cities that never existed. The sky was in perpetual night, with the realm illuminated by a flaming moon. Husks of Man wandered the streets aimlessly, while others sat around and sobbed to no one. Schwarzes felt a mix of negative emotions bombard him, but he was not phased by them.

“Is that…?” Schwarzes started to ask.

“The Dark Inferno, where those who cannot truly move on end up. Normally souls return to the Ennead when the universe ends, but some truly give up and return to the Prima Materia instead. This is their final resting place.”

The Vermilion King guided Schwarzes through the streets, with the husks paying them no mind. A few watched as they walked by, but otherwise things were uneventful. Schwarzes felt bad for these people, but had no idea how to help them. All of it was hard to stomach, but they had to keep moving.

“I wish I could help these people…” Schwarzes admitted.

“While I commend your heart, you should save your pity for those who haven’t given up” The King replied. “Speaking of that, I’m surprised by your moral fiber. You were born of evil and despair after all.”

“But I’m not evil though.”

“True, very true. You remind me of myself when I was young. Schwarzes, do you want to keep going?”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to persist?”

Schwarzes was confused as he had already given his answer. “What do you mean, your majesty?”

“Schwarzes, you were not supposed to exist, yet here you are. You have a clean slate, but even that can be hard to deal with. I say this because I’m concerned for you. No one would blame you if you returned to the Prima Materia. It is your choice and no one can take that from you.”

“But I need to find mom and dad.”

The King nodded. “I fully understand, but how do you know things will be the same?”

“I… I don’t know… but I want to see mom and dad again, no matter what!”

“Want is a powerful thing, Schwarzes. Sometimes what we want is not what we need. Do you feel that this is what you need? In your heart of hearts? And that it’s not just the expectations of your parents or Ignatius?”

Schwarzes thought about it for a couple of minutes, but kept moving forward down the charred and scorching streets. “Did that happen to you, your majesty?”

The King stopped for a moment, averting his gaze. “You could say that, but alas, we have something else to take care of. Look…”

Near the outskirts, on a bench was the ghost of a young girl. She was mangled and gnarled, indicating she had been through great strife during her time in the Cosmos. The girl was crying, confused, and forlorn. Schwarzes felt his heart break as he knew who it was. He then took a seat next to her and let her lean on him.

“I’m so sorry, Schwarzes…” the girl sobbed.

Memories flooded back into his mind. “It’s alright, Bethany. We all make mistakes.”

“But I hurt so many and brought you into existence.”

Schwarzes brought her in for a hug. “I forgive you.”

“Really?” she asked as she began to glow, her ghostly body healing.

“Yeah. You can fix those mistakes, one way or another. Just keep moving forward, alright?”

The King pointed to a shining portal. “The Light awaits…” The girl gave Schwarzes one last hug and went through, causing it to fade into sparkling dust.

“You know what, your majesty? I need to persist so I can help people in general. Bethany would’ve stayed here if we hadn’t come along.”

The King smiled, feeling warmth he had not felt in a long time. “You have your parent’s compassion, which was passed down to Ignatius and became their heroism. Even in the darkest corners, light exists to guide those in need of help.”

Schwarzes felt great as they left The Dark Inferno. “So where are we heading next, your majesty?”

“The Final Storm, a place of great chaos that you will need all of your fortitude for. Do you think you have what it takes?”

“Absolutely!” Schwarzes declared as his walk turned into a confident stride.

The King laughed again as a wave of nostalgia hit him. “You have the same energy Ignatius had when he began his quest to defeat me so long ago.”

“I just hope I get to see Bethany again, in addition to everyone else.”

“You probably will, Schwarzes. You probably will.”

The last area before The Last Azoth was The Final Storm. Nothing but wind and cyclones, it served as one last hurrah for the universe. Fortunately stone chunks and platforms were being carried on the wind, making it possible for Schwarzes to progress. It was not easy, but Schwarzes was doing well despite missing his magic. The Vermilion King was impressed with his endurance.

After climbing his way up a piece of land, Schwarzes took a second to catch his breath. It was not relaxing as the harsh gusts continued to batter him. “Wow… Here’s hoping I don’t become one of those storm chaser guys…”

“Dangerous, but not the worst profession” The King commented. “This mass we landed on kind of reminds me of my old temples. This is in shambles, but the ruins are surprisingly resilient.”

Schwarzes moved across what appeared to be a stone plaza, as he could see another land mass approaching. “Your majesty? Why was my brother so up in arms about you?”

The King paused as a nostalgic smile grew on his face, followed by a laugh. “It’s because we go way back, Schwarzes. I assume you want to know my story?” The boy nodded. “Alright then. It’s a long one, but I’ll keep it brief…”

As they moved onto the next piece of land, The Vermilion King explained that he was once like Schwarzes. He was a young boy who was not sure about his place in the Cosmos. After witnessing great strife, he grew bitter and pessimistic. Why was God allowing such injustices to happen in the first place? He stewed in resentment, anger, and jealousy until one day when he sought to overthrow God. If he could not get the answers he deserved, then he would make the answers he wanted.

The conquest was going smoothly until one day a mighty hero rose up to stop him. It was Infinity, accompanied by The Madman of Old and The Automaton of Old. Their battles raged for many eons outside of time and space, until one day when The Vermilion King lost his spark. He had lost his motivation to usurp God. What The King realized is that he was born of God, the Source, the Light. To overthrow that would be to overthrow himself.

“...and the rest is history. My armies abandoned me and Ignatius got in a clean shot at me. The Madman then sealed me away, leading to a lot of time for me to think and reflect.”

“Was it worth it, your majesty?”

The King sighed. “Not in the slightest, Schwarzes. It turns out that the answers were right in front of my face the whole time: God did not create evil, it just happens. Our existence is a conflict, and when we give into unchecked ignorance, we become subject to fear. Fear is the driving force that gives us an irreverent, selfish disregard for God and his creation. When you stop caring for Man and only care about yourself, the most abhorrent acts become ever so tolerable. Why should I care about my neighbor when I’m just as important as anyone else? I’m of God, therefore I deserve it, right?”

“No?”

“Exactly!” The King exclaimed. “When we declare ourselves to be perfect, we deny the greatness we can achieve. Why improve yourself if you’re perfect? We’re never perfect, you see. Perfection is a fallacy that would mean we wouldn’t have to exist in the first place.”

The two climbed up to another stone platform. “Not to be rude, your majesty, but it took you all of that to realize something that simple?”

“Sometimes, Schwarzes. Sometimes you either need a pinch to the arm or a waterfall’s worth of water dumped on you to wake up. I was caught in a cycle of self-destruction, thinking the way to enlightenment was conquest, subversion, and subjugation. My losses humbled me and made me realize that holding a sword up to someone’s neck and demanding they submit isn’t the answer.”

Schwarzes thought back to Bethany and the circumstances that brought about his existence. “I wish we could go back in time and tell certain people what you just told me…”

“A noble thought, but then you wouldn’t exist and we wouldn’t be here to have this talk.”

“Oh, right…” This frustrated Schwarzes, causing him to kick around a few stones while they waited for the next solid mass to fly by.

The Vermilion King did not say anything else as they made their way to the end of the realm. It was clear that the boy needed time to process his emotions. After hopping a few more land masses, the two made it to a strange, dark realm. It was murky and chaotic, but also full of energy and potential. Black masses that arced electricity to their surroundings hovered by the two in the air. All of it was a surreal sight to behold.

“Alright, Schwarzes, this is where we’ll have to part ways for a bit. You’ll have to traverse this leg of the journey by yourself.”

Schwarzes looked ahead, a little nervous as per usual. “Are you sure about that?”

“The path is straight forward. Go through The Dark Azoth and you’ll make it to The Light Azoth. Continue on and you’ll make it to The Crimson Azoth. That’s where you need to be.”

“Alright, if you’re sure,” Schwarzes said, followed by taking a breath to steady his nerves. “Your majesty? Before you go, I thought about my issue and your past. Are we truly stuck?”

The King smiled again. “Well I may have been the lord of darkness, harbinger of abhorrence, and duke of ultimate despair, but if I can turn myself around, anyone can move forward. You just have to take that step right out the door.”

Schwarzes nodded as he had already done that part. “Thank you, your majesty.”

“One more thing, Schwarzes: You’ll have to make the ultimate decision when you finally reach The Crimson Azoth. Are you sure you’re ready for that? No one will fault you if you decide to turn back now.”

He looked at The Dark Azoth, then back to the king. “I guess we’ll see at The Crimson Azoth.”

“Best of luck to you, lad,” The King said as he vanished.

Schwarzes continued his journey, traversing the bizarre lands of The Dark Azoth. He realized something interesting midway through, that he was walking through base matter itself. His curiosity grew as he played around with his surroundings, shaping it into all sorts of neat things. This caused him to further realize that this malleability was the framework for creation and the universe. Despite this, he could only do so much with the structures he created at that moment.

Before he knew it, Schwarzes had arrived in The Light Azoth. It was a brightly lit realm that allowed him to see for miles, witnessing an untold amount of grand buildings and structures. They had no meaning as they floated by in the great void, but Schwarzes figured it was because they did not have a point yet. As he pressed on, Schwarzes learned that disparity and structure were needed to give his creations purpose. There was something else missing, however, so he figured it was time to move on.

The Crimson Azoth was a vast, seemingly infinite red nebula of tranquil chaos. Despite no one else being there, Schwarzes realized what his creations were truly lacking and it was so simple: reason. He needed to get to the end, so Schwarzes created a small biplane. It worked flawlessly, despite being suddenly brought forth from the Prima Materia. All of this reaffirmed why he had come this far. His parents needed him and he needed them.

Schwarzes marveled at the beauty of his surroundings. Clouds of warm colors swirled and crackled with thunder, lighting up in brilliant light shows. He could have stayed there forever marveling at them, but he had somewhere to be. Eventually he had made his way to what looked like a black hole, bringing his plane down for a landing on a stretch of solid, red matter.

Moving inwards, Schwarzes could feel an intense energy all around him as the ground rumbled ever so slightly. It was intimidating, but he continued onward. Things grew more abstract the further he went in, with the land spiraling into unreal landscapes and materials beyond his imagination. Upon reaching the center, consisting of a colossal pit, Schwarzes saw Infinity and The Vermilion King arguing. He calmly approached the two, who comically started to resemble an old, married couple.

“Ignatius, I’m not saying he shouldn’t jump, I’m saying he should make sure that he wants to go through with this. What happens when he goes to the next iteration and it's not what he wanted? We can’t let him go through that kind of pain…”

Infinity growled. “That’s what I’m here for! I know it’s going to be unpredictable! I am fully aware of what he’s going to experience in the next iteration, but I’ll be there for him every step of the way! We’ll make it through this no matter what!”

“Your heart is in the right place, Ignatius, but you need to temper that ambition. You can’t save everyone nor can you solve every issue. One step in the wrong direction and everything will fall apart. Trust me, I know in more ways than one.”

This made Infinity scream as he summoned his bardiche, causing the ground around him to shake. “I’M NOT LOSING ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER, DAMN IT! So help me God, if you changed his mind…”

“Brother?” Schwarzes interjected.

Infinity dropped his weapon and went over to hug Schwarzes. “Thank God, you’re here. Don’t worry, buddy, the end is right over there” he said as he guided Schwarzes over to the precipice.

“Ignatius…” The King said as he shook his head.

“It’s alright, your majesty,” Schwarzes replied. “I want to go through with this. I know it’ll be rough, but I’ll manage.”

Infinity blew a raspberry at The King. “Told you so…”

“Brother, you need to calm down a little,” Schwarzes chided. “Take it easy on him, he’s been through a lot.” Infinity groaned, causing The King to smirk a little.

Surprisingly The King then gave a sigh of relief. “I knew we would all end up here…”

“So both of you knew I’d choose to jump?” Schwarzes deduced.

“More or less,” Infinity answered. “But how did you…?”

Schwarzes sighed. “I was thinking about how you two are higher up than I am while I was traveling through the Azoth realms. It’s kind of annoying that my fate has been predetermined like this…”

“I know how you feel,” The King replied. “Destiny and fate certainly didn’t help me clear my head back in the day.”

Infinity nodded. “Apparently I was always meant to fall into the time rift, but hey, it turned out well in the end. We’re here now, aren’t we?”

Schwarzes nodded and looked into the abyss. It was dark, but he knew there was something down there. It beckoned him to jump and he was not going to deny that urge. He needed to mentally prepare himself first, but no one was judging him for that.

“I will see my parents again, no matter what” Schwarzes calmly declared. “See you later, Ignatius, your majesty!” And with that, he jumped.

“Well, there he goes…” The King remarked with Infinity frowning at him. “Don’t give me that look, Ignatius, you know I had a point.”

Infinity inhaled and exhaled loudly. “You know just as well as I do who he’s meant to become. It’s his destiny to join the guild…”

“I’m not exactly a fan of forcing the boy into this.”

“We can’t let him fade away. He’s too valuable to me, mom, and dad. Don’t forget how many universes and realms he’ll also help.”

The King groaned. “God, I hate predestination…” He then put his arm around Infinity. “Come on, let's go get some ice cream.”

“After all that?”

“Of course, my boy. I owe it to you and we owe it to ourselves. Besides, we can’t stay here, haha!”

Schwarzes plummeted deeper and deeper into the darkness, until time became meaningless. He could no longer see himself until something changed. A shining angel flew into him. Glowing brighter than ever, Schwarzes soared further and faster was his newfound wings. Nothing could stop him now.

All of his memories were now on display, past and future. Some were comforting while others hurt. There was no time to reminisce, as Schwarzes was almost there. He could see it, a bright point of light in the darkness. Just one more push AND…

Ultimatum woke up from his nap. He was waiting at The ULTRAMagic Guild for someone and had been dreaming about his past. After a yawn and a quick stretch, he left his room. Passing by several mages, he ran into Blood-Wraith and Infinity.

“Brother, Blood, what’s up?”

“Hey, Schwarzes,” Infinity replied. “We finally got Blood away from his shop to come visit the guild.”

Blood-Wraith chuckled. “To be fair, Eloise and Drago also got on my case.”

“Are Will and Morrigan finally here?” Ultimatum asked.

“Yup, they’re down in the main lobby,” Blood-Wraith answered.

Thanking the two, Ultimatum headed downstairs. It was an energetic day, with the mages and warriors going about their daily business and activities. Several guild members paused what they were doing to say hi and asked Ultimatum what he was up to. He smiled as he approached the table Will and Morrigan were sitting at.

“Hey, Ultimatum!” Morrigan welcomed as he approached. “Boyo, look lively.”

“Ultimatum, sir!” Will said with a salute. This made the other two chuckle.

“Good to see you two again,” Ultimatum replied as he sat down. “Will, I got a pretty important mission for you, if you’re feeling up to it.”

Will felt his hair stand up on end. “Sounds interesting already, haha. What do I need to do?”

“Are you okay with heading back in time to the guild’s past with Ludwig and Rostislav? Let’s just say past Blood-Wraith needs a bit of help…”

Next: Eon 1

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