Meadow, Oakstead[1]

The Shepherd G.o.d sat upon the enormous central tree playing her flute . All the beasts nearby, be they birds or insects, danced to her call . A dark figure stood at the base and watched . Though the visitor had arrived some time before, they did not wish to interrupt .

Eventually the G.o.d stopped her song, rose, and stepped forward . A host of luminous b.u.t.terflies appeared and gathered beneath her feet . She took another step and the b.u.t.terflies moved with her . One foot after the other she calmly tread upon their frail make to stand before Cloudhawk .

He regarded the beautiful young woman like an old friend he hadn’t seen for a long time . “It seems most of your power has returned . Congratulations . ”

Nothing changed in her expression . “Wolfblade is in the Temple . ”

With that she turned from him and left . Cloudhawk ran a few steps to catch up . “Hey now, no need for the cold shoulder . ”

The two made their way through the complex maze surrounding Oakstead’s Temple . It was very different from others as it was constructed from wood and knotted vines . Its interior was a complex a.s.sortment of rooms that now served as a prison .

Elite soldiers from sky fortress were being held here . Between the Shepherd G.o.d’s personal attention and the Cloud G.o.d nearby, there was no hope of escape for these prisoners of war .

In the deepest parts of the Temple Wolfblade was waiting . Two young figures stood on either side – Squall Rover and Frost de Winter . They now served as the demon Elder’s personal a.s.sistants . Even direct orders from Cloudhawk were confirmed by their master first, but he didn’t care much .

When he entered, Cloudhawk gazed at the two young disciples .  

A dark and ominous power hung over Squall, especially his left arm . It was black as night now . Cloudhawk wasn’t sure what methods Legion had used, but he could tell by the power wafting from Squall that he had grown quite a lot .

However, compared to his older brother Squall was still lacking . There was no question that Arcuturs Cloude had taken Frost under his wing because of his tremendous talent . Only a year since accepting Wolfblade’s tutelage and he was nearly as powerful as Selene .

Besides these three there were others in attendance . Abaddon, Three Eyed Spider, Inkspecter, Ravenous Tiger and so forth… the Hand of Gehenna . It was fair to say Wolfblade had himself a fairly powerful following .

Of course, all for the betterment of their alliance .

Cloudhawk focused on the task at hand . He walked over to the Alliance’s Governor . “I got word back from Dawn and Selene . Things are progressing smoothly in Stormford and Dragenmere . Before long they’ll be fully under our control . What plans do you have for the other two?”

Wolfblade smiled and answered by pointing to a nearby tree . “What does my king see?”

“A tree,” he replied .

Wolfblade waved his hand as a cutting gale removed several of the branches . “If we want this tree to serve us best then we must do more than just trim unwanted branches . There is more to a tree than just limb and leaf . ”

Cloudhawk thought about this for a second, weighing his words . “You’re saying controlling the Elysian lands isn’t so easy . ”

“Their culture of devotion has had a thousand years to take root, just the same way as a tree . That is the foundation of their unity, and thus the core of their power . Currently we are trying to control the upper cla.s.ses with the hopes that it trickles down to the people . We trim the branches but do nothing for the roots . ”

Cloudhawk recognized the logic in his explanation . If they couldn’t fundamentally change the way Elysians thought, then when the G.o.ds arrived it would all come cras.h.i.+ng down with a breath . All of his efforts would be wasted . But how was he supposed to change a thousand years of history in a fraction of the time?

“So how do we do it?”

“Facts are always the most effective weapon . ”

“Facts? What facts?”

“The crystals you brought back reveal how the G.o.ds infest and consume planets . However there will always be ignorant, short-sighting people who will refuse what their eyes tell them . Even a number of those locked in your prisons will steadfastly ignore the truth . What we need now is irrefutable evidence . Something they cannot deny . ”

“And what is this irrefutable evidence?” Cloudhawk pressed .

“You should have noticed that when the G.o.ds seed a planet, they bury a s.h.i.+p deep within the earth . That is where new G.o.ds are created . That is precisely the evidence we require . ”

Cloudhawk immediately understood . Thinking back he remembered what he saw – that the G.o.ds don’t ‘reproduce’ in the typical sense . When they find a civilized planet they obliterate the species that inhabit it . Then once the bulk of their troops leave they left one s.h.i.+p behind, buried underground . Thousands of years later it emerged like a weed, spewing new G.o.ds and s.h.i.+ps out into the universe .

It was probably how that underground facility in the jungle planet got there in the first place . If he could find where this ‘seed’ was located on their planet, the G.o.dly invasion of their world would no longer be a secret . The delusions people clung to would be shattered .

Of course they couldn’t discount the fact that there would be some who would never be swayed . They would follow the G.o.ds because of a perceived time of peace – what they imagined was a bloodless alternative . But there were plenty of others who would see this proof for what it was and would choose to stand on Cloudhawk’s side .

“Not bad . The question then is, where is this base?”

It’d been over a thousand years since the G.o.ds arrived . No one in the Elysian lands had any clue where the seed was hidden . Where were they even supposed to start looking?

But Cloudhawk came up with a solution quickly . “Can the Cloud or Shepherd G.o.d help us?”

Wolfblade opened his mouth to answer but was cut off .

“There are large gaps in what we remember,” the Shepherd G.o.d replied . “We don’t know where the seed is located . ”

That was strange . From what the crystals revealed, the G.o.ds were a huge force that spanned the galaxy . They should have a memory spanning eons . But in reality no one – not the Cloud G.o.d, the Shepherd G.o.d, the other Supremes or any demons – could remember what happened . Their memories started only after they arrived here .

The secret to their species’ history and beginnings was a mystery . All that was left in their minds was a deeply ingrained servitude and loyalty, even though they didn’t know why . It was almost worth Cloudhawk’s pity . These creatures were complex, with too many anomalies and unanswered questions .

At a loss, Cloudhawk pressed for guidance . “So how are we supposed to find it?”

“I may not know its location, but there is one who certainly does . ”

“Who?”

“Belial, of course . ”

This didn’t answer any of Cloudhawk’s questions . “Him? How?”

“Belial has spent centuries trying to escape his ident.i.ty . As a result he knows more about it than any other G.o.d or demon . So long as he remains here he knows he will never escape his true self . Not unless… he escapes this planet . ”

“So all this time he’s been hiding his ident.i.ty while looking for the G.o.d s.h.i.+p . He wants to use it to get out of here . ”

“Just so . ”

With this information in hand, Cloudhawk left the chamber . On his way out of the Temple he pa.s.sed the prisons . Many strong and important Elysians slipped by his peripheral vision, tied down with vines . Some were close enough to have heard their conversation and watched him go with conflicted looks .

“Cloudhawk . Cloudhawk!”

A green-clad figure rushed over to him . Her appearance took him by surprise . “Autumn?”

She beamed a sweet smile at him . “I hear Belial has the strength of a Supreme and is a talented artisan . After hundreds of years you can be sure he’s been preparing himself . I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle him yourself . Let me come with you .

There were two others behind her . One was the bearer of the reformed relic Ashfall, Frost de Winter . The other was the bearer of the Gospel of Sands, Abaddon . Without question they were sent after him at Wolfblade’s command .

Cloudhawk looked them over in silence for a moment . “Let’s go . ”

s.p.a.ce rippled around them and in the blink of an eye, they were gone .

1 . Remember that Meadow is the name of the Shepherd G.o.d’s former Elysian Land . Oakstead is its capital .

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