Defiance of the Fall

Chapter 1465: Final Purge

Astora sat silent in meditation, trying to calm her nerves enough to hear the pulse of the earth. Sheʼd spent decades searching in every corner of Mercurial Court, from the deepest spatial pockets to the most remote realms of the unreal. Those efforts had yielded plenty in the way of betterment for herself and her followers, yet the most essential part eluded her.

Just as she was about to accept what the rational part of her mind had been telling her for so long—that it was all in her mind, that the conspiracy sheʼd dreamt up was a Heart Demon that needed to be excised—a clue appeared without prompting. Their family had kept the continentʼs Destiny suppressed all these years, which provided them with a direct finger on the pulse.

It was now telling her that it was all real.

The wrongness and the mystery surrounding the masked outsiders. The answer was about to present itself; she just needed to be patient. It would present itself right here at home, as inevitable as the sunʼs rise. Suddenly, her gaze shifted, catching a sparkle of starlight briefly illuminating the night sky. Astora gasped as she sprang to her feet, startling Asir nearby.

”Your Highness?”

Astora didnʼt immediately answer. She desperately held onto the feeling brought by those stars, and she started to notice a change. That wrongness, the hollow sense of falsehood that had accompanied her for so long, was slowly filling in. As it did, she felt hidden shackles on her mind begin to loosen.

She desperately tried to gather her forces, pierce through the veil and seize the truth. She failed; it was still too early. Nevertheless, the wind of change was stirring the stagnant air. The flames of destiny told her that what would come next was of imperative importance. Not only to her but to the Empire as a whole.

”Raise the banner,” Astora said.

Asir looked surprised, the changes having eluded her senses, but she wouldnʼt question the order of her mistress. ”Immediately, Your Highness.”

Within minutes, more than two hundred elites had gathered outside her courtyard, each armed to the teeth and ready for war. Roughly half were Sealbearers, the other half Inner Disciples of Mercurial Court. Every person had been handpicked by her over the years. They had been instrumental in helping her scour the court for opportunities and clues, and they would continue to serve as the bedrock of her personal faction.
Ultom was the beginning of a crusade that would end with her or one of her siblings on the Throne. Not a single piece could be missing when oneʼs goal was the Terminus.

A resounding gong swept through the sprawling citadel. Inhabitants, both illusory and real, turned to the sky, where vast clouds gathered into an avatar. His aura was as vast as the sky, holding boundless mysteries. Facing him was like staring at the crossroads of Destiny. There was no doubt about it; Lord Grand Dream had advanced into the upper stages.

One by one, overwhelming pillars of light erupted throughout the citadel. Like sparklers before the Court Masterʼs sun, each aura represented a Peak Celestial. Soon enough, the whole council of elders had gathered in the sky, and Astora could vaguely sense three even more terrifying auras hidden in the dark.

While slightly worse off than her own family, it was a lineup that could run rampant across the Left Imperial Expanse. The force gathered outside Astoraʼs manor took in the spectacle with solemn expressions. Facing so many supreme existences at once was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, and it never happened without good reason.

”Our grand undertaking is under threat from impostors steeped in madness,” Grand Dreamʼs voice echoed throughout the court. ”Weʼve pushed them back, rooted out the corruption whenever it dared expose itself to the sun. Now, theyʼve mounted a final, desperate attempt to claim what is ours.”

Countless gateways appeared across Citadel, each leaking a mix of holiness and sin. Astora solemnly faced the gate that had appeared right before her group. She could feel Ultomʼs aura within. More shocking, she could feel the Empyrean Chalice. Shouldnʼt it be enshrined in the heart of the Limitless Expanse to nourish the flame of hope?

”The Empireʼs prosperity has always been coveted by others. It is through steel and immutable conviction that we control the Eraʼs direction. The Mercurial Court is no different. Its sons and daughters are not afraid of shedding blood to protect the flame!” Grand Dream declared in a tone that allowed no contradiction. The world shifted, and even Astora felt her heartbeat speed up as the winds of war picked up speed.

”This is our tribulation, but also our opportunity!” the First Elder roared. ”Enter! Seize the flame and seize the future! Cement your rightful place in history!”

Eagerness was plain to see in the gathered army, especially among the Sealbearers. This was the moment theyʼd been waiting for with increasing anxiety as the trialʼs deadline approached. Those who managed to stand out in this struggle would have a good chance of becoming permanent disciples within the Mercurial Court.

Astora calmly faced two hundred sets of expectant eyes. ”Stay together. Our enemies are desperate, and this is a war that cannot be lost.”

”By your will!” the gathered elites orderly stepped into the gate, with Astora and Asir taking up the rear.

Just before Astora stepped through, she glanced once more at the sky. Not at the fading avatars of Grand Dream and his subordinates, but at the spot where the starlight briefly appeared. Her thoughts turned to the one man sheʼd ultimately failed to tie to her chariot.

Stolen story; please report.

Everit Draom, or whatever his true name was, had become a shadow that refused to leave the back of her mind. He was intimately connected to the secrets she sought, to the point sheʼd resolved to capture him the next time he emerged. Perhaps he sensed as much, to the point he hadnʼt been seen for decades.

Astora could feel Everitʼs shadow once more. He was the hand behind the curtain, influencing the very pulse of the earth. The sky was swallowed as she stepped through, and a chorus of roars filled her ears. Her aura exploded as she connected with the earth, becoming a beacon of courage for her subordinates.

All would be made clear soon enough. For now, they had heretics to purge.

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Janos watched as Zachary Atwood faded, returning to his own truth and pursuits. His hazy mind was finally clearing up after months of torment, yet many holes remained. Many of his memories of his time outside were blurry or gone altogether, except for a few critical experiences that remained untouched.

Meeting the young master for the first time. Joining the Atwood Empire. Exploring the Ensolus Ruins, the trial. Events that shaped who he was. The very things that led him to UmʼHa and why he insisted on this foolhardy gambit.

Still, much had been given up to buy time when he could no longer resist through his own strength. Only by satiating the forces of extinction would he have a chance of pulling off the miracle. Janos felt empty yet full. The price was worth every penny. Janos lost his connection to the world the moment the tribulation ended, and he understood exactly what it meant.

The first step in achieving his dream was giving permanence to UmʼHaʼs decaying illusion. The [Realmkeeper Orb] had stopped its decay, similar to how a Cosmos Sack kept fresh produce, but it couldnʼt elevate its fundamental level. He hoped to find the answer inside the Hollow Court, but Grand Dream had proposed a plan that could achieve multiple steps in one go. And Zac was needed to make it possible.

Janos deeply bowed toward the parting image. The gift bestowed was one of immeasurable value. On his own, his plan would never have succeeded.

ʼYou were right.ʼ

The voice echoed in Janosʼ mind, and Janos suddenly noticed the old man standing by his side. Together, they watched the flames spread across the world, recasting it in the empireʼs glory. It wasnʼt Grand Dreamʼs first time arriving here. The ancient Supremacy had occasionally sent in his projection to keep Janos company during the tribulation, helping him stave off the madness.

Perhaps feeling nostalgic that countless years of effort were approaching fruition, heʼd shared quite a bit about his plan and Janosʼ role in it. By tying his illusion to the supreme dreamscapes of the Peregrine Ocean, it would gain the permanence he sought.

Not only that, the Peregrine Ocean was the answer that Grand Dream had devised after searching for a solution for millions of years. When they parted in the Seat of Truth, Janos had asked Kadel how to allow those stored inside the Omnipresence Chamber to wake up from the dream.

Doing so was easier said than done. If nothing else, it was an act that went against the Heavens and would be met with fierce resistance. Grand Dream used his bloodline talent to look into countless futures in search of an answer. One day, he realized that the answer was right in front of him. Instead of having the people inside the Omnipresence Chamber face the full extent of Heavenʼs wrath, it could be spread out.

The corrupted imperials of the false timelines werenʼt truly in the wrong with their actions. The Left Imperial Palace was planning on spreading the backlash across every single trajectory but one. All the timelines theyʼd nourished in the Omnipresence Chamber but one would be sacrificed while the survivor would be fused with the Left Imperial Expanse to act as a bridge.

Janos was standing on the bridge at this very moment, feeling like heʼd escaped a burning ship at the very last moment. It was crazy to think how much had hinged on everything coming together. Everything wouldʼve been over if Zac failed to raise his timelineʼs prestige to the forefront, or if heʼd failed to call down the imperial bestowment.

There was no doubt still a dozen knots that needed to be resolved across the continent before they could step out of the dream. But at the very least, the first step was complete.

”There will be no loss on his part?” Janos asked to confirm.

ʼThe Empire has neither the need nor want to rob children, especially not those who have contributed so much to the cause,ʼ Grand Dream answered. ʼA trajectory was created where we all could get what we needed. With this, Zachary Atwoodʼs Karma to my court has reached its natural conclusion.ʼ

”Itʼs not over,” Janos said, glancing at the distant pyres that tried to cauterize the pustules of festering blight.

ʼA mistake that soon shall be corrected,ʼ Grand Dream declared as he disappeared. ʼThe Empire always keeps its promises. No strife will reach your domain so long as we remain standing.ʼ

”Then I leave the rest to you, Senior,” Janos said as he turned toward the village.

Lofty aspirations and ancient plots flew out the window as Janos set off in a sprint. Legs that hadnʼt been used in months struggled to keep up with the desire in his heart, and he stumbled more than once on his way to the town. Bushels of Prokko flashed past as thoughts of what he would say flashed through his mind. Janos kept going, not stopping because of the surprised exclamations at his ragged appearance.

Vigilant guardsmen stepped aside upon seeing that it was Janos who was running toward them. One of them asked if he was bringing news. Janos only gave a perfunctory answer mid-sprint. The townsfolk had been spared the brunt of the existential tribulation, but transplanting their home wasnʼt possible without their notice.

Only the village and its immediate surroundings had been moved into the Omnipresence Chamber; the rest of the world could only be discarded. Janos already had a plan. He would explain the change as the result of the Imperial Roadʼs completion. The whole city had been swept up in a spatial anomaly.

As his neighbors ventured further into the world, the experiences of neighboring villagers would corroborate the story. Grand Dream had positioned them in a region that had seen all kinds of upheavals while the Left Imperial Continent realigned itself. Between guaranteed peace and the significantly improved spirituality of their new location, Janos hoped theyʼd consider it a blessing soon enough.

Feet that had carried him like the wind slowed down as he stepped onto the familiar street. He passed the smithy, and the words heʼd waited years to say turned into a jumble. Finally, he stopped by a fence and was unable to raise his head. Heʼd wanted this for so long. Now that it was right before him, Janos found himself scared to death that it was all a trick of the mind—another illusion to tear at his heart, a tribulation that would leave him lost in the dream.

The door opened, and the storm calmed. Even through a world blurred by tears, there was no doubt in his mind. She was real. Janos stepped past the wicket fence like a man possessed, drawn by the radiant sun before him. Years of longing condensed into a single sentence encapsulating all that needed to be said.

”UmʼHa, Iʼm home.”