Part 31. Bleak Memories

Author's Note: Welcome to April! The deluge of extra chapters for Patreon will hopefully be along later today; after I find out if any payments have been declined this month. For now, here's your regularly scheduled chapter :)




Cyra awoke again, lying in darkness. He was trapped, he knew that already, so he didn't need to strain his eyes testing the limits of his prison. He knew that escape was impossible, because he had designed the prison. It hadn't been a prison originally, but a vault to channel the power of the immaculate. But it was a prison now, and he knew that whatever he crafted was perfect. There was no way for him to escape, unless his lover came to release him. The Rainbow Knights, or whatever their name became when translated into a modern language of this world. Cyra couldn't even imagine what the world looked like now.


But at the back of his mind, there was a stirring. Someone had pierced the veil between the past and the future. Someone had reached into the shared memories, and that meant that the Rainbow were still alive. That they still remembered who they were supposed to be. That was enough to give him hope.


They were the survivors. The ancient kings, reincarnated or recreated again and again until their destiny was fulfilled, brought back by a power greater even than time itself. But with his lover still alone, still unable to fulfill what they knew would come to pass, even the end of civilisation, the transformation of the planet into an irradiated wilderness hadn't been enough to stop their lives. They had been born again as an alien race, on a planet some incalculable distance from home, just as soon as there was a race sentient enough to play host to those reincarnated souls. Cyra still wasn't sure he understood the human emotions and hormones he was subjected to, now his companions for eternity had been cast into bodies divided between two genders, and where their brain chemistry led to the partial loss of memories every time they were born.


Cyra hadn't been born often as a human, and there had always been someone on hand to help with the construction of technological devices to ensure his succession. With his knowledge of technology from his native culture, they had been able to build a new empire. They had been a ruling caste to elevate the savages into civilisation. The special preparations to ensure a smooth succession could become a tradition, an arcane mystery surrounding the royal families. Everything had gone smoothly, but when he came to profess his love, after so many million years in waiting, the others had been jealous. One had even been vengeful enough to betray them to the demons, and the empire had fallen.


Now, his biggest worry was that the Rainbow didn't remember who they were supposed to be, and what they were supposed to do. Each time he awoke, trapped in eternal hibernation, he wondered if they had lost another level of their powers in his absence, like stripping away the skins of an onion. He could only hope that was not the case, because he knew that their powers were required to awaken him. His lover's intent was the key that would undo the final seal.


He could feel the demons pouring into the mortal world. The breach was widening now, as much as he reached out with his mind to seal it. Only the Rainbow could fight them until he returned. But it could be his salvation, as well. Because surely monsters roaming the world, the mutated remnants of their former brethren, could serve as a reminder of their purpose, and galvanise them into action.


Now, he could breathe a sigh of relief. They were still there. At least one of them had remembered the past, had remembered him. He didn't know which, he couldn't discern what they had seen, but he knew that the memories stored in his crystal computer had been accessed. The first three generations of their human forms, the time of the Great and Bountiful Pangean Empire, contained little data that would not serve as a reminder of their destiny.


So he could only reach out with his mind, and try to keep the demons under control until he could properly return.


* * *


Roudi staggered, slumping against a crystal wall. Within the marble surface flecks of light danced in blue and gold. The citadel's computation cores spanned the whole building, and it was always reassuring to see that it was still functional. Belmadir had assured them all that it would be easy to upgrade the systems so that visible light was not necessary, but Roudi secretly hoped that wouldn't happen. It was a reminder every time he put his head close enough to see those flickering sparks, that they still had the remnants of who they had once been. That changing from a Lord to a man wasn't a change drastic enough to erase his identity.


Reminded of just why it was so important to keep their focus, Roudi straightened up and shook his head. He had pushed himself a little too hard in training, but that was no excuse to neglect his real duties. He marched to the pinnacle chamber, bare feet making no sound on the marble tiles. The others might like to wear their boots so that all mere humans would be aware of their presence, but Roudi considered it beneficial to his soul if he was only microns separated from the great brain that oversaw the operation of the city, and the world.


The chamber had walls of onyx, a black chamber with no glimmer of light. In the centre was a low pedestal, just high enough for the fingertips of these human bodies to brush its surface while they stood comfortably beside it. There was no visible sign that this chamber was at the very highest peak of the highest tower, but that would change soon enough.


Roudi touched the pedestal, and reached out with his mind into the heart of the city's computation engine. The crystals could think, he knew, but it was only with this generation that they had become able to feel. The powers of Belmadir the Technician were impressive indeed. Now, the city itself dreamed, and Roudi could see into its dreams. As the fingers of his body touched cold stone, the fingers of his spirit moved deeper, through uncountable circuits, and the stone walls seemed to drift away. Now he was standing in the pinnacle chamber, but looking out at the city with something other than his eyes. He could see the city spread out before him, an artificial island two hundred miles wide in the centre of the Great Ocean. He could see the oceans around the city, and the tiny darting minds of all life in them. He could feel the web of tangled bonds and friendships in the humans; both the servants within the city, and those living on the continent itself.


From here, Roudi could see the world, and only he had the mastery of his dreams necessary to fully use this system. When he had to return to the everyday world, separating his mind from the city's heart, it always felt like he was leaving a piece of his spirit behind. But that didn't matter, because he had work to do today. Overseeing the collective unconscious of humanity was the eternal responsibility of the Gold Warden.


Without another thought, without more than a moment of marvelling at the view through the walls of the pinnacle chamber, Roudi reached out for the spirit of a recently deceased caretaker.


"Roudi," a voice cut into his meditation. A feminine voice, which sent shivers into his soul for reasons he still didn't understand. He could see the shimmer of her spirit behind him in the pinnacle chamber, but he hadn't even realised she was there until she spoke. "We need to talk."


Reluctantly, he pulled himself back to a mortal body, a world of a mere nine senses, and turned to face her.


"Nico," he nodded in acknowledgement, "There's a problem?"


"Not as such. But I believe we need to be alert for possible problems. The battle this month may not have been the last."


"What do you mean?" Roudi never had time for cryptic clues and games. He was older than Nico by a matter of hours in this incarnation, but he still had seniority, and that meant that he could be as blunt as he always wanted to be. "If there's something we need to deal with, just tell me."


"It's not something to deal with. Not yet. But we've been tracking that monstrosity. There's more where it came from, and the Princess is not sure if she can keep the portals sealed."


"The Immaculate Power is limitless," Roudi answered, "If she knows there is a chance for them to break into this world, she has the power to seal that vulnerability. That's what 'omnipotent' means."


"I don't mean she can't stop it. I meant that she might not. She's... something's getting to her. She's acting..."


"She's in love. It's different for humans, you can't hold that against her."


"I'm not saying that. She deserves some happiness, it's a burden we can't even imagine. But if she might be slower to react, then we need to be ready to deal with those demons."


"Yeah. I don't want to hear a word said against her, you know? So don't tell everyone about this. If you start turning people against her, I'll never forgive you."


He turned back to the city, and Nico walked away. For a moment, Roudi wondered if he'd been too harsh. But he knew Nico had a strong heart. Even with the unexpected change of hormones in this life, he could trust her to always do the right thing.


He touched the surface again, drifted into the world of the city's heart, and reached out for...

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