The Second Archon War: Chapter 162 (Patreon)

Superbia Hominum 20: Those Who Cannot See

It began slowly, quietly. Doors opened in five locations in Russian-controlled territory: The Kuril Islands, the Crimean Peninsula, the woods north of Helsinki, a farm near New Moscow, and Volograd.  The first door opened onto the islands in the far east, specifically the island of Kunashir. It was sparsely populated, and even in summer, it was only 15°C. A pack of six slavering dog-like creatures stumbled out of the door, which was slammed shut behind them. They began to sniff around, barking and chattering. They spoke bits of broken English to one another, but communicated primarily through baying, grunts, and snarls. 

Though initially they had been dressed only in stained and torn smocks, they soon found a stand of fir trees. There, they armed themselves with sticks and clubs that were little more than broken branches. The leader was taller than the others, and used his own blood to carve foul runes in the sturdy branch he used as a staff. It soon began to glow an ominous purple, and the leader nodded. The pack spread out, and began to advance over the mountainous terrain. 

It wasn’t long before they came to a small fishing village. The pack slavered and growled, but the leader issued harsh orders. They had been given directives, and for now, those aligned with their primary goal: Namely, to become more powerful and create more of their kind. The humans thought they ruled this world. It was time for it to go to the dogs. 

They started small. A cabin on the outskirts with a middle-aged couple, who had two large dogs. The dogs barked fiercely as the slavering monsters approached, but they were silenced with a spell. The humans seemed to sense something coming, and armed themselves: The man with an old Mosin-Nagant rifle of Great Patriotic War vintage, and the woman with a large axe. 

It didn’t matter much. The pack lured them out, and took them down quickly and efficiently. But they did not kill the couple. 

Instead, they were dragged off to a cave in the mountains, bound and gagged. The dogs were muzzled and dragged along with their masters, whining and snapping at their leads. That too was useless. 

Within that cave, the most profane of rituals took place. The humans were horrifically mutilated and bled in burning circles of purple flames, and the dogs force fed their masters' blood after it had been tainted by the Abyss. 

The pack of six became eight. They feasted well that night on what had been two living souls. 

With dusk, three more families and four more dogs went missing. The pack grew again. 

And again.

One churl mutated into a monstrous brute, overfed on abyssal energies, while another mage emerged to call forth greater powers. The same played out in similar fashion in the other five locations, though in New Moscow it was rats, and in Helsinki, hogs. 

The Second Sin had entered into the world. In many ways, it was worse even than the cursed fruit that the First Woman had bitten so long ago. 

But the Sin was born of the same root: God, in their Wisdom, had forbidden this fruit, and yet, Man had plucked it, and eaten of it. 

The first Fall had cost Man his Heaven. 

Let the second not cost Men their Earth. 

It had been three days since the confrontation between the Harbingers and the Dragons, and Kollei was just barely recovered. The amount of energy she’d needed to expend to fend off the dragon’s pyronado had been extreme, and using the Gnosis had drained her spiritually. It felt like…a lead weight, or a poison. Something that sucked at her very essence as she employed it. The relic granted her great power, yes, but she was perhaps too mortal to still be able to use it freely. 

Now, she stood at a conference with her generals and surveyed the map. She kept her expression serene, but wanted to grimace. 

“Enemy forces are well entrenched in the mountains. We could dig them out, but it would cost a river of blood and a mountain of dead bodies,” one general pointed out.

“And since when has Russia feared to spend men in the name of conquest?” another snorted. 

“Since my Mother became your Tsaritsa,” Kollei said quietly. “She Loves all her subjects. While it is worthy to die in her name, it is a sin to cause others to do so needlessly.”

The bloodthirsty general paled and bowed, muttering his oaths of loyalty, but Kollei regarded the map, and traced a line down the broad plain towards the Aral Sea. “Could we not move our forces in this direction, down to the Duchy of Khorezm?” 

“We could, highness, and take back Uzbek as well,” her advisors agreed. “It would create a much longer front, but if we link up with our naval assets, we could resupply from the Caspian Sea. There is little in the way of natural obstacles, with the Aral Sea dead and dry.”

Kollei nodded, and stretched forth her mother’s scepter. “Then that is where We shall strike. Make Our forces ready, and overrun all who stand before Us.”

Her decree was met with immediate compliance, and soon, the Fatui had turned to the South, away from the mountains where the American and Iraqi forces yet lurked. There had been plenty of skirmishing in the past few days, much as there had been in Germany and Finland, but no pitched battles beyond the first. Casualties from that had been light: For a known butcher, Farasha been remarkably reluctant to simply devour and incinerate the Russian force. 

Indeed, there were reports of entire squads that had been consumed by burning butterflies, only to be returned to life upon the conclusion of the battle by the Authority of the Pyro Dragon. Even without the Pyro Archon present, it seemed Farasha was already a divine being with powers that rivaled that of any other god. 

Absently, Kollei wondered if she counted on that number yet. She didn’t think so. Oh, she was certainly worshiped as one, but it felt as though there was one final step to be taken before she achieved apotheosis. 

After meeting with her generals, Kollei picked up Cheri, who was recently out of her sick bed. Her entire body had been broken in her clash with the American president, but the only thing Cheri had asked when Kollei had resuscitated her was if Kollei herself was well. All Cheri had wanted was an answer in the affirmative, and then she had happily let Kollei heal her. Kollei had made sure to give Cheri as many ribbons and dresses as she wanted, as well as giving her as many of her favorite meals as possible. She’d even made the mistake of giving Cheri catnip, which had resulted in a hyperkinetic and EXTREMELY affectionate Cheri for the better part of an hour. 

Thankfully, Kollei had been able to prevent anything too foolish, but she would be wary of giving her retainer more of that drug in the future. It seemed that Pater’s modifications went far beyond merely the cosmetic or even the practical. 

Now, Kollei visited the city of Aktobe, walking its streets with Cheri and her other body guards. Most of the people were warying of the Fatui, and especially the Princess, but Kollei dolled out food, clothing, and small magical devices that could heat food or dwellings, now that Aktobe was caught in the heart of winter instead of summer heat. 

She also healed the sick, performing a few minor miracles when she cured a child of cerebral palsy, healed a woman’s blindness, and healed a man’s withered hand. The mosques of Akobe had already been forcibly converted to the Church of the Frozen Heart, and Kollei encouraged the populace to go there and seek her or her mother’s blessing.

“Unlike your old god, when you pray to me, I hear you,” she told a crowd. “If you ask for my blessing, it shall be given. I come not to oppress, but to welcome you into the Tsaritsa’s loving embrace. Let my mother’s benevolence bless this city, and supply you with all you need.”

“You claim to be a god?!” an angry man that Kollei could sense had great devotion to the tired old religion of Islam demanded. 

She turned to him, and let a bit of her divinity show itself, then drew more through the Gnosis. The crowd groaned in agony and ecstasy, and many of them fell to their knees. The man’s own knees trembled, but he remained upright. 

“I am not yet a god in my own right,” Kollei answered calmly. “Only the daughter of one. But, much as the moon in the night sky was once the daughter of the Electro Archon, so one day shall I be a god who serves the Tsaritsa.”

With Fatui watching him closely, the man had no choice but to bow his head and mutter an apology. Kollei simply nodded, and moved on, passing out more food and supplies. There had been fear that Akobe would starve, especially with snow covering the wheat fields. But the citizens would soon find that thanks to the Tsaritas’s blessings, the wheat harvest would be even better than usual. Cryo might not help with the harvest, but Kollei’s own powers certainly could. 

Once her tour was done, Kollei returned to her rooms, and Cheri curled up on her bed and went to sleep. Reluctantly, Kollei now let Cheri share her sleeping quarters, and even sleep in the same bed. There were too many assassins and foes about to ever let herself be without her bodyguard.

She sat down at her vanity, and looked at herself in the mirror. She was beautiful now, with pale green hair down to her shoulders, and striking pale blue eyes. Her features were smooth and without blemish, her cheekbones higher and jaw more pronounced. She really did look like a god. 

“I have everything I ever wanted,” Kollei said to her reflection, and tears slid down her cheek. “So why do I feel so hopeless and alone?”

At her command, thousands would die in the coming weeks. If not millions. The war raged on, and there would be further pitched battles. She told herself this was how it had to be to save the world, but her heart had no love in it. Only an empty chill. 

“This isn’t who I was meant to be,” Kollei told her reflection. “I was supposed to just be a mortal girl. To die of radiation sickness and malnutrition. Would it have been better if I had?”

“Of course not, Mistress,” Cheri said sleepily, making Kollei start. She glanced in the mirror to see her bodyguard’s eyes glowing softly. “I, for one, would have been dead, or worse. You saved me. And so many others.”

“Saved you from my mother and her monsters,” Kollei said, her voice quavering. “Truly, we must be the greatest evil aside from the King of Demons himself.”

Cheri got out of bed, her tail twitching as she came over to crouch beside Kollei, taking Kollei’s hands in her own and looking up pleadingly. “No, Mistress. You are good, and kind! You saved poor Cheri, who was nothing but a monster.”

“Cheri, just because Pater gave you-”

“No, Mistress!” tears filled Cheri’s eyes, and she kissed Kollei’s hand. “I…I was like my father. I would have used others as tools, slaves. Never knowing love. You…you have shown me Love, and kindness. More than I deserved. You will save these people too. From themselves, as you did me.”

“I…I hope so, Cheri,” Kollei said, and gently stroked Cheri’s head. Her servant’s response was to rub up against Kollei’s side and purr like a cat. Not a human reaction at all. 

Kollei looked back in the mirror and wondered where it all went wrong. “Amber…why did you ever leave me? Did you know what a monster I’d become?”

The next morning, Kollei received the intelligence that a Knight of Favonius, riding a glider and dressed in red, had been sighted on over the Aral Sea. Kollei’s heart skipped a beat, and she urged her forces forward, becoming more reckless and ignoring the battles that took place against Protectorate or Iraqi forces. 

Amber was here. And Kollei was going to get answers. 

It was the middle of the day, and David was supposed to be patrolling for Fatui. And he was, he just wasn’t doing so randomly. He landed near a river in a grove of trees, less than a mile from the storm wall of the Tsaritsa’s storm. He waited for a moment, scanning the area, and picking up very little. But enough to detect most of the Fatui present. 

Out from behind the tree, a shape shimmered into being. A masked bandit, wearing ornate blue leather armor with a greatcoat over it. The Thief raised his mask, revealing pale blue eyes and a hateful expression. “Well. You came. If this is supposed to be an ambush, it is a very foolish one.”

“I want to know about the Abyss,” David said. “Whatever you can tell me.”

The Thief frowned. “And why should I tell you anything?” 

“Kusanali seems to think it’s a threat. I want to know what the Fatui know of it,” David said. He raised a hand. “And before you ask, I think it might be a threat to both of us. Something on the level of Scion, if it has Kusinali this bothered.”

“What the Dendro Archon thinks is of little concern to me,” the Thief said with a snort. “We are at war, in case you didn’t notice.”

“And if Scion flew down and attacked, right now, would you try to kill me, or him?” David demanded. 

The Thief hesitated, then sighed and shook his head. “Against the King of Demons, I would fight alongside even one such as you, Eidolon. Much as I hate you Americans, you, at least, do not seek the destruction of this world or all my people. Just my Tsaritsa.”

“And I am the same. So, what I want to know is this: Is the Abyss such a threat?” David demanded. 

The Thief frowned and put his mask back on. “I know very little of the Abyss. The Tsaritsa has rarely mentioned it. Why? The last time you Americans sought forbidden knowledge, we stole it from you. Why do you think we would not do the same?”

“I think the Abyss might be so dangerous that even the Tsaritsa would fear it. I need answers. Even from my enemies,” Eidolon said. He hesitated, then asked one more question. “What of the Cryo Dragon?”

“Now you speak pure foolishness. Go, before I decide to kill you,” the Thief said, his form beginning to fade into frost. 

Eidolon’s heart skipped a beat. “So, the Tsaritsa has made no dragon?”

“She has made her Harbingers, fool. And we are the equal of any dragon,” the Thief’s voice said as he vanished entirely. 

“Funny. A Fatui, calling someone a fool,” Eidolon said with a dark chuckle, then he took off into the sky. He reported contact with the Fatui, even said he had a brief confrontation with the Thief, but didn’t mention their conversation. He just said he had to flee, as even he wasn’t going to risk a solo confrontation with a Harbinger.

You have already betrayed your country and comrades. You’re just waiting for the right time to sell them out for the most power, a nagging voice said at the back of his mind.

He shook his head and argued with himself. No. I’m not betraying them. But I need to find out about the Abyss. If we’re making another deal with the Devil…then we have to stop. I already killed millions with my arrogance. I won’t let it happen again. Power at any price only results in you paying more than you could afford.

You just want to be Worthy. 

No, this time, I want to actually be a hero. Not the facsimile of one. 

Part of him wished he had someone else he could talk to. He had thought about seeking out Ziz, but she hadn’t been seen in days. Apparently, she’d abducted Vorreiter from her house arrest. That seemed odd, until he remembered that Ziz was an Anemo Vision holder, or, well, probably the Anemo Dragon now that he thought about it. They tended to have a dim view of anyone being held captive. Ziz more than most after what she’d been through. 

Instead, he flew another patrol, and another, ruthlessly clashing with the Fatui again and again. Infuriatingly, he killed the same cape twice in the patrol, and he knew exactly who to blame for it. He stormed back to Almaty and threw open the door. “Where’s Farasha?!” 

“In the field,” Alexandria said, standing back from the hologram table and turning to him. “And I can already guess your complaints.”

“She’s bringing the enemy back to life still! How are we ever supposed to bring this war to a conclusion if the enemy doesn’t die!?” David demanded, ripping his mask off and glaring around the room. None of the Dragons were present, and of the Protectorate, only Alexandria was there from their own heavy hitters. 

Still, an Iraqi general in a plain uniform stepped forward. “General Eidolon-”

“Just General Ward,” David interrupted, wearied already with his inflated rank.

“General Ward, then. The truth is, the Fatui are inflicting far more casualties on us than we are on them, even with your own performance record,” the Iraqi said with a shake of his head. 

“Then why the hell is Farasha bringing them back as well!?” David snarled. 

“Because, what she does applies equally to both sides. Either we both lose men, or we both don’t. She captures all souls, and resurrects them,” the General explained patiently.

“Then why can’t we at least take them prisoner?!” David snapped. “As it is, we’re just wasting time!” 

“When you have infinite reinforcements, it comes down to positioning and maneuver. We have to outmaneuver the Tsaritsa’s forces, and they’re starting to spread themselves thin. We give them enough rope, and they’ll hang themselves,” Alexandria said firmly.

“With parahumans and Vision Holders, and a god backing them?! They’ll never run short of supplies. Who’s to say the Princess can’t magic up unlimited food and fuel for her troops?” David demanded. 

“It’s not worth it to shut down the Resurrections yet. We have to time it right,” Alexandria said firmly. “Plus, Farasha’s ability is not infinite: she can only resurrect along a specific front, and apparently, not of unlimited duration either. We need to stress test this.

Ah. David now saw what this was. He pursed his lips and met Alexandria’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but disapprove. Farasha served Nahida, and if any Archon could be trusted, it was her. Plus, Farasha had found redemption. She might have been a mass murdering psychopath four years ago, but now? Now she was a loving mother and a hero who saved lives instead of taking them. 

Once more, David found himself seeing Farasha as a mirror…and finding that it was him, not Farasha, who came out looking worse. How had he spent his entire adult life fighting to be a hero, to save as many lives as possible…and it was he who was the greater murderer. 

And, if I’m right about the Abyss, I’m about to unleash even greater horrors than even Farasha ever did. I’ll make the Tsaritsa and her wars seem like humanitarian relief efforts. I can’t let that happen again.

Suppressing a shudder, David jammed his mask back on and sealed it. “Fine. But this kabuki theater war is a bunch of horseshit. We’d better have a real endgame. One that knocks their key players out.”

“The Tsaritsa is not the true enemy,” the Iraqi general said, and David tilted his chin up defiantly. But all the man said was, “The Golden Demon.”

That took the wind out of David’s sails immediately. He’d said as much to the Thief, hadn’t he? “I suppose you’re right. Well. Let’s just hope we can find a way to get that favorable position before Farasha’s ability runs out.”

David departed, feeling as frustrated and impotent as always. Instead of going home, he went to the barracks there at the front, and, taking off his clothing, showered and fell into bed.

He had barely closed his eyes when he awoke, fully dressed in a resplendent black tuxedo, with a white rose cravat. He stood up from where he had been lying on a bed of frozen ice, and looked about the misty landscape.

He was on a stage. And he heard singing. 

Tili Tili Bom

Close your eyes quickly

Someone's walking by the window

And knocking at the door.

He had the sense that it was in Russian, but of course, he could understand it. Not because of his Thinker powers. But because the song spoke to his soul. He stepped across the stage, to where a young woman in blue and white stood before an endless audience of the void, and sang softly.

Tili Tili Bom

Can you hear the birds through the night?

He's already made his way into the house

For those who cannot sleep

David listened patiently to the rest of the solo. It had the air of a nursery rhyme, but a deeply disturbing one. Though he supposed if you thought hard enough about Jack and Jill, they’d both fallen and died in that song as well. Actually, a lot of fairy tales were rather morbid if you looked at the original versions. Much like the fantasy that Earth Bet had become. 

At last, the Tsaritsa turned to David, but her eyes were hidden behind a veil of icy blue. “So, why have you called me here?”

“Can you hear me, my Hero?” the Tsaritsa said, and David felt his heart skip a beat as this beautiful goddess called him of all people a hero. A smile traced the Tsaritsa’s lips, and she walked towards David. He started, then reached out a hand to her, but she passed right through him like a ghost. 

He spun, but the Tsaritsa had simply gone to sit upon the bed he’d risen from. “I am afraid I yet dream myself. My powers are not all recovered from my battle with Barbatos. So, instead, I send you this song, and dream, that you may know you are loved. Here.”

The Tsaritsa patted the bed, and Eidolon slowly walked over, then sat next to her, feeling uncomfortable. “So, you can’t hear or understand me?”

“Lie down,” the Tsaritsa instructed. “This but a shade of myself, but I have given it commands: That you may know rest this night. I know you yet fight me as a foe, but not for much longer. Come to me, my Hero.”

Slowly, Eidolon lay down, even going so far as to rest his head upon the Tsaritsa’s lap. He could feel her now, and she was icy to the touch. She stroked his hair with frozen fingers, but it was…sothing. Calming. He closed his eyes, as the Tsaritsa began to sing again, the same song as before. 

Hear his steps

He's already

Close

Tili Tili Bom

Can you hear someone next to you ?

Huddled in a corner

With a penetrating gaze

Tili Tili Bom

The night will muffle everything

He is sneaking up to you

Now he almost got you

Despite the creepiness of the song, David found himself drawn into rest, and felt himself drifting off to sleep. Just before he fell asleep completely, the Tsaritsa bent over and kissed his brow.

“Sleep well. My Hero. My Dragon.”

David sat bolt upright in bed, head and heart pounding. He put a hand to his chest, gasping for air. Then he felt at his temple. Ice. There were traces of ice there. He shivered, and went to report his dream. Not all of it, only that he’d seen the Tsaritsa, and heard her singing.

He wouldn’t betray everyone. Not for any price. 

Only…only if there was no other option. 

That’s what he told himself.

But the first requirement to becoming a Harbinger was that one be trapped in their own Delusions.