The Record of Unusual Creatures

When you suddenly get to know that you have been thrown in a timeflux and the world that you have known is now ten thousand years behind. Everything that you have went through was now history, surely such a revelation would throw anyone into a huge state of contradiction and confusion. The guardians were no expection.

Muru told whatever he knew to the temple guardian and the latter clearly found it difficult to digest this shocking turn of events. But he knew that the guardians, Mother’s proud creations will not lie to his own kin, and there was some degree of believability to that. The giant took much effort to sit up straight as his sight lay on Hao Ren. “So… these are the treacherous children’s descendents ten thousand years since?”

Hao Ren shrugged. “Truth be told, I’ve explained this to Muru many times over. I’m a born and bred Earthling, and I have nothing to do with whatever those traitors, by blood or not. I also have no idea what went wrong that the people of Earth is the same as those treacherous children in your eyes.”

Muru nodded. “Hmm, he is right. His birth itself is innocent, but his aura has the residue of treachery. The planet that he have lived on is host to many other foreign beings who sought refuge there after some galatical catastrophe. That’s probably the cause of the bloodline contamination.”

“Galactical catastrophe?” The temple guardian suddenly found himself with terminologies that were foreign to him, and that he had no idea that the world outside had turned upside down.

“The collapse of the Wall of Reality, the death of countless of Mother’s creation, part of the guardian giants and the lifeblood protectors have gone mad, and many other bizzare things have happened on many planets.” Muru said as he got up, while lending support to his wounded kin. “There’s a seismic change in the worlds beyond. You have missed ten thousand years, and I’m afraid you will need time to understand all these. Can you move?”

“Yes.” the temple guardian grunted a succint reply as he turn towards Hao Ren and Lily. The guardian frowned, and he did not bother to hide his suspicion towards the two. “I cannot fully trust you strangers, but I do trust my kin, so I shall not show any hostility to you.”

Lily rumbled a low growl as Hao Ren smiled. “That’ll be enough. Muru took a long time to change his opinion of us.”

The guardian nodded before bowing. “The timing of your help was most fruitous, you have my thanks.”

Hao Ren was surprised by the guardian’s actions. “Uh.. that’s fine. Say, weren’t you still suspicious of us? Why the sudden show of gratitude?”

“Those are two different things.” the temple guardian grunted, his face serious.

Hao Ren scratched his head, thinking to himself that the guardian was a very stern and serious type. The type that can easily distinguish between professional and personal matters as if they were simply items to be balanced on a scale. He then clambered up to Lily’s head before looking at the guardian. “Are there anyone else here?”

The temple guardian frowned, seemingly hesitating to disclose what was going on here to the stranger, but a quick ponder later, he realised that the secret that he was protecting was already ten milleniums old. Pointing towards the great gate nearby, “I have another comrade guarding the Sacred Vault, another was at the plaza before the temple, she’s probably by the anti-air installations. I heard gunfire earlier.”

“The warrior at the anti-air base has perished.” Muru said sombrely. “A valiant end. She had taken out one of enemy before dying on the turret. Not long later, this human, Hao Ren used his own ship to destroy the remaining enemies, and avenged her.”

The temple guardian bowed silently before drawing a circle before his chest. “She was a brave new recruit. She knew no fear, and she was worthy of the life Mother had given here. That leaves only me and Heve.”

Muru looked towards the shut gate. “Can you let us in?”

“Of course.” the guardian nodded as he raised his staff before unleashing a lightning bolt from the tip towards an orb on the top of the gate. As the lightning struck, the floating crimson runes on the gate dissapted and the black golden gate opened without a sound, revealing a long pathway behind it.

The temple guardian led the group as they walked into the great temple hall. Hoa Ren noticed the interior design of the hall was similar to the one in Muru’s ship. Even when most of the construction materials were black in colour, the place did not feel forboding. A very unique optical and translucent technique allowed the monolithic sculptures and linings to look present a very solemn grandeur, and had the side effect of reducing the forboding atmosphere of the area. All along the corridor were neatly lined lightings and a very high skylight. Between the bright ray of lights in set distances, a draping banner hung from the ceiling. Eacho f the banners had a very intricate and complex motive to it, and it was similar to the religious arts of the Disciples of Glory back in Holetta.

These motives signified one thing, and that was the sanctity and uniqueness of this place.

Y’zaks walked alongside the temple guardian and asked on a whim. “What are you called?”

“Lemendusa.” the guardian replied, curiosity in his voice. “Where are you from? I have never seen a being like you in this universe before… You look like a demon living on a volcanic planet, but your aura is completely foreign to me. Mother probably had not made a creature like you before.”

“I am indeed a demon, but I’m from another world.” Y’zaks said with a smile. “And we have even more friends from other universes.”

This was not the first time Lemendusa heard that term, but he was not particularly interested in it. What was important to him now was the god-slaying war, and even though this war was ten thousand years ago, to him, the war was his present. “Muru… the war….how…”

“You probably know very well how it ended.” Muru slowed his pace as he looked down. “There were no victors, the Star of Creation vanished, and the treacherous children were eradicated. There are no longer any gods in this universe, and there are no more guardians… that was ten thousand years ago.”

Hao Ren turned to Lemendusa nervously, fearing that this guardian would descent into madness like those brain monsters after learning that his mother got blown to kingdom come. But seems like with the psychic link broken and that they never saw it happened before their eyes, the guardians seemed to be able to hold on to their wits. Lemendusa did not went berserk. But of course, there was a bigger reason to that, and the guardian already knew that the kingdom of the Goddess had fallen over the course of the battle, and was not surprised when Muru broke the news to him.

Noticing that the atmosphere was getting strained, Hao Ren immediately brought up the very thing that could lighten the mood. “Oh yea, the Goddess of Creation could very well still be alive!”

Lemendusa immediately lowered his gaze towards Hao Ren. “What is the meaning of this?”

“There are still Second Borns that are believing in Mother, and they seemingly could hear her whispers.” Muru explained. “Besides, Hao Ren too had performed a few tests, and he thins that Mother’s divinity is still present, and could respond to prayers unconciously. So she could still be sleeping in another dimension. And our main course of action now is to look for any clues that She may have left, and to look for surviving guardians like you.”

These words have an immediately impact in raising Lemendusa’s morale. “Is this for real?”

“I’m not lying.” Hao Ren said smugly. “Have you noted noticied the divinity in me as well? I have a great god standing behind me as well. So I’m a professional, and finding the Solenne Gateway system was a big leap on our search. This system was thrown together with the Star of Creation into the Umbral Realm. Finding this place means that we are already at the gates of the Umbral Realm.”

Hao Ren explained briefly on his work on Tannagost to the guardian. After being locked in time for ten thousand years, to say Lemendusa’s concept of the world at large was outdated was a massive understatement, and the latter was utter out of his depth. But regardless, the temple guardian was still cheered by the words of Hao Ren and Muru. He knew that the Star of Creation had fallen, and when the psychic link with Mother broke, he too had fallen into despair. If not for his duty as a temple guardian, his end would probably be that of his insane kin. But now, a glimmer of hope have wrenched from back from the brink.

Lemendusa kept quiet for a moment before clenching his fist. “You said that the treacherous children had been eradicated, how did that happen?”

“The treacherous children attacked their own creator, this was not accepted by the will of the universe.” Muru’s tone sounded like a grudge was settled. “The moment the Star of Creation exploded, their entire race was wiped out by the laws of the universe.”

“Then what about this planet?” Y’zaks queried. “They were still alive here.”

“Probably due to the Umbral Realm’s effects.” Muru theorised. “The Solenne Gateway and the Star of Creation was pulled into the Umbral Realm at the same time, the Curse of Exctinction was blocked, and the remaining traitors survived… for a few more hours.”

Lemendusa stood by as he heard, confusion was apparent in his face.

Because he did not know what the ‘Umbral Realm” was. Only the guardians who did not get blown to kingdom come when the heavens exploded called the extraordinary phenomenon as such.