Forevermore Unto the Void

The War for Aetherius (part 1: Apocryphôs)

                                                 "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven"-John Milton

1

Nine Minutes to Midnight (~52,555 AFR)

James Wadeth walked from behind a bookcase to greet Archimedes "Been a while, your time, since you came to visit. Something you wanted to know?"

"Yes, actually," Archimedes answered, closing the ancient tome he had been reading. "In all of these records, journals, and grimoires, I can't seem to find anything about you or the time before the material realm came into being. There are just records of what the Other Realms were after some unnamed cataclysm that left the Wastes as they are, and material history starting at the dawn of our universe and going until 1999 CE, starting again at 1 AFR. So...what happened in the gaps and why aren't they recorded? Come to think of it, I can't find anything about the Great War either-save a few off-handed mentions of a war shortly after R'lyeh fell."

James sighed. "Archimedes, there's a reason those records aren't anywhere you can find. I have purposefully hidden the nature of the gods and those specific parts of human history from you. When I was in your shoes, I found out everything a mortal could know in their lifespan about the gods and it drove me to undertake actions from which I would spare you."

"What actions?" Archimedes asked cautiously.

"What do you know of these realms?"

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm not. What was the first concrete thing you learned about these realms?"

"Power requires sacrifice."

"My consciousness still endures after... fifty-six thousand six hundred years or so. I learned secrets of the Aetherius in an era when FTL drives were considered the stuff of legends. How much power do you think that would take? Or, more accurately, how much sacrifice?"

"What are you getting at? And I thought you wanted to die."

"I do, dammit. I'm still here because I failed. Too much knowledge of the gods will cause you nothing but misfortune."

"Alright, then. I, well I can't say I understand, but I have an idea why you've obscured the gods and yourself from me, but why the Great War?"

"Two of the commanders, Nocturne and Corvus, were my clones. Well, Nocturne was my clone and Corvus was a clone of Nocturne, to be specific. So it still is technically my past."

"If they count as 'technically your past,' why aren't they here?"

"They are, I just hadn't thought it the proper time to introduce you, and I believe you're needed back in your own plane, so there isn't time now."

Archimedes begrudgingly accepted this and activated the tether in his HUD, pulling him back from the Hidden Library to his office, sending papers flurrying around him and startling the Syndicate emissary with a flare of eldritch light.

Regaining his composure, the emissary, a timid, small man with brown hair and blue eyes, began "Director Paracelsus the Fifth-"

"Please," Archimedes interrupted, "just call me Director Archimedes like everyone else."

"Very well, Director. Now, as you know, the time of the non-aggression pact has come to a close and I have been sent here to discuss terms of renewal."

"I believe it would be more in line for Argus to make the terms, seeing as we were the undisputed victors of the war, but do continue."

The emissary balked slightly at the chill in Archimedes' tone "The Council wish to see complete disbanding of the Argus military-"