Chapter 23 – Interlude

Chapter 23 – Interlude

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Somewhere in the depths of space, six figures sat upon thrones, the seats floating in the vacuum. The thrones’ designs were more intricate than the finest of lace.

Each of the figures’ bodies was covered in shadows, rendering it impossible to make out any of their features and giving only a general idea of their appearance. Their extravagant clothes, though, remained perfectly visible.

Amidst them, a lone, deserted throne stood, shorter and plainer than all the others.

It was barren and cracked. Entire chunks were missing, annihilated by attacks meant to slay titans. And yet, it still stood, a crumbling monolith.

And, engraved upon the sides of the seat were faint, barely visible engravings, weathered away by time. Engravings of chains.

The six remained seated in their seats, watching as, in the distance, a dying star began to collapse in on itself, preparing to go supernova. It had long consumed the planets that had once orbited around it, and now, only one remained.

The figures watched as the inhabitants of the unintegrated planet ran around in a panic, saying their final goodbyes.

Ships that were incapable of reaching even the nearest star system flew from the celestial object as planetary shields flared to life around it, projected between its dozens of moons in a desperate, futile attempt at survival.

The seated figures turned their attention back to the red giant. For a few seconds, they waited. Then, it happened.

One moment, it was there, a massive orb of flames sitting in the vast expanse of space. The next, it was gone, collapsed into a single point. Then, a wave of sheer energy burst outward, shining with countless colors.

It washed over the lone planet, swallowing its defenses with ease, a single flash ending the lives of billions.

Where the red giant had once been sat a tiny, impossibly bright, blue star. And a few seconds later, as more mass returned to it, the newly born neutron star’s life was cut short as it collapsed into a black hole.

As the supernova neared the six thrones, a woman in a throne of something resembling molten, rainbow glass stood and raised a hand. “Halt.”

The entire supernova froze around them, raging energies leaving beautiful streaks of color. Then, the woman opened her arms wide, welcoming the frozen energy as it flowed into her chest.

For a few seconds, she stood there, absorbing the strength of a dead sun. Even as she tried to hide it, her body trembled with effort, but she didn’t back down.

Then, she sat back down, and the supernova burst back to life, all of the energy on track to strike them already absorbed.

A man in a chair made seemingly entirely of shadows snorted. “Showboat.”

“Oh, shut up, Tenebros. You’re just jealous your skills aren’t as visually appealing as Vitras’.” Another figure jumped in; this one’s voice was robotic, and yet it still carried emotion.

The man, Tenebros, snorted again. “At least I’m not a one-trick pony like you.” Tenebros’ shadowy figure looked different from the others, as if, rather than a shroud, it was his natural form.

“That’s too far, Tenebros! And where are you getting all of these expressions? The hell is a ‘one trick po—’”

“Shut. Up.” The woman, Vitras, interrupted. “Just…stop bickering like children, will you? You’re above this.”

“Yes, well, we’re also above any rules that dictate whether or not we should be allowed to play around, aren’t we? Tenebros and I were just—”

“Enough, Chrone.” Vitras cut in once more. “I appreciate that you sped up the star’s collapse so that we could have the pleasure of watching it—”

“Oh, yes, just dismiss my effort like it was nothing. It only took a century’s worth of mana to do so.”

“—but that is no excuse for such childish behavior. Especially not now. You know why I’ve called you all here, don’t you?”

The source of the robotic voice, Chrone, looked like she wished to continue complaining about the lack of appreciation, but after a moment, just nodded.. “He has returned, hasn’t he?”

At Chrone’s words, the other figures, who hadn’t spoken once during the entire exchange, leaned in close, waiting for Vitras’ reply. Vitras watched Chrone for a moment before giving a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.

Immediately, exclamations sounded from the figures.

“How the fuck does he keep doing this?”

“Again? AGAIN!?”

“How? He isn’t even that powerful!”

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Once everyone had quieted down, one figure spoke up. “Well, where is he? Is he coming to reclaim his throne? Will he be here soon?”

Ignoring the question, Vitras waved her hand, and a projection appeared, floating before them. On it, a strange landscape was displayed.

“Oh?” Tenebros stared curiously at the projection. “Apocalypse Difficulty, huh? First layer? Hasn’t changed much in the past few millennia, has it?” He sighed. “Too bad that fool of a boy had to go and fight the King before he was ready. He had potential…”

As he continued mumbling, the others glanced around in confusion until one of them spoke up.

“Why exactly are we looking at the Tutorial?” The speaker was seated upon a throne made of thousands of blades welded together, each weapon glimmering a different color in the light of the passing supernova. “Aren’t we supposed to be, you know, looking at him? Wherever he is?”

Vitras nodded. “Yes. And that’s exactly what we’re doing.”