Chapter 15: Home of forgotten prayers
Level upon level passed his vision as he shot on deeper into the bowels of the tower. Soon, the different levels vanished from view and he continued to speed on down through concrete and darkness. His destination was the lowest level of the endless city, where the last remains of their history would await him.
The darkness ended, the chamber had passed through the base plate of the city formed by the old sleeper ships. And here, suspended hundreds of feet beneath the never-sleeping city, like a pendant under the canopy of the giant construction of steel and concrete... the cemetery awaited him.
On a broken plane that spanned many miles in all directions, countless graves and mausoleums grew from the ground like an endless maze of stones, dust and bones. And far in the distance, on the highest rim of the shattered and torn plane, and on the verge of the endless void, stood the cathedral... where his kind had once lamented their sins and woes to their old god.
He knew that some of the purveyors still prayed to the nameless creator, trying to find refuge in the thought that someone was still watching them or at least heard their silent words. He had no use for such hopes, he knew well enough that no one was listening... the cathedral was a silent witness to that fact. There was only the void now, and it swallowed everything.
The cathedral and its cemetery were the only piece of their old home they had managed to bring into the void, but the ground was devoid of life, and those that had sought shelter within the cathedral and their prayers had been alone when the cataclysm of their world swept over it. Now, only dust and bones remained... and the souls of the dead.
They couldn't be seen, but he could hear them. Millions of voices and emotions running through the void and clinging desperately to the earth beneath his feet. Silent prayers whispered into the endless darkness, carrying the hopes and pleas of their forgotten home. Even if no life could be drawn from these grounds, they had found a new purpose for it under the endless city. The souls of the dead were driven by the memories of their old home, and they sought it without pause to find rest.
This place, these last remains of their home were the only place the souls could find. Once a place of rest, the old cemetery had become a cage, catching the souls of the dead and keeping them until new bodies were ready to be infused with life.
The cabin reached the floor of the graveyard, and he could feel the souls stir at his presence. Screams, crying, words of love and hope... the souls were forever suspended in their last moments of life, fated to relive them again and again until they were given a new body to fill.
The purveyor started to walk through the maze of the cemetery, ignoring the whispers of the countless souls around him. His destination was clear, it was the only place far enough away from the city and near enough to the void itself to call out order zero and carry it on to the others of his order... He walked through the graveyard, and towards the cathedral of forgotten prayers.
---
Celestia eyed the city beneath her with fascination as the shuttle carried them onwards and between the countless towers of black glass.
"I've never seen such technology!" she whispered, "What incredible knowledge and possibilities... and what terrible despair..." even from here, she could see the riots in the streets below. Occasionally, she would catch glimpses of fire below, and armored troops marching on the rioting citizens, "What is happening?"
Zealot Harrigan passed her a sad and tired smile, "They hunger. Our resources are starting to run low again, and those unlucky enough to live on the lower levels feel it first."
She eyed the streets below with sadness, "Is it always this bad?"
He shook his head, "We have seen worse... but the riots have been more violent and quicker to start these days..." he gave a sigh, "A decision will have to be passed soon... the purveyors will not be happy. They have been demanding that we lower the energy usage for years now..."
She swallowed, she knew very well what decision would have to be passed.
"May I ask you something?" she asked with a quiet voice, the ghost next to her translating it perfectly both in language and sound level in an instant.
"Is it about your hearing?" he asked, "It will take some time until we reach the audience hall..."
"No..." she shook her head, "It's about him."
A moment of surprise passed Harringer's features, the smile beneath his beard faltering slightly, "Oh... that is... a difficult subject. I shall try to answer your questions as I am able to. Please, understand though..."
"That there are subjects you cannot speak about because you can't or you won't?" she finished his sentence with a sad smile.
"I see the two of you have been talking. You should consider yourself proud, only few ever had that chance." he gave a sigh, "Very well... what are your questions?"
"Who is he?"
Harrigan looked away from her face and onto the streets below, "He was the first..."
---
The old doors of the cathedral gave off an agonizing groan as he pushed them open and stepped inside. No candles burned inside the old place of worship, only the never-sleeping city above cast an eerie and faint glow over this place, and the broken, colorful windows basked the inside of the cathedral in strange reflections.
It didn't matter, he knew this place by heart. Every broken and shattered bench, every book on the ground and every pillar... nothing here had been touched in centuries.
Every step he took towards the old altar echoed through the empty halls, stirring up dust in his path. The whispers were stronger here, so many had sought shelter inside the cathedral... and not one of them had left it again.
As he approached the altar, he eyed the wooden cross on the ground with a strange feeling... no matter how many times he convinced himself that the nameless god wasn't listening, it still felt as wrong to see it lie on the ground as it had the last time he had been here.
He was about to reach down and pick it up, but he stopped, suddenly aware of something else behind the countless voices.
"Is this the moment of your surprising entry?" he asked with a cold voice.
"It was supposed to be... But you never were one for surprises, were you, Zaeres?" Malaik stepped forth from the shadows with a small smile.
"I told you never to call me by that name..." he didn't turn to look at Malaik, "Did you really think I would be so foolish as to trust you?"
"But you did, didn't you? After all, you came here..." Malaik's smile grew bigger, "And here, on the last piece of earth... the first of the purveyors will finally die..."
The sounds of a hundred swords being drawn echoed through the cathedral.
---
"He was the first to enter the void." zealot Harrigan explained, "He had been researching it for decades already even before we knew that our world would fall apart... and it was him that made our escape into the void possible..."
"He was a scientist?"
"More than just that... he was a visionary." Harrigan said with sadness, "More than anyone else, he believed in the future of our race... and it broke his heart when we failed." he turned to her, "He found the way to become one with the void, founded the order of the purveyors, formed their ideals and protocols... and he was the first to make the transition."
"So he is their leader?" she asked with surprise.
He shook his head, "The purveyors do not have a leader... not in the conventional sense. They have a code and protocols they abide to at all times. However, they look up to him for guidance nonetheless... Like children would look up to their elders..." he sighed, "And there is another thing that makes him different..."
Celestia waited for him to continue, but Harrigan seemed to hesitate for a moment, "What makes him different?"
"This is something only few actually know..." Harrigan looked at her for a moment, "Did you see his eyes?" he asked with a strangely tight voice.
Celestia shuddered at the memory, "I did... there was nothing in them... only darkness."
He nodded, "Very well... then know this. He is the only one with eyes like that." he saw her confusion, "The purveyors, are all different. Not one of them is equal to the other when it comes to their capabilities and their influence on the void. Some barely manage to perform their duties, others are able to bend the void to their will to a certain degree. But not one of them ever achieved a connection to the void like he did. Every detail that is hidden to normal eyes, the fabrics of reality themselves and the very essence of the void... he can see it... and he can control it where others can only bend it. He was the first and the last to truly become one with the void... and here, within the very void that runs through his veins..."
"He is a god..." Celestia whispered, her heart suddenly feeling even tighter than before.
Harrigan gave her a grave look, "You may think he is powerful from what you have seen in your world... but I have seen for myself what he is capable of in the void... and what he is willing to do to uphold order..."
---
"I always knew that there was only one member of the royal family that would actually consider to side with the dissidents..." the purveyor spoke with a cold voice, "But that you come here, to this sacred place of our history..." he passed his hand over the others, "And that you bring the likes of them to defile it even further... you sicken me."
"You live by the rules of a dead world..." Malaik replied, "And we have suffered for its sins long enough... Once you are gone and the councils are under the dissident's control, the remaining purveyors will have no choice but to accept the new order."
"They would rather let you starve..."
"Even so, the few dissidents are more than enough to supply us with a never-ending flow of resources... I had honestly hoped your brother could have taken your place today, but things seldom go as intended, don't they?" he smiled, "Our useless, old history will vanish with you... and those in the councils that will not bow to us will join you on this glorious day."
The others readied themselves for their attack, the purveyor didn't move.
"It will start soon, they are already waiting for the hearing to start... Do you have any last words? I have a hearing to attend and councils to take over."
The purveyor gave no reply. The others moved, speeding towards him with drawn swords.
He closed his eyes, and he listened.
When he opened his eyes again, he could see... everything. Malaik, the hundred clan members he had brought for his murder... their connection to the void... everything was frozen before him, every little detail revealed to him clearly. The life flows of those that were given form within the void were forever connected to it, unknowingly becoming part of it.
With a silent word formed on his lips, he reached out... and separated their connection to the void.
A hundred swords fell, and a hundred rigid bodies hit the floors uncontrolled as the souls that once controlled them were ripped from the flesh. The only ones that remained standing, were him and Malaik.
"What?... How?.." he started to stammer, eyes wide in shock.
The purveyor started to walk towards Malaik, stepping over the bodies around him with slow strides, "The history you find so useless, could have told you what it means to oppose me here... and if you had looked outside your golden tower even for a moment during our frantic efforts to uphold order, you could have known as well..."
Before Malaik could react, the shadows from the purveyor's form lashed out, ripping him off his feet and dragging him towards the purveyor.
"Do you think I carry my title only for show? Did you really think it would be this simple? Your ambitions are over your own head...." he sneered as he dragged him along. When he reached one of the old windows, he held Malaik up before him, "Did you really think you could simply change what I build up so strenuously over thousands of years?"
"It doesn't matter how powerful you are, the clans are already on the rising. They'll accept the dissident's rule no matter what you say... the councils will have to bow before the demands of their own race and the purveyors will finally lose control..." Malaik wheezed, "Things are changing once and for all, and the purveyors will no longer be part of our future."
"You clearly underestimate our devotion to our cause..." the purveyor replied with a dark voice, "We can rebuild what you corrupted... and those that won't accept the natural order we demand... will die."
---
On the outside of the cathedral, the sound of a crashing window could be heard echoing softly, followed by the screams of Malaik as he plunged into the void.
---
Inside the cathedral, the purveyor started to chant, drawing the void towards his form from all sides. As he became one with the underlying realities of the void, he sent out a single sentence, letting order zero thunder across the dimensions.
There was no need for him to wait for an answer, he knew. The purveyors would hear his message, and they would come to wipe away those that would disturb the order they represented... by all means necessary.
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Oh damn.
Oh DAMN. This guy is the real deal.
Oh my...keep up the amazing work!
I knew Malaik was screwed the minute he said that.
I feel for Zaeres... thought he found a way to save his entire race, but then realized he had just prolonged their suffering. My only thought is: will he see something special in pony-kind that makes him decide to save it, or will he destroy it?
He is SUCH A BADASS!
Welp....
He has this much power, and yet he was wounded by a knife?
A little bit contradictory here... LOL
Oh dayum..
Someone just got their shit slapped.
This crackdown will be fun to see, had a bit of a flashback to executing Order 66...
Nice update speed, I can hardly wait.
Sounds a little redundant. "Effect" would have sounded a lot better.
that was so awesome it gave me a chill
That coup d'etat sure went poorly.
Awsome! I really hope he'll let Celestia off the hook. Maybe she has an amazing plan to help with their food shortage!
I hope it isn't anything that'll effect Equestria to much as that would kinda end the story.
Did you just make a reference to one of the Star Wars prequels as if they were something positive.... NO! NO ITS WRONG! YOU CAN"T DO THAT!
Mr. Plinkett is not amused.... sorry troll response but I could not help my self. 2473241
2473317
Or, you know, the massive house cleaning that's about to occur will severely cut their energy usage, and therefore need to cull Equestria immediately. Just a thought.
2473335 Hey, at least I didn't quote whiny McChild-Mass-Murderer.
"Are you an angel?"
2473240
He intentionally stopped the knife. Plus it was his brother's knife so it was able to harm him.
Still after watching those movies, I was forced to go through life plaqued with doubt and fear and I learned to never trust my own judgment again... thanks Lucas! 2473354
2473240
He only has the power to kill hundreds instantly WHILE IN THE VOID.
Plus, the knife wasn't exactly normal, as you (hopefully) recall.
**EDIT** Also, a note on our protagonist: Organics will always fall to Synthetics, even when it's one with the power of the void.
2473206
Sir... You should not use his name....
watch those apostrophe's
2473356>>2473423
Ahhh... Makes sense... Eh, I don't care to re-remember what happened. I sorta remember...
2473475
I guess I chose:
M-M-MONSTER KILL!
So I'm guessing there's gonna be one heck of a brawl coming up eh?
I have the feeling this is going to end with the Purveyor finally letting his species die because the life of worlds still living is more worth-while than keeping his own species on life support any longer. Perhaps then their souls can find new lives outside the void.
100 Kills
1 Assisted Suicide
1st Purveyor Ftw
also
geektyrant.com/storage/2011-post-images/mnight-afterearth-conceptart.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1326914780405
Author
Why you do this to me
Do you enjoy watching me flip tables
*Sephiroth theme plays*
....... Press triangle, PRESS TRIANGLE!!!
Cool.
I know one more resident badass from the void...
images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100717000711/starcraft/images/e/e4/Zeratul_SC2_Cine1.jpg
I suppose you all forgot about THIS guy huh?
Man oh man, I love this fic.
Bravo sir, brav-fucking-oh
2473789 First off; an Unreal Tournament reference?
Really?
Second...
The "Kill" echoes and fades (and the whole thing would repeat like 50 times in the span of 3 seconds). Get it right.
Also, he pulled a Yoda against Order 66.
This is epic!
Shit just got real...
15 chapters ago.
This is by far, one of the greatest MLP stories I've ever read. Only two or three others can hope to compare to this.
Two words:
Curb Stomped
Though it always frustrates me when the protagonist cites the "Natural Order" as their justification.
Screw the natural order! They live in the Void for Pete’s sake; in the Void anything existing at all is unnatural.
Finally a believable human turned god! And he is epic!!!! Finally someone who uses his powers to just disconnect their souls... Perfect!
well that is what happens when you mess with the single man that has unlimited power yet is not corrupted by it
2721977 no not ulimited power just enough practice and control to do these thing without expanding all his power in one go. like learning to kill with a knife with only one stroke.
3148825 no, without drawing it.
"Ah yes, that one guy that allowed our entire existence to be. Let us attack him, I am sure it will go well."