Chapter 36 - Titan.
The dark space held the same stillness, the water at his ankles remained motionless, and the thick fog overhead did not disperse, while a source of white light shone high above, illuminating nothing in particular. Aren stood facing the colossal silhouette in the shadow, unmoving.
After a brief pause, he felt his heartbeat quicken ever so slightly, and then raised his gaze to the three glowing eyes.
"Who are you?"
The creature emitted a deep hum that rolled through the entire space.
"I have several names…Names given to me by those who lived long before the first kings of Waldruhm…"
Aren tensed slightly, not taking his gaze off it.
"My name is…Bjorg-Var…but the ancients also called us…titans."
Surprise showed on Aren's face for a moment.
"Us?…There are others?…"
"Yes. Back in the times when man had not yet reached the next stage of evolution…we ruled this world…The six titans."
Aren frowned slightly, holding what he had heard in his mind for several moments, then continued his questioning.
"Why did you wait for me?…why did you make William bring me here, at the cost of his own life?"
The titan held a pause to pose a counter-question.
"And why did YOU come here?"
Aren hesitated for a moment, standing in the dark water.
"To learn the truth…The truth about who I am and why I ended up here…to learn about my past!"
Suddenly Bjorg-Var stepped forward, emerging from the shadow and revealing his full form.
Four massive legs with cloven hooves bore the colossal body. The upper part of the torso and neck were covered with a thick dark mane. The lower part of the body, the flanks and the tail transitioned into dense dark scales of a grey-brown coloration. Along the spine ran a crest of bone plates, sharp and tightly fitted to one another. The tail, long and heavy, all covered in layered scaly plates, ended in a curved spike. From the skull grew two pairs of wide branching horns.
Suddenly the water beneath Aren's feet churned, and from the depths roots burst out, roughly seizing him and beginning to lift him high upward. Aren rose higher and higher, passing the five-hundred-meter mark, until at last he found himself right in front of Bjorg-Var's muzzle.
Bjorg-Var slowly exhaled straight into Aren's face, ruffling his hair.
"You already partially know the answer to your first question."
Aren frowned, not immediately grasping what was meant.
"What? In what sense?..."
"You have already asked this question twice, and twice received an answer."
Aren tensed, and instantly the words of the Seer and the last sound from Ursus surfaced in his memory. He had only opened his mouth to object, however Bjorg-Var continued at once.
"You, like every creature in this world, have your own purpose."
Aren froze, not reacting with a single movement to what he had just heard.
Bjorg-Var gave him only a second of silence, then continued.
"You came here to receive answers…and I brought you here to give you a direction for the search for those answers."
Aren spoke slowly and quietly, finding nothing apart from this single word.
"What…"
At once the roots sharply parted, releasing Aren, and he flew downward with a cry. However in the next moment he abruptly froze in the air, closing his eyes and crossing his forearms in front of himself. Slowly he opened his eyes, seeing that he hung without any support, after which he just as slowly straightened up, halting in space.
From below, from beneath the water, light began to seep, gradually intensifying and shimmering with different colors, until an enormous projection started to emerge from it. It was a map of the world of Prime in all its expanse, and at its edge towered the colossal silhouette of Bjorg-Var.
The titan lowered his head, gazing at the map, then spoke in a deep voice.
"Thousands of years ago, we, the titans, spread ourselves across all of Prime to establish a full energetic balance of the Unified Field, to give new life the chance to take root. Most of us, myself included, merged with this world, becoming one with it and distributing our energy across a designated part of Prime, thereby losing our physical shell, but retaining the astral one."
"Astral?"
"The place where you currently are is an outer realm, lying beyond the boundary of the Unified Field, but having a direct connection with it. Here, we exist as our consciousness, outside of time and magic."
Bjorg-Var's words made Aren reflect, awakening the memory of the final duel with Ursus in the guise of a warrior and of how, after the victory, he found himself again in the Great Forest.
"So…my last duel with Ursus…"
"Yes. You fought my guardian in the astral dimension, where both your souls joined for the final trial."
Aren slowly raised his head, looking warily at Bjorg-Var and drawing his brows together.
"Trials?…You mean…you're saying all of this…was a trial?…"
"Exactly. Although Ursus's original task was the protection of the Great Forest, after your appearance, he was given the order to find you, and to give himself as a sacrifice, through these trials."
Aren flared up sharply, in the next instant shouting words without stopping.
"WHAT THE FUCK?! WHO GAVE HIM THAT ORDER?! WHAT FUCKING TRIALS?!... SACRIFICE?!... THAT BEAST KILLED DOZENS OF GOOD WARRIORS!!…HE KILLED ELEN WITH A FUCKING SMIRK ON HIS FACE, AND YOU'RE TELLING ME HE GAVE HIMSELF AS A SACRIFICE?!...I DIED MORE THAN A HUNDRED TIMES WHILE HE SMEARED MY LIMBS ACROSS THE STONE FLOOR AND WATCHED ME SLOWLY DIE IN AGONY!"
Bjorg-Var delivered his answer with the same composure, changing neither position nor tone.
"If he hadn't done this…could you have attained the strength that allowed you to defeat him?…"
Aren cut himself off mid-word, opening his mouth as if to speak, however the words simply did not come.
"If you think life in this world will go easier on you, then you are gravely mistaken."
Bjorg-Var gave him no time to take this in, continuing at once.
"Soon you will understand that all the suffering you felt in the trials with Ursus was only a light warm-up before what truly awaits you ahead, and that is why Ursus did not hold back, in order to prepare you as well as possible."
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Aren asked with anger, making no effort to hide it in his voice.
"Prepare for what?"
"At last you have asked the right question."
The titan's gaze slowly shifted downward, to the huge projection of the map beneath them.
"You are to walk a long and distant path, crossing seas and continents, living among each people, studying their culture, their life, and absorbing their knowledge and power. At the same time, you need to find the rest of the titans, scattered across various corners of the world."
"Why…why do I have to deal with all of this?"
"Because each of the titans will reveal a certain part of the truth that you seek. With every victory over a titan, you will gain his power, and along with it the knowledge that will open up ever more truth for you. And they will also give you the direction in which you must continue."
Aren let out a short laugh with open irritation, looking at Bjorg-Var.
"What's the point of all this bullshit?…Why do I have to do all this just to find out about my past and about who I am?…"
Bjorg-Var held a long, tense pause, looking at Aren with seriousness and coldness.
"You do know that I too am a titan? Which means I can reveal a part of the truth to you right now."
Aren looked at him with surprise, after which all three of Bjorg-Var's eyes lit up, and his voice took on a resonant sound.
"Right now…Aren…I will reveal your entire past to you."
The tattoos and Aren's eyes lit up blue, and in his consciousness a flash flickered, instantly replaced by absolute darkness. It dissolved before he could comprehend what had happened, returning him to the dark space where Bjorg-Var still stood by the enormous projection of the map.
Aren asked quietly, shifting his gaze from the map to Bjorg-Var.
"And…what now?…"
"What did you see?"
"Nothing"
"Exactly."
Aren remained in confusion, trying to understand where Bjorg-Var was leading.
"The truth is, Aren…that you have no past."
Aren froze in place, unable to believe what he had just heard. Bjorg-Var continued without pause, giving Aren no time to come to terms with what he had heard.
"You are an absolutely blank slate. You never lived before the day you found yourself on the bank of the Golden Flow. You have never existed."
Aren's eyes widened as Bjorg-Var's words settled into his consciousness.
"The day Elara found you on the bank is the day of your birth, in this world."
Aren's hands began to tremble as the realization slowly reached him. He spoke quietly, his voice barely distinguishable in the surrounding silence.
"N…no…"
Bjorg-Var spoke what followed with the same calm finality.
"Whether you want it, or not…but such is your nature…your essence…and your fate. And this…"
Slowly Bjorg-Var's gaze shifted to the map, stretching beneath them in colorful radiance.
"…is your purpose."
Aren hung in the air, looking down with the horror of realization, while Bjorg-Var silently waited for his answer.
Aren spoke with difficulty, and his voice treacherously wavered.
"What for…what did I do to deserve all this…why me…why like this…"
Bjorg-Var held his question in silence, then answered.
"The answer to that question, you will not learn from me."
Aren slowly raised his head with eyes full of tears and pain.
"Then what's the point?…Once again I regretted…chasing after the truth…because once more I learned only what causes me pain…"
Aren clenched his fists, however his hands began to shake even harder, while hundreds of his own deaths rushed through his consciousness, Elen's death, Ursus's sinister smile, Selma's tears and the Seer's gaze. He stared into the void while tears slowly dripped down.
"I've had enough…I…am not going to dance to this tune any longer…I…will not…will not do what you call 'my purpose.'"
Bjorg-Var uttered one cold, calculated phrase in response.
"Even if everyone you love, in the end, dies in agony?"
Aren sharply inhaled, in deep shock raising his gaze to Bjorg-Var's eyes, then spoke in a trembling voice.
"What?…What are you talking about?…"
"Maybe right now for you this purpose…this path…seems meaningless…yet in truth there is a great aim behind it."
From the titan's body a sharp wave of expansive energy spread outward, piercing through the entire astral space and the projection of the map.
"This entire world…all things living and unliving…is permeated by a great energy, called the Unified Field. It is the very foundation of magic, of energy, and of life itself. And despite the fact that we, the titans, once established stability for the development of lower forms of life, including humans…humans nevertheless began to grow and develop on such a scale that this could not fail to leave its mark on the Unified Field. And beyond that, human selfishness, the thirst for more and for greatness, made them close their eyes to the fact that their own unchecked progress had begun to destabilize this field, which ultimately leads the whole world to inevitable destruction."
Aren listened attentively, sensing how all of this was taking on a new scale. Bjorg-Var's voice grew noticeably heavier as the Titan continued.
"Already now, anomalies are beginning to appear in the world…both biological and geological…people are becoming angrier, more powerful…greedier… Conflicts are heating up…wars are flaring up…cataclysms are happening…and all of this, sooner or later, will touch every one of those whom you love."
Aren's expression began to grow more serious and wary, while Bjorg-Var's voice dropped lower, taking on a new shade of weight.
"On top of this, in the depths of Prime…a great evil is beginning to emerge, the like of which this world has never yet seen…an evil that even the titans would not have been able to stop."
Bjorg-Var's three blue eyes did not leave Aren as the last words rang out.
"And that is why…Aren…you are here…"
"That is why you must walk this path. If you wish to save Elara…Leo…Mia…Bernard…and the rest."
Aren could not find the words, trying to digest in his mind all that he had just heard.
Bjorg-Var gave him a few moments, then continued.
"Here you have reached everything you were meant to reach, and now your goal lies beyond the edge of this land. In more dangerous places. And so, your trials are not the only thing you were meant to receive here."
The map vanished, and Bjorg-Var began to slowly approach Aren, while Aren remained frozen in place, after which the titan stopped, having reached the required distance.
"When you return to your body, you will no longer be a lost boy who does not know his own goal or past. You will return as a warrior who has a great purpose, and his own desires. The desire to save those close to him, and to learn the whole truth. And I…will give you the knowledge and strength that will help you at the start of your true path. Take this as a sign of your successful passage through the first trials, for you have proven that you are ready to set out on the real path."
"What kind of strength are we talking about?"
"You will understand it all yourself. You have already seen how your body is capable of quickly adapting and learning, and also of absorbing the power of the creatures you have killed. Only with Ursus…you received only a portion of his power, because you crossed into the burnout state."
Aren frowned in puzzlement, not fully grasping the meaning of the last words.
"What do you mean?"
Bjorg-Var cut off any further explanation, speaking briefly and with weight.
"You will find out for yourself. We have little time, and so, accept my gift, and hear my voice. Feel the power and move forward, for the sake of those close to you, and for the sake of your goal."
Aren froze, however, looking at the seriousness of the Titan's words, he took a deep breath and nodded with slight uncertainty.
Bjorg-Var answered the nod, speaking the final words slowly and solemnly.
"Good. I was glad of our meeting, oh great one. We place great hopes upon you, and we believe that you will not fail us. Farewell."
Bjorg-Var slowly brought his muzzle closer, touching Aren with his nose, and from that the tattoos on his body lit up, and light filled all the space.
Across the whole of the Great Tree the runes began to expand their glow, burning ever brighter with each moment. Around Aren energy began to gather, dense and alive, after which in a single instant it struck out as a wide white beam straight into the sky, splitting the clouds and spreading through the entire atmosphere. A powerful gust of wind passed through the forest, from which Bernard was thrown back several dozen meters and struck against a root.
In Aren's consciousness Bjorg-Var's voice abruptly surfaced, penetrating his thoughts with a flow of knowledge.
Meanwhile, as the beam struck into the sky, those most sensitive to the field's energy felt it across all of Prime.
Somewhere in distant lands a girl with long white hair slowly opened her black eyes, sensing a change in the far distance.
Far in the east another girl turned around, sensing something far away to the south-west. Her dark hair was gathered up and adorned with white petals on hanging pendants, and her body was wrapped in traditional eastern garments.
In another land a man with long golden hair, having folded his palms in prayer, slightly raised his head, however he did not open his eyes. White flowing robes with golden embroidery fell from his shoulders, and his forearms were covered with dark metal vambraces.
In the north, at the instrument panels, the readings destabilized, and the operators in the dark military uniforms of Aisengard fell into panic. Behind their backs, on a raised platform, stood a dark figure with arms crossed on its chest, and from that silhouette two cold grey eyes shone, watching what was happening.
In another land a man with long black hair, sitting on an ornate throne with scarlet velvet, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. His red eyes remained motionless, and dark garments with cruciform metal adornments fell from his shoulders.
The beam slowly dissolved, and Bernard, taking his hand away from his face, saw Aren standing before the Tree as the light from his tattoos slowly faded.
Aren turned around with a face that expressed full awareness and firm resolve.