Book 6, chapter 11
The earth shook, the winds howled, and the sky was ripped asunder as a ritual diagram of unimaginable scale and complexity filled the sky.
The nine guardians of Aari Doth rose into the sky, shooting up towards the unknown attacker. Before they even made it halfway, the supreme champions of the Heaven Fall empire were ripped apart in massive explosions that rocked the city below.
Surrounded by his guard, God emperor Cerious Bon Drixus stared up at the sky. A frown tugged at lips as he watched his expensive creations be destroyed like they were mere toys.
No one had dared humiliate him like this in millennia. He didn't know who this was, nor why they were attacking, but they would soon regret their actions.
With a thought, he poured energy into an onyx gem inset in his crown. The city trembled, and nine ancient pillars rose into the sky, towering above the city. Wrapped in an ominous black haze, the pillars looked like the claws of an ancient monstrosity.
Each pillar radiated an immense aura of antiquity, drowning the world in the heavenly law of the first emperor. Curious smiled as he felt space restricting. With this imperial domain in place, there would be no escape.
"You might as well come out! There is no escape!" Cerious shouted.
His guard gasped as an old man appeared not twenty feet away, right on the imperial grounds.
Cerious raised a bejeweled hand to halt his guards from attacking. Glaring at the intruder, his guards surrounded him with weapons drawn. Much to everyone's surprise, it was an ancient-looking human who had appeared.
The old man had his gray hair tied in cue, and carried no weapon. His wispy gray beard was in need of a shave, and his drab black robes were covered in wrinkles.
He could have been mistaken for just some random old man if not for the fact Cerious couldn't sense him at all. That was troubling. Cerious was a middle-stage Boundless rank cultivator. Eluding his senses was no easy feat.
Even while using the pillars of anguish and its restrictive domain, It was like the old man wasn't even there. The old man gave Cerious a casual once over, completely ignoring his guard.
"You do not hold the blood of the tyrant," the old man said casually. His voice was raspy, though completely calm without a trace of fear.
Cerious raised a manicured eyebrow, surprised at the words.
"Of course not. My great grandfather wiped out anyone with the blood of the scourge eons ago. No one who is even faintly related to the butcher remains," Cerious said.
The old man nodded to himself, his expression unreadable.
"None of them were my direct descendants, nor did they possess any talent, so it's no big loss. In fact, you may have done me a favor," the old man said.
"Descendants? What are you on about, old man?" Cerious asked.
As they talked, his imperial guard moved to surround the intruder, who didn't seem to care.
Still only looking at Cerious, the old man shrugged.
"I suppose you are too young to recognize my face. My name is Tarnival Al Teneru and I am here to take back what is mine," the old man said.
It was just a name like any other, and yet it struck fear in the emperor's heart. Of course he recognized that name. Tarnival was the founding emperor and thought by most to be the greatest ritualist to have ever lived.
He was a cultivator shrouded in infamy. He was a butcher, a scourge on the universe, having killed trillions, and wiping out entire empires in his bid for power.
Cerious took a reflexive step back. "Why are you using that name?" Cerious asked. His eyes flicked back to the old man's face, his mind racing.
There was no way, right? Tarnival had been gone for over a hundred thousand years. He had been killed by the combined efforts of the Ashary high council, and the top powerhouses of the Kul a Var protectorate.
Cerious hesitated, his disbelief warring with recognition. Now that he thought about it, didn't this old man look just like the statue in the vaults? But that was eons ago.
Tarnival was already ancient when he was betrayed by his two biggest allies, and yet this old man was a spitting image of that statue. The resemblance was uncanny. Perhaps this was a descendant of his?
"There is no way you are the real Tarnival. He has been dead for a very long time," Cerious said, some of his earlier confidence returning. That's right, there was no way this was the real Tarnival.
This had to be a hoax, a trick. This old man was trying to use the name of the butcher to rob him blind.
The old man cocked his head. "Not dead. I was just in seclusion for a short time," Tarnival said.
Cerious had doubts, but why couldn't he shake that feeling. It felt as though a sword was pressed up against his neck, even though the old man carried no weapons.
His instincts warned him that this old man was far more than he seemed. After all, he had broken through the planet's protections without any effort, appearing inside the palace grounds.
That enormous ritual still lingering high in the sky also gave him pause. It was an exquisitely formed ritual diagram, and just looking at it made his heart race. Licking his suddenly dry lips, Cerious cleared his throat.
"Let's say I actually believe you are who you say you are. What is it you want?" The emperor asked, his tone magnanimous. That's right, no one could say he didn't at least listen to this Charleton before killing them.
His guards glanced over at him with surprise. They couldn't believe their god emperor was actually talking with this plain old man. He ignored their fervent glances as the old man spoke.
"As much as I despise people, I do need my throne and armies back. Plenty of people I need to kill, and having the nexus and an army would go a long way. I don't suppose you would be willing to hand them over?" Tarnival asked.
It was a ridiculous request. "Do you want my crown and my scepter, too? Maybe my daughters as-well," Cerious asked, with a mocking laugh.
Tarnival waved a dismissive hand.
"I have no need for your shiny baubles, nor your daughters. All I want is to reconnect with the Nexus, and reclaim my throne. If you bend the knee and serve me, not much will change for you. You can govern the empire while i wage my war," Tarnival said.
Cerious broke out in a laugh, though his tone was decidedly more ominous.
"That is ridiculous. Only one person can be connected to the Nexus at a time. Do you expect me to bend the knee and bow my head? You are a fool. No sane person would just give away the empire's most valuable treasures to an old man just because he is claiming to be a long dead tyrant," Cerious said. His amusement had long since faded, and anger at this old man's audacity was all that was left.
Tarnival sighed..
"What a bother. I guess it was inevitable. If you do not give it up willingly, then I will resort to more drastic measures," Tarnival said.
The not-so-veiled threat made anger burn in his chest. That anger pushed away his lingering uncertainty.
How dare this arrogant old man Waltz into his palace and make such demands! Cerious was a God Emperor, supreme ruler of the Heaven Fall empire and this was his seat of power. And like all things, the rumors surrounding Tarnival were doubtlessly exaggerated.
Cerious's aura surged, and a wicked-looking battle ax appeared in his hands. The entire city trembled, the ground groaning as he pushed off the ground, shooting forward.
His guards didn't have time to so much as blink before he shot forward, his ax dissenting to cleave the old man's head from his shoulders. Tarnival let out an annoyed sigh.
There was a low humming sound, and the so-called God emperor froze mid-swing. Much to his surprise, so did the imperial guard, as ominous bands of energy snaked around their bodies.
They struggled with all their might, but the bands of power bound them, not budging at all. Cerious's blood ran cold.
"No! What have you done?" Cerious shouted, straining to push his ax forward.
The old man gave him a pitying look.
"Did you honestly think you could use the pillars of anguish against me? They are my creation and even possess a wisp of my heavenly law. You stuck up brats never think things through," Tarnival said.
Cerious frantically sent one pulse of mental energy after another to the relic atop his head, but was rejected each time. The pillars of anguish refused to listen to his commands. How was this possible, he held the command key.
His earlier rage turned to fear, then to dawning realization. No one should be able to seize control of the pillars of anguish unless they were its creator.
Uncaring about the god emperor's inner turmoil, the old man flicked his wrist. A cloud of books shot out from inside his robes, each flying towards one of his guards.
The god emperor's confusion turned to horror as the first book touched one of his guards. She screamed as her body was ripped apart, turned to a cloud of ash, her very soul being dragged into the book.
One after another, his guards were consumed, their bodies and souls devoured by those books. Bound by the heavenly law of the pillars of anguish, they couldn't do anything.
All the while, the old man watched on with cold detachment. Those unfeeling eyes. They were not that of a human, but of an unfeeling monster whose hands were soaked in oceans of blood.
The emperor's eyes widened as one of those terrifying books flew right towards him.
"Wait!" He shouted, panic in his voice.
"What is it?" Tarnival asked, the book pausing a few feet away.
"Please, don't kill me. I will serve you," Cerious begged.
The old man's expression didn't change at all, but there was steel in his eyes.
"I am a man of my word. You rejected my first offer, even attacked me. I have made the mistake of leaving enemies at my back once before and will not do so again. This is your own fault. Now we do things the hard way," Tarnival said.
Tarnival watched with cold detachment as the former god emperor was turned to Ash. It was for the best. Having two rulers would complicate things.
As for what to do with that man's fifty wives, and hundreds of offspring, that was a headache for later. At least the former god emperor has not been completely useless when it came to managing the empire. He snorted. It took alot of hubris to name oneself a god emperor.
That brat hadn't even been able to break free from the restrictive domain of the pillars of anguish. Too much time indulging himself in the pleasures of life, and not enough time on training.
Tarnival sighed, turning to look over the sprawling palace.
This was much too gaudy for his liking. Off to one side, he saw movement. It was a courtier of the impeir high court.
"Hey, you, come here," Tarnival said.
"M, m, me?" the terrified woman asked.
"Yes you, come here," Tarnival said.
Looking like a lizard being dragged to the chopping block, she walked over, her legs shaking under her robes.
"What's your name, and station?" Tarnival asked.
"Lorsalla, an advisor to the emperor, and member of the council, my lord," she said with a trembling bow.
Tarnival hated all the bowing and scraping, but he would have to endure it.
"I'm retaking the throne. Do you have a problem with that?" Tarnival asked.
She glanced over the spot where the old emperor had been turned to a cloud of ash.
"No, your eminence. I will serve you," she said, falling to her knees and slamming her head on the cobbles so hard it made a crater in the stone.
"Your fealty is accepted. Come on, Lorsalla, let us get the council together. I wish to inform them of the change in leadership," Tarnival said.
Nearly an hour later, twenty members of the council were gathered in a large chamber.
Reclining casually on the emperor's throne, Tarnival watched them take their seats with a blank face.
"Is this all of them?" Tarnival asked.
Lorsalla, who stood next to the throne, shook her head.
"No, at least ten have ignored your order," Lorsalla replied, nervously glancing around the room at the concerned faces of the other councilors.
"We will hunt them down later," Tarnival said. He tapped the butt of a scepter on the floor, creating a loud ringing sound.
The room went deathly silent as twenty pairs of eyes locked on him.
"Thank you for coming. Now that you are all here, you have a choice to make. Swear fealty, or die," Tarnival said coldly.
One of the councilors, who had brought four of their guards, sniffed in disdain at the words. They clearly hadn't been around when he killed the emperor and the imperial guard.
"This is ridiculous! Why are you all just standing there? It's just some old man," the counselor said.
Bands of ominous black power wrapped around the councilor and his guards.
Several books fluttered over, and there was screaming as they were all turned into a cloud of ash. The others watched on with wide-eyed horror, none daring to speak after the example.
Once the screaming had abated, Tarnival stood, eying each of the councilors with a stony gaze.
"I am Tarnival Al Teneru and this is my empire. You will swear fealty, and serve me to the best of your ability, or your souls will become fuel to power my rituals," Tarnival said.
There was no room for negotiation, it was a straight-up demand. After his earlier display, no one was willing to openly defy him. At least not right now. They were all terrified and would pay lip service to save their hides. Betrayal might come later, but he would deal with that when it came.
Using brutality and force to get his way wasn't his preferred method, but word of his reappearance would travel fast. It wouldn't be long before his enemies came knocking at his doors, and the Heaven Fall empire would need to be ready.
It wouldn't be long before the Kul A Var Protectorate, and the Ashary High Council would come for him. They would descend on his empire like a storm, but this time, he would be waiting. Tarnival wasn't the same person who they betrayed all those eons ago. He had grown stronger, and wiser. And this time, they didn't have Raina to hold over his head.
His beloved daughter was in the hands of a cheeky brat who was far away from the upcoming conflict. He could go all out without fear of hurting those he loved.
The thought made a mournful smile tug at his lips. He clenched his fists, the gold armrests of the throne crumbling. Those bastards in the Ashary high council and the protectorate would pay for stripping Raina of her essence. Stuffing her inside that book had been a last-ditch effort to help preserve her fading soul.
Deep regret clawed at him. Poor little Raina, forced to endure millennia of slumber alone inside the dream. Even after eons of searching and study, he couldn't reverse what had been done. Despite his efforts, Raina was dying, her soul spark fading.
It was kind of funny. Who would have thought that a solution would phase through his door disturbing his studies? At first, he had been annoyed, but her unique situation was an opportunity. Tarnival still wasn't sure how that brat was still alive after years of being bonded with an Ashary.
That brat was incredibly weak, and yet, the strange talent that allowed her to form a symbiotic relationship with an Ashary was his last hope to save Raina. It was a small hope, but it pushed him forward. Time to make everyone who had betrayed him pay.