The Imperial Astrologer did not need another falling star to warn him that more misfortune would rain down upon the Han Empire. Ever since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, it appeared that Heaven had turned its back on the Han Dynasty. The untimely death of Emperor Ling, the murder of He Jin, not to mention the unending brigands, droughts, and famines plaguing the land. Dong Zhuo's impudent regency was only the latest indignity suffered.
Were it not for Immortal He's presence, most would rightfully assume the Han have lost the Mandate of Heaven, the Astrologer thought to himself as he compared the heavens above him to the scrolls in front of him, cross referencing notes and symbols to determine who was cursed by such an ominous celestial sign. With the experience of decades, the respected elder pieced together a name.
Hua Xiong.
The Astrologer's head snapped toward the east. In that direction, not far from the Imperial capital, Dong Zhuo faced the Guangdong Coalition, an alliance of Han governors, generals, and ministers. To the dynasty’s shame, this “rebellion” might be the child-emperor's best hope in overthrowing the increasingly-cruel Dong Zhuo. Twitching, he scanned the balcony around him. When did I become afraid of my own thoughts?
He returned to his work as he marked down the prediction. As he wrote the characters, he couldn't stop a surge of hope gushing out of his heart. If Hua Xiong falls, does that mean the Guangdong Coalition will prevail? Even over Lü Bu? That last threat nearly extinguished his hope. Dong Zhuo's adopted son was the greatest warrior of the world. It would take an army of heroes to best him or a celestial being of great power. With a defeated sigh, he returned his gaze toward the skies.
And dropped his pen with a startled gasp.
Before his very eyes, Ying Huo, the Red Planet, was falling from the heavens! His jaw hung limply as he watched Ying Huo streaked toward the northwest, toward the Liang province. His eyes tracked it for as long as he could before it disappeared into the horizon. Still, his gaze lingered where he last saw it, until he remembered to breathe. “A dragon!” He howled into the dying night. “The dragon of war has fallen to Earth! This is a terrible sign!”
—
Mars didn't get even a second to regain his bearings before he started falling. His limbs windmilled as he sought a hold, safety, anything! His mind only barely recognized the incoming dawn as his head whirled back and forth, looking for something familiar through the disorienting combo of bright spears of light above the concealing shadows of night. He barely glimpsed the rapidly ascending ground. He screamed as he threw a fist downward with the image of a head of fire on its back. A tongue of fire shot out of his fist.
Too little, too late.
Earth and grass hopped as the scream cut short by a loud crash. The pre-dawn silence had a moment to usher in a little tranquility. Quickly broken by a hard wheeze out of the ground's new crater. He lifted his head, coughed out some dirt he almost swallowed, before glaring upward. “Really!? You dropped me from a hundred meters in the air?!”
Translation successful.
“Like Hell, it was!”
The disembodied voice did not reply.
Growling, a young man with steel-gray eyes pushed himself up into a kneeling position, using a war-scythe to help him up. His other hand cleared the dirt off of his pale face before doing the same to his midnight yet short hair. A scar cut lengthwise through his left eye. When his hand traveled below his neck, he stopped in surprise. Looking down at himself, he saw he wore a set of crimson and black robes, capped off with two black, heavy boots. “What? You changed my outfit?”
Translation side effect observed.
Mars stared suspiciously at the sky. “...what other side effects are there?”
In response, an ethereal feeling began to build in the back of his head. It was the sign that the Contract was activating. The Contract, a bargain made between Mars and the Ancient-of-Days, a being of immense power, had granted Mars the ability to fight and kill gods. The price? His free will. Outsourced, no less, to denizens of a different reality who watched and issued Commands for Mars to complete during the battle. It was intended to be a temporary state of being, completed once Mars had slain his enemies. Instead, the battle had gone poorly, forcing Mars to amend the Contract to be permanent. The one consolation was that he retained his free will… mostly. He had been warned that the Contract would follow him to this reality.
Not unexpected at all. But for the Contract to activate at this very second? It triggered scorn. “What!? No! You can't avoid the question by starting-!”
"Good luck, from Bond.”
“Aaaand Bond did come along,” he moaned. “Thank you, I suppose.” He began a mental clock as he stood up. The Contract that bound his soul to these beings from a different dimension, the Cosigners, enabled those same beings to periodically send him messages. Not in their original voices, but in a unisex, toneless voice. As far as he could tell, these Cosigners were human… or, at least, human-looking. He’d seen two projections of them, but he had no proof that they weren’t altered in any way.
He did know that he would have a minute between messages though. He scanned the area around him. He had landed on a mountain, apparently. He stood on a small plateau amid the rising rock. Orienting on the rising Sun, the south and the southwest were occupied by a desert, though he could see a few distant oases.
As the Sun broke the horizon, it provided a beautiful, peaceful image of nature.
Until he realized something.
“Wait, where's Silver?”
Translation side effect observed.
“Another one!?”
“For clarity sake, I (the Goatherd) am a single being a little ways removed from Yip (though we are quite similar in notable ways); I have taken to gender neutral terms, which seems to have caused some confusion that I apologize for (I will bring the matter up with Yip, so hang tight; from, the Goatherd).”
“Gender what?” Mars puzzled over that confusion for a moment before setting it aside. He had higher priorities. Where am I?
As impressive as the mountains looked, there wasn't anything he noticed to distinguish them from the mountain range of R-
Translation side effect observed.
His head twitched as his mind hiccupped. “What?” He tried to think of R-. Another twitch, another failure. Panicking, he flew through a set of familiar names. R-, V-, M-, V-, A-!? Each time, his mind choked on the thought. He jerked his head up. “SIM! You said I would have my memories this time!”
Translation side effect observed.
That brought Mars’ indignation short. “Sim? Respond.”
Avatar incapacitated.
“And this is supposed to be a ‘successful translation’!?” He looked around, coming to grips with the fact he was alone. His mission partner was MIA, and so was the man who counted as mission control. All with his memories missing. Again!
After a few seconds, he realized the memories weren't truly gone. He could picture the people, the locations of the Last World. The names, though, it was like they were blotted out in his own mind. He hadn't forgotten them either. They were at the tip of his tongue.
"Try not to perish too soon (for the sake of yourself and those you care for; from the Goatherd)."
The unisex voice was back to announcing messages. That's the second one from Yip. Simpler. “Contract. I can still return, right? That's not another side effect?”
Opportunity remains active.
Mars took a deep breath. “Alright. Contract, can you also tell me where I landed?”
Information unavailable spoke the toneless voice.
“Of course it is.” With a sigh, he returned to his biggest problem: he had no idea where he was. He had been told he was here to save millions of lives. Scanning the area, he couldn't count a single soul besides himself. Plenty of evidence of wildlife though. He could hear birds in the early morning, spotted several nearby lizards, and his little platform was pockmarked with feet. A lot of animals. Sizable ones, as he focused on several, human-sized talons. He frowned, taking a slower look around. He had a clear view of the desert, but he counted off a half-dozen blind spots around the mountain. Several of them close to his position. Keeping one eye out, he glanced skyward, picturing himself flying higher for a better vantage point, before turning his gaze to his weapon. He would never part with it, but there wasn't an easy way to take off with it. I either need to leave it here while I get airborne or jump off something high.
Neither option was appealing.
So, you still remember the Ten Commandments? (Is that unconscious on your part, or can you relay them in order? From Merovée Charles Louis Pépin, Th.D.)
Merry’s back, Mars noted to himself. And the theological lessons don’t stop. He paused to think about Merry’s question. There was a tingling sensation at the back of his mind when he thought about these ‘Ten Commandments’, but no more than that. “I feel like I used to know them,” he answered, knowing that Merry would receive his message. He knew the Cosigners could hear his voice and his thoughts during these sessions. He wouldn’t be able to talk aloud, given how insane he’d look to everyone else, but speaking aloud helped break the isolation.
Even if he did look a little crazy.
He sighed and returned to his current dilemma: his unknown location. He knew he was in an older time, however he wished he could use a S-... a mobile device to look up his location. But he had lost that in the caves of the Last World and hadn’t gotten the chance to buy a new one. C- … she had just given me a new outfit too, he groused as he patted at his new robes. His cloak had survived the journey, but not the rest of his new outfit. Not that it’s uncomfortable, he thought to himself as patted himself down.
The extra-large sleeves were a hassle, while the pants fit well. There was a large belt around his waist to keep the outfit together, and the style was odd to him. It reminded him of M- …of the eastern nation of the Last World. He paused when his hand felt something different toward the back of his hip.
He pulled out an actual scroll.
Translation side effect observed.
I've never liked how folks throw around the words 'god' or 'goddess' speaking of someone who is only mighty in but one way; the likes of M- and Wizards may well be mighty, but there is only one Almighty—and thus, it is written:
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
"I am Being, and there is no other; besides Me, there is no God.
(I am Being, and there is no other; the One making light and readying darkness, making frith and readying woe, from Merovée Charles Louis Pépin, Th.D.)
“Theological lesson number two of this world,” Mars counted off as he undid the twine holding the scroll closed. He unfolded it to see a map. Few topographical features, mostly political. The map was centered on a city called ‘Luoyang’, just south of a river. It was impossible for him to gauge scale without some kind of key. Around this city was a nation, called the ‘Han Empire’. Within it were… counties? States? Provinces? Kingdoms? Well, whatever these sub-units were, there were over a dozen of them. Each one was labeled with a name, like Sili, Xu, Jing, and Liang. It was only when he was scanning the borders of north-western unit did he notice a red dot aways from the border, titled ‘You’.
“I was teleported outside the country I'm supposed to save! Why!?”
I know the other language that Yip uses is German, and I believe Merry switches around multiple languages. From HT.)
“That's another Cosigner confirmed. Thanks, HT. I have never heard of German before, but now I know what Yip is up to. While Merry… is Merry.”
Duty done, he went back to studying the map. Since he couldn't judge the size of anything, he couldn't calculate how long it would take him to reach the borders. Well, flying should make it easy. Worst case scenario, I can teleport the distance.
As he finished his study, he saw something across the top of the scroll. Designated Local Name: Tian Long; Sentinel name: Ying Huo.
…
“You couldn't have left an explanation for what a Sentinel is? And why do I need a new name? Let alone two names?” He stared at them, toying with refusal. After a long moment, he sighed. The scroll contains only helpful information, I shouldn't disregard what it says.
“Tian Long,” he read aloud, sampling the name. “Ying Huo.”
You seem to have gotten a budget avatar that doesn't know common languages despite having the Ancient One's blessing; you should ask the Ancient One for a refund and an Avatar that doesn't confuse Portuguese for Spanish. (From HT.)
“Are you going to just take that, Sim?”
Only the soft wind replied.
Tian sighed. “I don't even have a budget Avatar,” he grumbled. “Also, how many languages does your dimension have? Standard, Jerman, Porchagese, Spanish. That's more than what the Last World had.”
It would be some time before he'd get a response from HT. How long, he didn't know. He knew there was some kind of time difference between dimensions, but he wasn't sure how big of a change it was. I'll check in an hour. For now, it's time to start this mission proper. I need to figure out what being is threatening to destroy Han, find Silver, kill this ancient evil, and get back to the Last World.
He took one last look at the map, focusing on Luoyang. The star probably indicated it was the imperial capital. If Silver has a similar map, it's a good bet he'll aim for the same locations. It's centralized, gives us a chance to warn the emperor, gather support, and do research.
Since I've made so many messages, have a free suggestion: take a deep breath. (From Henry.)
Tian paused. This was the first real Suggestion of this reality, While these messages could just be messages, a true Suggestion was more. It would briefly fill him with the urge to complete whatever objective or desire that Cosigner wanted. He could choose to embrace it or fight it. If he fulfilled it, the Contract granted him a small yet permanent boost to his abilities.
Henry was the exception. He had declared that none of his Suggestions would ever compel Tian to do his bidding. Did that still hold true?
He counted off to ten… and relaxed. He happily took a deep breath. The Contract awarded him a mote of power. “Thank you, Henry. I better check to make sure that hasn't changed. Contract, power rating?”
197%.
No change, he noted with a pleased nod. Still on the cusp of doubling. I should check Vitalis too.
He reached out with a hand. On the back of it was a crimson cross, blurring the distinction between tattoo and birthmark. He drew a cross in the air. His pale skin took on a crimson hue. A leftover from his brief time as a godlike being. Thanks to the Cosigners, he continued on with a fraction of that false divinity.
Open the Ledger.
A translucent screen only he could see manifested in front of him. Names and numbers appeared over it.
Crimson/Mars - 1,075,261
???
???
???
???
???
???
???
???
???
???
Translation side effect observed.
He stared at the brief information for a long moment. His breathing increased as veins popped. His grip on the war-scythe tightened until it was shaking.
…
“What. The! HELL!?”
I don't believe that the Bonds can reach a level of power that they would consider godly; at most that of a demi-god practically is the limit I imagine. (From Henry.)
“NO!” Tian looked to the horizon, toward the sky, and then back at the offending question marks. “HOW!? The Bonders, R-, Y-,” he cut himself with a growl. “HOW!? They’re all back on the Last World! How can-” He thought back to Bond, how he was the first one to deliver a message. “Bond! You son of a b-, grr, side effects,” he hissed. “How random are they, really?! And Sim is conveniently incapacitated and unable to explain this!”
He took a few deep breaths… then attempted to reach out for something he had no reason to believe that existed in this universe. The Bonder System was another holdover from his divine battle. Bond the Cosigner had taken advantage of the Contract and Commanded Mars to bind his soul to eight women. That had caused no small headache for Tian. The soul bonds shared intense emotions between the connections without an off switch and sharing the power of Vitalis. It had led to… drama. Deploying to this reality should have offered a break from that messy complication. With those hopes currently bleeding out on the ground, he checked on those connections.
Each bond came in two stages: active and inactive. Inactive bonds still offered knowledge of a Bonder's current mood without any of the emotional transference. He concentrated and…
Nothing.
Translation side effect observed.
Mars, my identity has split into two different entities: Henry and HT due to my difference in behavior and attitude in your universe and the other universe we've been talking about. From Henry.)
“What?” He tried to wrap his mind around that. And couldn't help but slide toward the stranger. “You Cosigners are human, right? Because between this and the gender neutral thing, I'm starting to have my doubts.”
A thought struck him as his head snapped back to the Ledger. Identities. Maybe he was looking at it wrong. Maybe Bond hadn't been up to his matchmaking ways. What if the bonds have reconnected with the Bonders’ doppelgangers of this dimension?
He… had no idea how to feel about that.
Not to mention the snag. Eight bonds, but ten unknown names. A bond isn't the only way to get added to the Network, but I haven't done anything like that here. One of those names could be Silver’s, or whatever his new name is. But who's number ten?
He stared at the last slot, but no answer was forthcoming. Nor did it solve his other quandary. What do I do if I run into these doppelgangers? The bonds are here, but different. Just how different, I can't figure out without finding one of them… which I don't want to do…
Well, The faster I finish this mission, the better my odds are for dodging it.
I, Henry, am more benevolent and kind, hoping to be a genuine friend of sorts to you, while my other counterpart, HT, is power-hungry and less moral than me.
“I'm so confused. Is this pretend? Split personalities? Or did you literally split yourself into two entities?”
Reply made, he focused on the Vitalis Network. Thankfully, I didn't lose anything here. Enough Vitalis for one resurrection with some to spare. Should I teleport straight to Luoyang? The sooner I get where I need to go, the sooner I'm done. But I have no income, and the only way I can get more is to start a cult in my name. I really don't want to do that. A million should be enough… probably.
…
Damn it Sim! You couldn't give me some better intel than “an ancient evil”?
You shouldn't hear much from HT since he is more involved in the other universe, but do not trust him at all if he talks to you. (From Henry.)
“Wait, but unless he explicitly mentions his name, how can I tell it's him talking?” An uncomfortable thought tapped on his mental shoulder. “...how do I know this is you, Henry, and not HT? What if HT is pretending to be you right now? You all sound exactly the same to me, and I can't see you.”
A disturbing thought slapped his mind. “Wait, what proof do I have that you're the good one, Henry? What if you're the evil one, lying about the good HT? How am I supposed to figure any of this out?”
A chill wind blew across the mountainside.
Technically, the Cosigners couldn't hurt him… not directly. They could try to push him to hurt himself, lead him astray, or try to break his mind with words.
…and he was broadcasting all of these thoughts, wasn't he?
That fucking Avatar ruined my plans even further! (From HT.)
“...oh. This new HT isn't going to try to fool me? That simplifies things. …unless Henry is the evil one? HT might swear more, but that doesn't necessarily mean more evil. Definitely angrier.” He repeated the message in his head. “Hold on, so, theoretically, I can't trust anything HT says. Does that mean the Avatar didn't ruin his plans? I can't ask the Avatar to confirm any of this, so which part is the lie?”
He sighed as he felt a headache coming on. He had always hated espionage. Making it multiversal was just adding salt to the wound.
“Well, whatever. I've got Vitalis, bonds, upgrades, pyrokinesis. What else? I landed hard without injury, so A-... I have some kind of shielding. What about my… myyyyyy unique ability?”
He turned around and aimed for the edge of the natural platform. His mind grasped for the ability… only to feel nothingness.
Translation side effect observed.
“There's a lot of those so far,” he grumbled.
You both better resolve this quickly and kill Threda. (From HT.)
He blinked. “Who? That name sounds… A little familiar. I feel like I heard it recently. Oh wait, isn't that whoever Silver and R- …and my doppelganger are trying to beat?” Thinking about his alternate self helped find the right memories. As big of a moment it was to meet another version of himself, it had been buried by his arrival here. “Except if she's fighting Threda, doesn't that mean Threda is the evil one? So evil HT is advocating for the death of a villain. Is HT really evil? Or just has misplaced priorities? Or maybe Henry is the real evil one.”
He considered it for a long moment before shaking his head. He wasn't happy with everything Henry did (especially with how ham-fisted he did things), but Henry was ultimately a good guy… alien, thing.
Back on mission, I don't have anything else to check. Well, supernatural-wise. He gave himself a pat down to see if anything else had physically changed. That came up negative.
I think that completes my self-check. Session isn’t over though. I can wait here, or I could start traveling.
He oriented himself toward Luoyang as best as he could tell.
Please ignore my counterpart, he is distraught of his plans being ruined even further. (From Henry.)
“...is that a Suggestion?” It was a simple one, so he did his best to obey it. He did his best to not think about HT… which worked against itself. His gray eyes flicked down to the open screen of the Ledger and quickly occupied him with the earlier debate.
He didn't need Silver to complete this mission. Or maybe he could spend a little Vitalis to find him? Scrying was cheap. If he located-
The Contract granted him another percentage.
“Ah, thanks Henry for another easy one.” He considered something. “Contract, how many of the previous, unfulfilled Suggestions have survived translation?”
None.
“None?” On the one hand that simplified things. On the other hand, that's at least 20 upgrades gone. Oh well. Might as well enjoy the clean slate.
I'm surprised at this unlikely team up of you two; I recommend sharing stories of how things went in your dimensions;, could be useful for if and when you return to them. From Henry.)
“Will do as soon as I find him.” Tian took one last look at the Ledger before closing it. Since I can't replenish Vitalis without a cult, I'll just treat it like an emergency reserve.
He signed a cross, reverting his skin color back to normal and sealing the power from use. He waited a minute and nodded his satisfaction. The session was over. It was time to begin.
He stepped off.
And stopped when he heard several guttural howls behind him.
