Chương 561: BECMI Chapter 560 – Breaking Down Immortals

He was impossible to miss from my perspective, both for his Immortal Power and subtly flaunting his Immortal Aura at a higher perception inside the Birch Pyramid's Domain. Oroyasam, the Immortal of Peace. I didn't race over to confront him, because that was silly and would broadcast too much. I wondered if he knew that he also wasn't here alone. Probably not. I could only smile at the irony of it.

There was precious little to see of advanced technology at the top of the Birch Pyramid and the Altar at its peak, there to both greet the new day and to broadcast a single low-level Divine spell throughout the Pyramid's entire Domain. The default was to Resist Disease, which gave me an extremely healthy population who enjoyed not having sniffles and sneezes or catching far more serious ailments. Since it also applied to the plant life, it made the lands and animals prosperous, too.

I made sure he saw me coming, sweeping up the stairs to the top of the forty-tier Pyramid with a power glide, Duum riding on my shoulder as normal. He looked like a tall and paternal Delphan elder, white of hair and beard, dressed comfortably and professionally, stylish and wealthy without over-impressing anyone. He was the Nexial Council's most-used diplomat, sincerely wanting peace for all sides, regardless of how repressed or controlled the parties had to become for that to happen.

"Lady Edge," he bowed deeply and formally to me. Which he should, because I was older than he was now.

"We have never met in person before, although you were caught up in one of my attempts at mediation once. I am Oroyosam, called by many the Immortal of Peace," he smiled warmly at me.

"I am aware of who you are, as you spied on me recently with the Spider." He blinked in astonishment.

"Will you introduce your associate to me?" I inquired smoothly. He blinked again, looking around now in bewilderment.

"I was sent alone, and required no aid for my task-?" he asked, more wary than confused, as obviously I had sensed something he could not.

"Either appear or go away, Thief of Destiny. I am not here to play games with you," I stated with sneering contempt, turning my eyes to the left and down the Pyramid. The Stillflight Field default meant even Immortals couldn't fly here, even in incorporeal form, and had to drift along a solid surface. Oroyosam followed my gaze, his face first hardening, and then relaxing into a sigh.

"Doubtless hoping to sabotage our talks, or learn some secrets others do not," he shrugged fatalistically.

"Her greatest enemy has always been honest discourse."

"So has yours, old fool!" came the sneering as the Immortal Mizanotha materialized. The Thief of Destiny was infamous for her normal Immortal activities, which originally had involved thwarting numerous Delphan Aspirants by stealing the Artifacts from them that they had needed to pass their Immortal tests. It was the same game she played today, only adding assassination and subversion to broaden the skills of her tools through use.

Since she had become an Immortal, she had probably thwarted more mortals rising to Immortality than any other, an impressive accomplishment in its own way. She appeared as a lithe, darkly beautiful Delphan, with blue-black hair, dark eyes, and very pale skin, able to take the Goth doll look and run with it if she so desired. Alas, she still preferred a dark variation on standard Delphan ornate robed attire.

"She has no business at an open meeting like this," Oroyosam scoffed at her, glancing at me.

"Shall I send her off? A word to her Hierarch will see her retreating, as she is not meant to be here in the first place."

"Oh, she is, but not for the reason she thinks she is. She has good instincts, but not good information." Mizanotha walked up the steps so gracefully it was more like gliding, a stunt I could pull off, too, and so it didn't impress me.

"Oh, you are a feisty one, little elf," she purred suggestively, looking me up and down.

"I imagine we could have a great deal of fun together!" she smiled openly.

"You would not like the result, so in the interest of sparing your feelings, I shall demur," I replied with all the interest of a wet noodle to her blandishments.

"Go on, Peacemaker. Ask your questions." He gave Mizanotha a disgruntled look, and she merely smiled sweetly in return before being ignored.

"Your display against the draeden was noted, and made a… significant impression," Oroyosam began mildly.

"No one believes that was not a deliberate show of strength at this time, meant as a warning. Leaving off how you gained such power in detail-""Although that is of great interest to many parties!" Mizanotha helpfully inserted, promises of untold wealth and favors dancing in her dark eyes. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"-we believe it to be a sign that you are a follower of the powers that are empowering the new Heaven to be found in the Astral Plane, which is drawing in worthy souls from countless worlds and realms, not just this planet of Nown. We believe those powers to be the same as the ones calling themselves gods, who empower the Church of the Morning and its many sub-factions." Oroyosam took a deep breath, weighing my unresponsive face.

"Are you a representative of these entities, and is it possible to open a discourse with them through you?" They are all looking out my eyes at you right now, so yes, was my internal reply to that.

"Ah, you have not been able to ascertain the truth of the matter, and you have received no enlightenment from sources senior to you. Interesting. I would have expected at least some guidance from them on such a matter, given the matters at play." I tilted my head slightly, glancing between the two of them. Oroyosam looked startled.

"Senior to us? The Old Ones?" he ventured hesitantly, and even the trickster Immortal Mizanotha looked suddenly wary and interested.

"They are involved in this matter?" I just arched an eyebrow.

"You do not seriously think that Immortals were responsible for the actual power of the Core of all Magic, do you?" I asked in a disparaging tone.

"Everything since then has been Immortals dancing for their interest and amusement. If I had not been involved in locking down the Core, they certainly would have intervened again, given the threat it represented.

"It is they who are speaking with the gods of Heaven. It is above your pay-grade, so put it from your minds. I believe you have been informed that moving against Heaven with force would be catastrophically bad news for those who try, and those who interfere with the movement of souls to their just rewards in Heaven are moving against Heaven!"

"You are indeed aware of the place and powers within!" Mizanotha declared swiftly, pleased at deducing the fact.

"What are they seeking? What are their ambitions?" she pressed immediately, eagerly, trying to pressure me. I just looked at her.

"You've already stolen copies of the holy books and dogma of their churches. Do I need to recite back to you things you already know? They are right out in the open!" My cutting disdain for their ignoring the obvious made both of them bristle a moment.

"Ah, do not tell me. You had your mortal servants steal them, but did not bother to read them yourselves." I slowly and flagrantly rolled my eyes, making both of the Immortals there grit their teeth and flush in reproof at the very appropriate reaction.

"Do you think I am going to wait while you go through the nine Scriptures?" I didn't quite spit, but they both flinched at my reaction to them wasting my time.

"Regardless, you have other concerns of your own."

"What manner of concerns?" Oroyosam asked patiently, sensing no true hostility in my voice. I flicked out a golden Seal into my hand, showing it to them openly. Both Peace-Maker and Thief of Destiny staggered back as they read the Names upon the Seal, repeated in five different languages, only three of which they could read. The Names glowed hotly as their eyes ran across them, and then began to move and circle about on the Seal, making them cry out and cover their eyes.

"What, what is that?" screamed Mizanotha, her fingers morphing instinctively into black claws. She wanted to run, but her feet refused to move!

"It is your True Name, of course, deduced while you were still mortal, and thus applying beyond the Names you took when you Ascended and were Promoted. This is especially relevant since you split yourself into two personalities, as it is the one unbreakable link between your two halves."

"What?!" both of the Immortals blurted out in disbelief, shooting shocked glances at one another.

"Yes. You were so committed to your attitudes of peace and mediation and Talk no Jutsu that you split off the elements of your personality that did not conform perfectly to your own ideal. Thus Oroyosam is the perfectly flawed Immortal of Peace, incapable of rising above and beyond what he is, and Mizanotha is one who gives nothing of aid to others, only taking from them in silence." Both Immortals were staring at me in disbelief, unable to retreat, unable to attack, unable to comprehend this.

"Anyway, Heaven is heartily sick of your two halves. One sabotages Peace, and the other sabotages Destiny." Oroyosam almost blurted out something in protest.

"If you're going to be a twat, be one of them, not two of them.

"Notha Mizasam of Delpha, be restored!" I commanded them, and the Seal in my hand flared with a Light only two souls that were actually one could see. They screamed as they began to melt and flow together, white-haired male Delphan and dark-haired female Delphan merging as their Immortal Severing was undone. Immortal Power hissed and spat in the air as competing inner energies met one another… and were promptly drained happily away by a Pyramid fully equipped and ready to do so.

With a gasp and a crackle of energies light and dark, the graying, slender man that had reformed out of the two of them fell to the surface of the Pyramid, trembling and shaking as he was re-made out of his split halves once more. His robes were both white and black now, his hair dark with silvered temples, yet clean-shaven.

One eye was bright white, and the other inky black as he turned his head to glare up at me, his mouth opening, yet nothing coming out as he had to balance out two Immortal lifespans that had both added up to a whole lot of uselessness in the eyes of Heaven.

"Yes, Heaven knows what you are," I informed the rebuilt Immortal with mild scorn.

"I do not know if it was a clever gambit on your part, making two completely separate identities that guaranteed you could not die unless both of them were destroyed. I believe both your halves have perished at different times in the past at the hands of those incensed with your actions, but power leeched from the other soon restored them."

"I only sought to be a better bringer of peace!" he rasped in a strained voice, slowly forcing himself to his feet, his conviction wavering as competing memories slashed through his mind and put the lie to that.

"You have been a great supporter of the Delphan caste system, the two tiers of laws and Citizenship, the widespread use of slavery and indentured servants, discrimination against non-Casters, the repression and subdual of non-Delphan sapients via conquest and forced indoctrination to the Delphan government and culture, and clever use of peace treaties and binding agreements to cripple the ability to resist of wronged parties.

"You are no Peace-Maker. You were a quiet tyrant hiding behind quiet platitudes and seeming sincerity, robbing others of their right to resist by demanding peace at all costs to the benefit of your own."