The Fault in Chaos

Adohan’s breathing had become ragged, pained, every breath he took was sharp. The binds, thick and frayed, wrapped around his wrist, and dug deeper into him the more he struggled to break free.

“You despicable witch.” Adohan spit, looking up at his captor. He gritted his teeth and looked up at her in distaste.

A towering woman stood above him. She was dressed in well tailored black leathers, and carried a twisted dark stave adorned with a ruby at its tip. She pointed the ruby to the jawline of Adohan, pointing his chin up so he would look her in the face.

“Your time is almost up, my dear, why don’t you take the last few moments of your precious life and enjoy them before you are too exhausted to do so?” She said with a dark, crazened smile across her lips. “And soon, you’ll be able to watch as we dominate all of reality, all thanks to you.”

Adohan growled, pulling hard against his binds, but their anti-magical properties, and strength weakening enchancements only caused harm to the god-like avatar. The rope dug at his skin, blood dripping again to the cold earth he sat on.

“My love, preperations are ready.” Another voice came from the darkness, a figure dressed in a abyss colored robe. He pulled his hood back to reveal a handsome faced man with long brown hair and a magnificent beard.

“Marcus..” Adohan sighed. “You are better then this. Have you forgotten your sacred charge?”

“My charge is to keep the timeline in order.” Marcus snapped back, looking down at the pitiful avatar of creation. “You would do well to keep quiet and remember your place.”

The woman laughed, approaching Marcus and laying a hand on his chest, she turned back to Adohan, her red-eyed glare enough to corrupt the hearts of many mortal men. “Marcus and I will take good care of your world, we promise.”

Marcus escorted the Duchess back to the altar where all the preperations had been made for the ritual. She turned to face him, “Marcus, sweetie, are you ready? We’ve worked so hard for this.. and now it is within our grasp.” She laughed manically, walking to the front of the sacraficial table.

“Long have we awaited this day, our fates entertwined.” He smiled, helplessly in love with this crazy, evil duchess.

“Then let us begin, soon, all reality will bend their knee to me.”

Marcus frowned, “I’m sorry, what was that?”

The woman turned her gaze back on the mage, looking over her shoulder. “Soon, all worlds, all of creation, will bow to it’s new master. Izaelia, Goddess of Destruction. I will control every dimension of reality, and with you by my side, all of fate will be bound to serve me.”

Duchess took the ritual knife from the table and walked around to the other side, she kept her eyes on the timeweaver, that same menical smile. “What we’ve always wanted my dear, what we’ve dreamt of… what our fate has always meant to be.”

“That’s… That’s not..” He began to freeze up, he could feel a dark chill wash over him.

“Oh silly boy, it’s the vision we always saw together. The one you felt you coudl never run from.” The Duchess took the blade in her hand, and quickly slid it across her palm, blood oozed from the wound and began to drop onto the altar. It quickly spread like a wildfire through the crevices, like a maze in a pyramid.

“I’ve… this..” His mind flashed, the moment of betrayal that would come to haunt him for the rest of his life. He had peered into the future once before, but he could not tell who would betray him. In his vision, he saw a man who very much looked like Adohan, so he kept it a secret, thinking he would.

“What’s wrong, Marcus?” She tilted her head, watching as the blood began to flow out to the ritualistic pillars Marcus had previously planted. “This is what we both wanted, yes?” She howeled in delight, the blood magic all around them began to turn the night sky into a twisted harrowstorm. The moon’s color began to shift from white to red, and anguished cries of the avatar of creation filled the air.

“Reality will become ours, Marcus!” She began to ascend, her twisted ruby staff began to glow a bright red, the timekeeper shielded his eyes as he watched the ritual, helpless to do anything. He gripped his staff.

“Finish the ritual, Marcus! Grant me my fate!” She smiled in delight.

Marcus paniced, holding onto the staff, he looked up. “No! I will not!”

“That’s fine, I didn’t need you anyway.” She laughed, her screech filled the air as a dark beam of energy shot forth from her staff and connected to his. Black twisted magic fused the staff, and soon made it hot to the touch. The timeweaver did not let go, and soon it began to spread to his hand. It crept up his hand like barbed vines, making his blood boil and turn black.

“I will not bend to you, Izaelia…” Marcus held onto his staff with his dear life.

“Submit to me… the future we dreamed of.” Izaelia’s power over him only grew stronger. “There is no escaping fate… you’ve never had a choice.”

Choice. Something that always plagued the mind of the timewaver. In every choice, we always came to the same conclusion, such was how the timeline kept itself together. No matter what choice was made during any given point, that point, in time, was always going to be what the person chose. There was no “ifs,” it was always meant to be written this way. That was afterall, his sacred charge. Keep the timeline in order, be the keeper of fate.

But what freedom was there in not having choice?

Why must every decision be one that can only happen?

There is infinite possibilities.

There is a way, I can save this… I may not be able to save myself, but I can save reality.

Marcus could feel the entire corruption holding deep onto his body. the weight of the world sat on his shoulders, he felt so weak in this moment.

“I.. will not let you control… all of reality, Izaelia.” Marcus trembled in his voice.

“Good bye, Marcus. I wish you would of seen things my way.” The duchess scolded, was that a tear in her eye?

“Until.. we meet again.” Marcus smiled.

“What do you — “

With what energy he had left, he channeled his magic entirely into the hourglass that sat atop his stave, and it shattered. A ripple in all of time, and a powerful shockwave slammed into space. Marcus’s vision went black.

The Hourglass of Fate shattered with the last will of Marcus. The timeline began to fluxuate, and suddenly, the whole of reality became unchained. No more was there one timeline, guarded by a superior being, but thousands. One reality where Duchess takes total control, but infinite others where she has no power. This was the end of the perfect reality. Prime Duchess tried her hardest to fix the hourglass of fate, but it was to no use. What Marcus had done, was a worthy sacrafice. He saved reality from one that was bound to a pre-determined destiny.

The mage, still lived. He would pay for his transgressions in a new sacred timeline, where he was told of Prime Marcus’s fate. He would pay for his actions and mess he created, however, he would also be forgiven, for saving what would of been the end of all things.

His charge would be dismissed, his duty of fate broken, while he was in great disagreement with his diety of how fate should be handled, he was sentenced to guard the new sacred timeline, where evil would try to come and corrupt. The guardian of fate would be born new, torn from his body, and asister would be made in similar image. She would go on to be the 4th order of power. Fate.

Adohan, the Avatar of Creation. Duchess, the Avatar of Destruction. Marcus, the Avatar of Time. Lyssa, the Avatar of Fate.

The new sacred timeline would be where multiple realities would branch off of. Marcus and Lyssa would be charged with upholding this timeline, while fending off against what dark evils would come to corrupt it. Prime Duchess still has her goals, and may one day return to claim what is hers, all of reality.