A Brief Moment of Insanity Ch. 07

I stood up and walked to the pillar. Smiling, the Arch Mage mirrored my actions and laid his right arm palm up on his side. I took a deep breath and did the same. He stopped and stared at the tattoo that was there. He staggered back in shock and actually giggled.

"Show me, you left something out something very important," he demanded.

"I don't understand," I said confused.

"Reveal the Helm of Anubis," the Arch Mage said.

"Oh that," I replied and summoned it and the bracers. "Is that what you wanted to see?"

"You just confirmed I made the right decision," he said. "Let's do this!"

"I don't understand," I said. "What's the big deal about the Helm?"

"It is one of the oldest and most potent artifacts brought to Earth by the Osirins. They were the ones that inspired the Egyptian gods and their entire culture. Some say it was given to the Scorpion King, the first pharaoh to rule over Egypt. Some say it was a great weapon they were too afraid to use and too weak to destroy. But one this is known for sure. If you are not Osirin or worthy it will crush your skull slowly and painfully."

"So you don't know what it does," I said and he shrugged. "It doesn't do anything for me except change my appearance obviously."

"I am sure you will discover its purpose. Look at it like a long term project."

"Since we are talking about mysteries, who or what are these Thanatons?" I asked.

"I will tell you what I know for sure and it isn't much. They are a Janus Cult." He said the color draining from his features.

"Janus was a roman god right?"

"Yes, he was the patron of doors and portals. When I call the Thanatons a Janus cult it means they worshipped life and death or perhaps putting it more accurately, life through death. They discovered a race of beings inhabiting the photosphere of their home star. These immortals inspired worship in the Thanatons. They spent tens of thousands of years working on creating a temple that would allow them to house these stellar parasites. What they created was a set of armor into which they would pour the life force of these immortals.

The process irrevocably changed the very nature of these energy beings. Being trapped drove the immortals insane. They could not escape even if the armor were returned to its base components. They technology allows for regeneration down to the subatomic level. They can never escape and never die. The Thanatons used this technology upon their own people and created a great army. That's when the purge began. Anyone or anything that wasn't Thanaton must perish. It took the combined might of the elder races to imprison them. However, just like some terrible movie plot some of them escaped the imprisoning process and fell to earth. It is believed these are the only ones that are free. It falls to us to find a way of stopping them."

"So that is why the Miskatonic is so damn important." I said and he nodded. "I intend on working with Nick Shaw on this. He seems the logical man for the job of recreating the technology."

"That's what I like about you," the old man said smiling. "A small thing like crossing battle lines doesn't slow you down. Let's do this."

He stepped up and placed his arm on the pedestal again. The air literally crackled with power as the bolt of white hot energy struck me in the chest. I think I screamed. I woke up in the living area on the very couch I had been sitting in. I reached up to rub my forehead and only then did I realize I was still wearing the helm. I dismissed it with a thought and looked around. My family was on one of the other couches staring at me.

"I guess I need to explain that," I offered and they nodded.

So for the next hour or so I answered every question they put to me. I held nothing back and if they were angry or shocked they kept silent about it. They told me the Arch Mage had told them about my taking up his post eventually. Mom pounced on this moment to ask who was going to take my place as Primarch of the Family. I asked them who was to take my place if I were to die without naming an heir. The sisters glanced at Willow. I shrugged and replied that why should it change. Willow was at that moment my replacement.

"Here catch," the Arch Mage tossed me something and I caught it on the fly.

"What is this," I asked as I opened my palm seeing the elegantly crafted ring. "It's lovely, where did you get it?"

"From the slavers that captured Ophelia, it is a Fae heirloom. I don't really deserve to return it since I allowed it to happen."

I nodded as I stood up and walked over to the bright eyed princess. I should have known. Everyone was watching me like a fucking hawk, especially Willow. I offered the ring to Ophelia and she blushed as I handed it to her. Then she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me fiercely. My arms went around her waist instinctively. I gasped when she broke the kiss. She slipped the ring on and held her hand out so that my family could see it clearly. Mom kissed my cheek and I saw tears running down her cheek.

"Mom why are you crying," I asked. "Janine you too... Willow... what the hell is... OH you evil old fuck! I just proposed didn't I?"

"Congratulations," the Arch Mage said grinning like the guy that just finished the boss battle single handedly.

"YOU..." I said spinning on my mother. "You had a hand in all of this!"

"Guilty as charged," she said. "Willow understands and so should you. It isn't like you two could ever legally wed or have children. Face it kiddo, this is a great match. Look at her she is stunning and has a freak streak a mile long. I know because I asked."

I looked at Ophelia and she was crying too. I wasn't done being the Primarch just yet and I told all those assembled. I had a lot of irons in a lot of fires. I wanted those things resolved or at least under control before this process was finished. I needed to meet with Nick Shaw and then take the Miskatonic back to the states or wherever it was going to be studied. We had a lot to do and a short time to accomplish it. The Arch Mage led us to a dining hall where a celebratory meal awaited us. We ate and drank and there were far too many toasts on the upcoming wedding.

"I guess I am going to have to meet your parents," I said to Ophelia during a lull in the conversation.

"Yes and mother is going to just eat you alive," she replied smiling wickedly.

"That is what I am afraid of," I said and she laughed.

Epilogue:

The cavern had never seen the light of day. Carved from the living rock by an ancient underground river it was now home to the Black King and its Court. Along the floor, walls and ceiling were the Formless. These shadowy creatures flowed across the floor, clung to the ceiling or passed between the spaces in-between spaces. When they weren't carrying out the will of the Dark Monarch they sent their minds outward to the galaxy, the universe and other realities entirely.

The multiverse was impossibly vast and the Formless drifted among the endless possibilities seeing what critical decisions their master should be aware of. Their umbral souls passed as easily between universes as they did the air of this nameless cavern. The lightless cave was not without beauty, form or symmetry. The Formless had begun their work at devouring the bedrock fashioning arches, buttresses and columns. If one could see in that stygian heart it was a wonder to behold. The Black King sat on its basalt throne looking out over its part of the cosmic game board. Things were progressing as expected.

"M'Lord you have a visitor," one of the Formless cried out in alarm just before its mind and existence was snuffed out.

"She is a bold one," the Black King said as the Red Player appeared in all her dark glory. "Shouldn't you be protecting your bishop?"

"He is fine," Loki Sutekh purred. "What are you doing? We had a deal."

"Nothing remains fixed; all is in flux as well you know." The being on the throne crooned.

"Our agreement is terminated then," she said smiling her predatory smile. "I will leave you to it then."

She turned heel and left the chamber. The King watched her go and noted that if it were a few thousand years younger he'd hit that. A host of Formless cried out in alarm as the rune blade appeared out of thin air. It spun end over end implanting the blade in the head of the Black King. The Formless now leaderless went mad and swarmed the lightless chamber searching for the assassin. It couldn't elude them and yet it remained unseen. One of the Formless spied the rune blade as it was plucked from the corpse of their dead monarch and it vanished from its perception.

It called out to its brethren and they surrounded the basalt throne. They would make the assassin pay in the slowest most painful way possible. The floor, walls and ceiling were covered with Formless as they converged on the intruder. They spied that the corpse of their most sacred ruler was being ransacked. Did this entity have no shame? Now that there were so close they could see the faintest of outlines of another figure sitting on the throne.

"Just a little closer... almost there..." It muttered as they prepared to swarm it. "Hello bitches..."

The figure appeared and in its hands was a hidden thing. There was a great power veiled yet building. A second later when all of them were in range of the spell the assassin loosed it upon them. The light of ten thousand suns erupted in the chamber. It rushed outward at the speed of light and burnt them all to ash. So bright was the light that it eradiated the walls and left them glowing with a sapphire illumination for the next hundred years or so.