anything except himself, so had no qualms when faced with
evidence of other planets and aliens who walk among us. In fact if anything it
would explain some of the bizarre experiences he’d had as a child living
roughly on the streets, the feeling of being watched, that many of those who
ruled over the gangs were not what they appeared to be. Much like the man in
front of him.
It was Irina’s presence here, though, that
had rocked him more than anything. The urge to keep her safe, protect her, was
overwhelming. But that she was here, with Abrasax! That had him conflicted. A
battle between his heart and mind kicked off. He suppressed those thoughts by
returning to Abrasax’s other assertion. That he was some kind of container for
the “essence of war”, whatever the fuck that meant. He grappled with that
thought. He knew it meant he was valuable and Abrasax needed him, so, he would
deploy delaying tactics with Abrasax while working on his strategy.
“Okay,” he said coolly, leaning back in the
chair. “You got me interested. Explain what you want from me.”
“The universe is a big place, Tyr, and
everything within it is connected,” began Abrasax. “There are many galaxies,
realms, planes of existence, Earth being just one of them and all are linked by
threads, tenuous connections of matter and energy. You probably understand this
as atoms and particles such as explained in your rather primitive Earthani
quantum physics. But there is much more to it than that. There are magicks and
energies beyond Earthani comprehension and since the beginning of time those
energies have been in constant conflict, two opposing sides battling for
domination. You enjoy being on the winning side, don’t you?” Abrasax took a
moment to let that sink in as he eyed Tyr with a measuring glance. “You must
do. You are War. To conquer is innate in you. You are competitive in the
extreme. The essence of war permeates every atom of your being.” He stopped,
searching Tyr for a reaction. Tyr gave him none. “Does this sound familiar?” he
asked.
“What if it does? What does being the
essence of war mean exactly?” countered Tyr, needing precise information.
“My people,” Abrasax continued, “collect
those essences, such as you contain, to ensure that we have dominance over the
other side. This conflict has been fought for millennia and Esseni such as you
hold the key to unleashing untold power. You can help us to be victorious, to
win not just one battle or skirmish but the entire war. With you we can
annihilate our enemy.”
“Who are your people and why are they
different from the other side?” asked Tyr curiously.
“My people are the ones you don’t want to
fuck with. You respect strength, you exist to win and we Discordants are the
same. We are your people. We can help you to realize the potential that resides
inside you. To become what you were born to be. You will be a god amongst men.
Look around you. All this and more can belong to you.” Abrasax’s eyes flashed
intensely, the yellow glow pulsing with barely contained enthusiasm.
“What do I have to do for all this?” Tyr
supposed he ought to sound interested.
“Just fight for us. Use your power and
essence to crush the Eunomi Alliance. They are the other side in this conflict.
They are weak and want to steal power from us. They will do anything to convince
you to their side, play on your weaknesses, your fears. But they don’t
understand you like I do. You have no weaknesses. You are ruthless. You live to
dominate. Conflict feeds your soul. You have darkness within you that consumes
everything. You were born for this. You are War.”
Tyr’s head was spinning, overloaded with
this new information. Aliens, other planets, some ancient cosmic battle going
on that he was an essential part of! What the fuck? If science fiction
had taught him anything, it was that this usually entailed a battle between
good and evil. But which side was good and which side was
evidence of other planets and aliens who walk among us. In fact if anything it
would explain some of the bizarre experiences he’d had as a child living
roughly on the streets, the feeling of being watched, that many of those who
ruled over the gangs were not what they appeared to be. Much like the man in
front of him.
It was Irina’s presence here, though, that
had rocked him more than anything. The urge to keep her safe, protect her, was
overwhelming. But that she was here, with Abrasax! That had him conflicted. A
battle between his heart and mind kicked off. He suppressed those thoughts by
returning to Abrasax’s other assertion. That he was some kind of container for
the “essence of war”, whatever the fuck that meant. He grappled with that
thought. He knew it meant he was valuable and Abrasax needed him, so, he would
deploy delaying tactics with Abrasax while working on his strategy.
“Okay,” he said coolly, leaning back in the
chair. “You got me interested. Explain what you want from me.”
“The universe is a big place, Tyr, and
everything within it is connected,” began Abrasax. “There are many galaxies,
realms, planes of existence, Earth being just one of them and all are linked by
threads, tenuous connections of matter and energy. You probably understand this
as atoms and particles such as explained in your rather primitive Earthani
quantum physics. But there is much more to it than that. There are magicks and
energies beyond Earthani comprehension and since the beginning of time those
energies have been in constant conflict, two opposing sides battling for
domination. You enjoy being on the winning side, don’t you?” Abrasax took a
moment to let that sink in as he eyed Tyr with a measuring glance. “You must
do. You are War. To conquer is innate in you. You are competitive in the
extreme. The essence of war permeates every atom of your being.” He stopped,
searching Tyr for a reaction. Tyr gave him none. “Does this sound familiar?” he
asked.
“What if it does? What does being the
essence of war mean exactly?” countered Tyr, needing precise information.
“My people,” Abrasax continued, “collect
those essences, such as you contain, to ensure that we have dominance over the
other side. This conflict has been fought for millennia and Esseni such as you
hold the key to unleashing untold power. You can help us to be victorious, to
win not just one battle or skirmish but the entire war. With you we can
annihilate our enemy.”
“Who are your people and why are they
different from the other side?” asked Tyr curiously.
“My people are the ones you don’t want to
fuck with. You respect strength, you exist to win and we Discordants are the
same. We are your people. We can help you to realize the potential that resides
inside you. To become what you were born to be. You will be a god amongst men.
Look around you. All this and more can belong to you.” Abrasax’s eyes flashed
intensely, the yellow glow pulsing with barely contained enthusiasm.
“What do I have to do for all this?” Tyr
supposed he ought to sound interested.
“Just fight for us. Use your power and
essence to crush the Eunomi Alliance. They are the other side in this conflict.
They are weak and want to steal power from us. They will do anything to convince
you to their side, play on your weaknesses, your fears. But they don’t
understand you like I do. You have no weaknesses. You are ruthless. You live to
dominate. Conflict feeds your soul. You have darkness within you that consumes
everything. You were born for this. You are War.”
Tyr’s head was spinning, overloaded with
this new information. Aliens, other planets, some ancient cosmic battle going
on that he was an essential part of! What the fuck? If science fiction
had taught him anything, it was that this usually entailed a battle between
good and evil. But which side was good and which side was
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