The Second Archon War: Superbia Hominum 19

Superbia Hominum 19: Like Lightning from Heaven 

Sitting below the Great Seal of the United States, Alexandria looked down the long oak table in the White House Situation Room. To her right, Vice President Dainson held his hands folded over the briefing report, a grim expression on his face. Since Alexandria had taken office in January, he’d actually done most of the day-to-day functions of the Office of the President, granted special warrant and authority while Alexandria commanded the United States Expeditionary Force in Europe, and now, Central Asia. 

On her left, as always, was Wyatt. Alexandria was still deeply concerned for her husband. They’d not spent much time together since the accident on Kaho‘olawe that had resulted in his exposure to what they were calling Abyssal Energy, but what Alexandria had seen of Wyatt disturbed her. He talked to himself now, and he’d developed a bit of a twitch. Previously, he’d been her ray of sunshine, but now he experienced violent mood swings, where he’d go from ranting to laughing in moments. Perhaps it was just the stress getting to him. 

Down the table was her Secretary of Defense, John McCain who oversaw what was left of the conventional US Armed forces, Miniver Cheevy, her Secretary of the Treasury, and on down the line. There were also the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as several other important generals and heads of Protectorate forces, including Legend and Miss Militia. 

“So. When will the invasion begin?” Alexandria asked. “And will that mean we can attempt retaking Finland?”

“Finland’s a lost cause,” Secretary McCain said, his Anemo Vision on his lapel glowing softly. “The Church of the Frozen Heart has taken a real hold there, and they have a homegrown legion of Fatui. Currently, we expect as much as 30% of the population is actively loyal to the Tsaritsa, and more specifically, the Princess. With the Dancer still stationed there, trying to go in would be futile. As for the invasion…any time now.”

“What are our odds of holding Kazakhstan?” Alexandria asked, fearing the answer. 

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs pointed to the map. “The West and Central plains are going to fall quickly. There’s little to stop the Fatui from steamrolling through the steppe, excepting perhaps The Spider, who runs an orphanage on the Western shore near Qazaly. She’s strong enough to give minor Fatui pause, but a Harbinger would steamroll her. Past that, we have good odds of holding the capital, Almaty, thanks to the mountains in the South and Eastern parts of the country. And, we’re expecting aid from the newly formed Pan-Arab Pact, under Nahida Saeed.”

That had been a very recent development. After saving Mecca from the Simurgh, Kusanali had been hailed as the Righteous Djinn who had saved Islam and the Arab World. She’d even made inroads with the Iranians, the historical enemies of Iraq. Not everything was settled, but she had forces from all the major Arab nations under her banner marching towards Kazakhstan with the stated goal of saving their Muslim brethren from attack by the Tsaritsa, and the forced conversion that would take place if Kazakhstan fell. 

“I’m issuing standing orders that Protectorate forces are to, at all costs, preserve the life of Nahida Saeed, and Theresa Richter,” Alexandria said, pulling up Nahida and Tessa’s images on screen. “The Dendro Archon and her dragon are one of the only things keeping the world fed, as well as our buffer against the Simurgh.”

Knowledge that Ziz was the Simurgh was still a closely guarded secret that not even most of the people at this table knew. While she claimed to be reformed, Alexandria didn’t trust the Endbringer as far as she could throw her. Which, even with her Vision, wasn’t more than a few hundred yards. 

There were nods around the table, but Wyatt raised a hand. “If I may, Madam President, there is a potential solution we can deploy that could stop the Fatui in their tracks. Project Fulcrum has usable weapons and units that we can deploy against the Fatui.”

“Project Fulcrum?” the Vice President asked, and there were frowns around the table as everyone looked at Wyatt. 

Alexandria frowned at Wyatt, stroking her vision. “There have been issues with Fulcrum. Including your accident.”

That got everyone’s attention. It was known Wyatt had been in some sort of accident a few weeks back, which had resulted in his non-participation for the Finnish campaign. It had been rumored he was working on a super weapon, so the room was eager to see the results. 

“Issues that have been ironed out, mostly. Didn’t kill me!” Wyatt said with his usual boyish grin, though the usual twinkle in his eye was replaced by a viciousness that broke Alexandria’s heart, even if she understood. “And besides, we’re talking about deploying some assets as a weapon. We have begun human trials, and they have promising results. It’s a power that could stop the Fatui cold, pun intended.” 

“Has this weapon been field tested?” Dainson asked, his brow furrowing in consternation. 

“No, it hasn’t, but we’re not going to get a better time. The assets we’d deploy would be expendable,” Wyatt assured the table. “In fact, they’re non-human biological assets.”

“What, Uplifted Animals, like that little girl in France or Raiden’s pet fox?” Miniver Chevy asked skeptically. 

“Uh, no. More like…The Horde from Warcraft, or the Skaven from-”

“Wyatt,” Alexandria groaned, fighting back a fond smile. 

“Er, right. You guys know orcs, right? Uruk Hai?” Wyatt offered. 

“You can’t be serious,” the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs said, a look of disgust on his face. “We’re making ORCS? What, did we turn into the Dark Lord Sauron when I wasn’t looking?”

“Well, we’re calling them churls, not orcs, and we have command and control systems in place. They’re about as smart as dogs, can use crude weapons, and, well, what we’re calling Abyssal Energy,” Wyatt explained. 

“So you’ve made orcs with black magic? This is disgusting and outrageous,” the Chairman said, shaking his head. “You cannot seriously expect us to deploy US Servicemen and women alongside whatever filthy spawn you’ve created!” 

“The fact is, we need something to compete with Delusions,” Wyatt said grimly. “They have an endless source of superpowers. We’ve used dogs as our base stock, and exposed them to Abyssal energy. They’ve retained their loyalty to their masters, but also gained powers on the level of a Delusion holder. Depending on the methods we used, they can come out as either Blaster 3s, Striker 3s, Mover 3s, or Brute 4s. The Brutes are rarer, but easily capable of going toe-to-toe with Delusion holders with backup. We have about 100 ready to deploy now.”

“So many so quickly?” Alexandria asked, genuinely startled. When she’d last heard, they’d just started testing. 

“The dogs took to it better than the pigs or rats, and well, I refined our methods based on my own…experiences,” Wyatt said, passing a hand over his face and flinching slightly. He forced a smile on his face. “But, that’s 100 capes in less than a month! And no US lives are at stake.”

“I’m against it. If you’re experimenting with Dark Magic, I want nothing to do with it,” the Chairman said in disgust. Secretary McCain nodded in agreement, but the Vice President raised a hand. 

“Gentlemen, please. I think we need to try this. We lost more than 200 of our finest capes so far in this war, and America started with only 2000. A ten percent casualty rate is something we can’t sustain. If we can use these churls to bolster our numbers, and have an expendable line of shock troops…well, I love my dog as much as the next man, but I’d rather lose a dog than a man.”

“We are entering into human testing in the next few weeks,” Wyatt extended a hand, and dark violet energy bathed it, causing the lights in the room to flicker. The hand took on the appearance of mottled purple, with hardened carapace-like growths on the back, and long, taloned fingernails. “I was accidentally exposed to the Abyss in one of our experiments. Instead of killing me, I was able to absorb it, and learn from it. It’s a power I’ve not fully mastered, but it’s a power with so much potential. It’s an unlimited energy source, for starters, even more potent than the Sacred Sakura Network. It uplifts animals like Elemental Energy, but it’s more malleable and controllable. It has the potential to completely change the balance of power in this war.”

The Chairman stood up, pointing his hand. “This is too far! Capes are one thing! I didn’t like the conventional military being replaced by parahumans and vision holders, but I understood. What’s the point of a tank when one cape can wreck a platoon of them? Why build carriers when one flying blaster can take it out easier than a cruise missile? But this?! You’re literally acting like Sauruman, like Pyrates and the Red Hand!” 

“Oh, wow, Tad Williams?” Wyatt said, raising an eyebrow. “That’s a deep cut. Good books though.”

“I know my stories, Director Costa-Brown,” the Chairman snapped. “And this is the sort of thing that destroys a country!” 

“So, we roll over and let the Tsaritsa conquer all of Central Asia? Rely on the dendro archon and her dinosaurs to save us? What happens when the Tsaritsa decides to take back Alaska?” Dainson demanded. 

“Turning to Dark Magic isn’t the answer!” the Chairman argued. 

Alexandria nodded, feeling a pang, but then covering it over with Ice. “And would this have anything to do with the fact that your family has begun attending a Favonian church, Chairmen?” 

“I, that has nothing to do with-” the man sputtered. 

“Arrest him,” Alexandria said, pointing, and PRT officers closed in and grabbed the chairman, quickly handcuffing him. One pulled out a Favonian cross from his uniform and held it up. 

“Proof, ma’am.” 

“Enemies in our very midst,” Alexandria growled. She looked around the table. “This is our last chance. To stop not just the Tsaritsa, but all the Archons from subduing and enslaving humanity. I’m issuing the order later today: All Archon religious sects are to be considered threats to national security. All members of those churches are barred from holding Federal or State office, and any church cannot meet publicly or proselytize.”

“But, the First Amendment…” Secretary Cheevy said, looking disturbed as the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was hauled away. Perhaps Honey would have one of her first “volunteers” for his human experiments. 

“Was made in a time when religions didn’t directly fuel the power of foreign gods who are enemies of the United States,” Alexandria declared. 

“The Favonians, too?” Dainson asked, looking a bit shaken himself. “Barbados fought on our side.”

“He did,” Alexandria said, sitting down. “Now. I think it’s time I told the room the exact identity of Ziz. She’s better known as the Simurgh.”

By the time she was done, there were no objections to her Executive Order barring the open practice of Archonism.  They even agreed that Nahida would need to eventually be captured or checked in a manner that would render her useful to humanity, but harmless. 

And that they would be deploying churls to Kazakhstan. It was their one hope to actually stop the Fatui. 

And perhaps, find their Silver Bullet to save the world. 

Hovering over the battlefield, Alexandria watched as two dragons took flight. Farasha didn’t look like a normal human woman now; her bestial nature had fully revealed itself as a draconic insect with compound eyes and burning like that of a butterfly, along with two smoldering antennae. She, along with Theresa Richter were flying towards the Prince’s Blizzard, once more covering the Fatui’s advance onto foreign soil. 

“Form up, and cover them,” Alexandria said, trying not to sound bitter as the Protectorate capes fell into formation with the two dragons. Not too closely, but they were ready to intercept trouble when it came. 

As they approached the storm, Alexandria’s scouts spotted the Imperial Fatui Air Fleet, consisting of two dozen flying capes. They didn’t move to attack the dragons, but shadowed them from within the supernatural storm as the dragons began to fly parallel to the blizzard. 

When they were less than a mile away, Theresa began to release a trail of dendro spores, which left a glowing green wake behind them. Alexandria and her capes made sure to keep well clear of that, as if they became infused with Dendro, they risked falling prey to the next phase of the plan. 

Sensing something was up, the IFAF capes launched an attack from the storm, first shooting out a variety of blaster powers, then following up with a direct attack against Theresa. 

Alexandria interposed herself and her capes, raising Washington’s sword and forming a shield of ice on her left arm. She slammed into two Fatui, skewering one and sending them plummeting to the steppe far below them, and exchanging furious blows with the other. 

The clash, however, was brief, as Farasha suddenly unleashed a swarm of burning butterflies. Alexandria swore and dodged, but the butterflies didn’t attack the American capes, despite her reservations. Instead, they sent the Fatui fleeing, or in the case of several unfortunates, ignited their blood, turning them into more swarms of butterflies. 

“The bitch is terrifying as ever,” Alexandria muttered to herself. To her horror, she saw Farasha wink her left set of eyes, baring massive fangs in a grin. 

Deadliest bitch in the world! Oh, sorry, forgot to mention: I don’t need a radio to hear you. Anyway, time to set the world on fire!

The swarm of burning butterflies mixed with Theresa’s spores, and a powerful Burning reaction took place. Alexandria had read about the elemental reaction that had been used to drive off the Alpha Behemoth, and watched now as a conflagration of epic proportions turned into a massive firestorm. The two dragons began to fly in a mile-long spiral around the blaze, which became a swirling pyronado. Like two shepherds, the dragons then began to guide their storm into the Prince’s. There was a hiss and flash of energy far beyond simple snow and ice melting, as the Cryo that infused the storm battled the Burning reaction. 

For a moment, Alexandria held her breath until she remembered that was one of the few ways to actually harm herself. Still, she watched with trepidation as the two magical storms collided. 

Then, with a hiss, the Tsaritsa’s storm was eaten away by the Pyronado. It began to carve a large swath through, towards the Russian border hundreds of miles away, as the blizzard broke before it. 

Even the Protectorate capes let out whoops of joy, and the dragons bellowed in triumph. Alexandria couldn’t help but grin: they’d never managed this against the Fatui in Finland, even with Ziz’s help. 

As the storm faded, the Fatui’s formation revealed itself: there were shockingly few enemies behind the storm, only a few thousand, and most of them on foot. Still, the fact that every single one of them was a cape with a Delusion in addition to parahuman powers or a Vision meant that they were far more intimidating than a conventional force many times their own size. 

“What the hell are they doing,” Alexandria muttered, getting out a pair of binoculars and peering through them. She could make out three figures at the front of the Fatui army. One, by his bulk, had to be the Prince, though he appeared to be ranting and raving as he slashed his sword through the air fruitlessly. The other, hovering on her broomstick, was surely the witch. And the third…

The third was a young woman with a silver tiara on her brow, and a frozen scepter in her hand. She raised the scepter, and a powerful glow began to emanate from it. 

“The Cryo Gnosis, here!?” Alexandria gasped, then grinned. “This is our chance! All Protectorate forces, prepare to assault the enemy! The goal is to seize the Cryo Gnosis from the Princess! If we take that, they’re done for!” 

They still had little idea what the Gnosis was, but it was an artifact of immense power from Teyvat, and denying it to the Russians while gaining it for themselves would be invaluable. 

Eidolon and Legend’s groups launched and prepared to join Alexandria. They were minutes away, but that quickly proved to be too long. 

Children of Kazakhstan, I am the Princess. 

The voice echoed in Alexandria’s head, and she gritted her teeth. Shit. They’d have to screen everyone for being puppeted by Master powers after this, even her. 

My Mother’s claim to these lands is ancient. She begs you to return to the fold, that she might protect and treasure you the rest of your days. Do not resist. What I do now, I do for your own benefit. 

Then, Kollei raised the Cryo Gnosis. Before her, a massive, thorny plant began to grow. That was strange. Kollei had once held a Dendro Vision, but reports hadn’t seen her with it in months. Still, the plant seemed to be made of both ice and living vines, clearly using both Cryo and Dendro. The plant grew rapidly until it was the size of a small hill. As the Pyronado approached it, the vines stretched out, their icy thorns lashing at the attack. 

“There’s no way…” Alexandria muttered, even as Farasha and Theresa dove forward, attacking the plant themselves. 

However, when they tried, the Prince and Witch launched themselves into the fray. The Witch began to bombard Theresa with spells and potions she drew from a satchel that hung from her broom, causing flashes of Electro and Cryo that made Theresa roar in anger. She attempted to fight back with a spray of poisons, but the Witch just laughed them off. 

Not bad, little girl. But my cauldron brews much more potent venom. Let me show you…

The Prince and Farasha clashed, Farasha shifting back to her human form and wielding the Staff of Homa against the Prince’s sword. Butterflies met swirling rainbow storms of ice, and to Alexandria’s horror, they were largely snuffed out. Farasha did skewer the Prince and cause massive burns to the man, but he simply shed his body, then reformed behind her in a new one, chopping her head off in one stroke. That, of course, did not bother Farasha, who burst into butterflies, then coalesced and returned the favor. 

 “Fuck! Back them up, back them up! All squads, attack!” Alexandria ordered. She dove for the Princess, right through the burning Pyronado. The magical energies forced her to raise a Cryo shield, keeping herself protected in a halo of ice. As she got closer to the Princess, Alexandria raised her sword. Snarling with anger, she chopped aside thorny vines as thick as her chest. 

“NO ONE TOUCHES MY LADY!” 

Out of the vines, of all things, a cat girl with fangs and claws bared pounced, striking at Alexandria with her claws. Most attacks didn’t phase Alexandria, since her entire body was trapped in temporal stasis that prevented aging and nearly all physical attacks. 

The cat girl, however, had glowing blue spikes on her claws. Clearly magical in nature, they were able to rip through space and time, catching Alexandria in the shoulder and drawing blood. 

“GET OFF ME!” Alexandria snarled and slashed at the cat, who sprang away, scurrying up and down vines that waved and twisted in the burning air. The cat had an Anemo delusion, which let her both leap farther than even her enhanced muscles would have allowed, and protected her from the still burning Pyronado. 

Alexandria darted for the Princess again, who still had the Cryo Gnosis raised high. The cat saw and attacked again, but this time, Alexandria was ready. She flipped onto her back, stabbing at the cat and catching her in the right arm, which made the beast girl wail as she spun away, bleeding from a large gash.

“What the fuck are you?” Alexandria demanded. The cat had long, dark brown hair tied in braids, though she had pink ribbons woven into them, and was wearing a mink skirt and fishnet stockings of all things. She didn’t look like an uplifted animal, instead… “Wait, I know you: You're one of that fucker Heartbreaker’s spawn. Cherie Vasil. Guess like father, like daughter.”

“Pater is my father now,” Cheri snarled, stalking along a vine as it thrashed and shuddered in its battle against the Pyronado. “And the Princess is my Lady!”

“Fitting, that the welp of Heartbreaker would turn into a mind controlled pet,” Alexandria shouted. It was enough to rile Cherie into a reckless lunge at her. This time, Alexandria slashed her opponent across the chest and arm. Cherie screamed as she fell, but Alexandria didn’t have time to pay attention to that. Now was the time to attack. 

Breaking through one last screen of vines, Alexandria found the Princess. There were two dozen Fatui guarding her, but Alexandria ignored them, charging forward directly at her foe. Two Fatui flew up to meet her, but Alexandria blasted the first down with Cryo, then took the other’s head off with the presidential blade. Three more blasters shot at her, but their attacks only buffeted Alexandria: her invulnerability was too much. 

“This time, you die!” Alexandria snarled as she held her sword out like a lance and aimed to skewer Kollei through her blackened heart. 

No. Sweet dreams, Rebecca.

A portal opened right in front of Alexandria, and her momentum was too much: She shot right through it, and crashed into a snowbank, which hid a mountain of thorns. Somehow, it was enough to scratch her, even drawing blood, though no more than brambles would. 

Gasping in pain, Alexandria struggled frantically, the snow covering her and threatening to bury her. She couldn’t breathe! The brambles, the snow, she couldn’t breathe! She-

“It’s alright! Stop struggling, I’ll have you out in a moment.”

That voice…

“Kusanali?” Alexandria gasped, panting for breath as blood trickled from her myriad cuts. 

The vines shuddered, then their thorns withdrew, and they unwound themselves from Alexandria. She lifted herself up, finding she could float, but not fly like she normally did. She also wasn’t as strong. What was going on? She looked around, and found that all around her, snow was melting, and flowers bloomed in a rainbow carpet. There, looking up at her with clasped hands and a look of concern on her face, was Nahida Saeed. 

Alexandria dropped to the ground, wincing in pain. She was about to draw on her Vision for healing, something she rarely did for herself, but Nahida reached out and took her hand. 

“Please, allow me,” Nahida said, and green light washed over Alexandria, soothing away her hurts. 

“I…thank you,” Alexandria said, forcing a smile onto her face. She looked around at the alien landscape, which in one direction was endless icy death, and in the other, an arcadian paradise. “Where am I?”

“The Dream. Kollei once more wields the power of Dendro, but no longer as a mortal with a Vision. She has always had a strong connection to the Dream, and with her new powers, can easily banish others there,” Nahida explained. 

Shit. That was a serious problem. “And how do we stop it?”

“You could avoid her portals, or have someone with sufficient knowledge of the Dream banish them. Or, you could wait for me to come find you,” Nahida said, and gave a shy smile. 

Alexandria chuckled and knelt. “Thank you, Nahida.” She reached out a hand, but Nahida shied away from it. 

“I won’t hurt you,” Alexandria promised, feeling a slight pang to see someone who looked for all the world like a child gaze at her with such open fear. She reminded herself that Nahida could read minds, and began drawing on her Vision. She formed a mental cage of ice, locking out all intruders from her mind and emotions. Hopefully, it was strong enough even for the Dendro Archon. 

“That’s what the Sages said. Then they locked me in a cage.” Nahida said quietly. 

That made Alexandria flinch, and withdraw her hand. “The Archons are all a threat to mankind. You see what the Tsaritsa does. You are an exception, however…”

“Even Dantilion isn’t a threat to humanity. She Loves her people, in her own way,” Nahida said, shaking her head. 

Cold rage burned in Alexandria’s heart, and she stood. “How can you say that when so many lie dead?”

“I do not deny that she needs to be stopped; I am here, am I not? But, she is not the true threat. You know that, don’t you, Alexandria? That is what you prefer to be called, even in your own mind, isn’t it?”

“I…yes,” Alexandria admitted. “Though I am the President now.”

“I suppose you are, Madam President,” Nahida agreed easily, still keeping out of reach. 

“Look, I agree Scion must be stopped. But the Tsaritsa is a major threat. As is the Raiden Shogun, and even Barbados. You even keep the Simurgh on a leash,” Alexandria said.

Nahida shook her head, looking profoundly sorrowful, her ears drooping slightly. “I don’t, but you don’t understand that, do you? I killed the Simurgh, Madam President. It pained me to do it, especially since I trapped her in torment for hundreds of years first, but it died.”

“And yet Ziz walks free even now!” Alexandria snapped. “What if she is just waiting to kill another city? For F- Goodness sake, she’s a member of the Tone Deaf Bards! Millions listen to her music!” 

“Ziz simply isn’t capable of that. No more than Barbatos or I would enslave or kill one of our children, save at the direst need. And for me, not even then,” Nahida said gently, though she sounded deeply pained. 

“Then why are you here? This is a battlefield. Or will you keep me trapped to spare the Princess as she kills my own men?” Alexandria demanded. 

“You will be sent back, but no one will die this day. My mother’s butterflies have spread over the battlefield. All who fall will be returned to life,” Nahida said, a smile tugging at her lips. Then her expression fell as Alexandria’s own grew cold.

“And I assume that includes the Fatui.”

“Are they not sons and daughters, other human beings worthy of life?” Nahida asked, shaking her head. 

“They are our enemies! It’s kill or be killed!” 

“That is a false dichotomy. Life is not a binary, Madam President. People are complex organisms, who themselves contain an entire ecosystem of flora and fauna. Needless bloodshed only weakens us, before our true foe. That’s why I brought you here: I am going to speak to Kollei about peace, and this time, I cannot allow someone to sabotage the negotiations,” Nahida said.

“So you will trap me here!” Alexandria snapped, her hands forming into fists. 

“Rebecca: open your ears, and your mind. So long as they are closed, you are blind and deaf, and cannot learn.” Nahida rested a hand on her breast. “I would never willingly imprison anyone. I myself was trapped for 500 years in my own sanctuary.”

“Did you just say you imprisoned the Simurgh for hundreds of years?” Alexandria demanded coldly. 

Nahida sighed and nodded. “Yes. I suppose if there was no other option, I would keep you here. But there is another way. No, I brought you here to ask you something else.”

“There can be no peace with the Tsaritsa,” Alexandria growled. 

“Not that. There is…a darkness, I sense on you. Something I did not think had yet touched this world: Forbidden Knowledge.”

“What, because I know the secrets of Shards and Archons?” Alexandria scoffed. 

“No, I dare not speak it, for if that taint grows here,” Nahida shuddered. “You have heard the name Khaenri’ah.”

“Only as a riddle. A fable from your world to scare children? I am no child.”

“Then let me explain it to you, for while there is a clear moral to this story, it is no fanciful tale to frighten children, but a grim reminder of what happens when Pride blinds us to the truth.”

Nahida waved a hand and conjured up a glowing green hologram that unfolded like a pop-up book, depicting a sprawling kingdom upon its pages. 

“Once, there was a kingdom in the land of Teyvat, known as Khaenri’ah,” Nahida said. The image rippled, and it showed individual people, dressed in clothes that Alexandria would have described as high fantasy. It looked a bit like what she imagined Gondor would have, at the height of its power, based on what Wyatt had told her. 

“Now there were many gods in Teyvat at this time, for this was before the Archon War. All other lands had gods, whether great or small, and all other peoples were watched over by their deities. But not Khaenri’ah. For Khaenri’ah rejected all gods, and was founded as a godless land.”

“So, they were accursed for rejecting gods?” Alexandria demanded, trying to keep the scorn out of her voice.

“No, not at all! For thousands of years, Khaenri’ah prospered under wise rulers and with hard-working citizens,” Nahida explained. 

The pages flipped, and a procession of regal kings and kings with scarlet eyes amidst the green oversaw people who labored in workshops or in what appeared to be underground caverns, growing mushrooms and catching blind fish. 

“They lived underground?” Alexandria asked, slightly puzzled. 

“They moved underground to hide themselves from Heaven’s gaze, and were in turn ignored. For five thousand years, Khaenria’ah was known as a center of learning, industry, and human spirit,” Nahida narrated, and she showed people in the garb of other lands that Alexandria recognized as Mondstadt, Inazuma, Sumeru, and what she assumed were the other realms of the Archons. 

“So…what? What is the lesson then? We don’t need gods?” Alexandria asked, baffled. 

“It is true that humans do not truly need gods, though we do need humanity. Rather, humans cry out for divine blessings and intervention, and we the gods cannot help but hear the cries of those who are our children. Like loving parents, we cannot help but respond. While some gods can be capricious and cruel, only the most vile abuse their children. Those, however, the other gods and mortals united and destroyed, but this is not that story,” Nahida said. “This is a story of Pride.”

“Ah. So where’s the fall?” Alexandria asked, rolling her eyes. 

“In time, the wise rulers of the Crimson Moon Dynasty were usurped by another dynasty: the Eclipse’’

A wise old king was murdered by dark robed figures. One bent down and plucked up the blood-stained crown, placing it upon his own head.  

They were called the Vinter Kings, and for a time, they ruled reasonably well. But, as they prospered, so they grew proud. They began to listen to evil counsel and sought above all, power.”

Shadowy robed figures whispered in the ear of a king who grew hunched and old, his expression growing sour and paranoid. The people now labored in shadows, and some were dragged out, killed for what appeared to be no reason. Others worked in darkened laboratories, creating weapons of war and peering into dark portals. 

“They no longer sought to live in harmony without gods, but to cast down all gods, and to take the place of Heaven itself. To do this, they gave up everything. Even their humanity.”

Dark offerings were made to the portals, and tentacles came forth, wrapping themselves around the screaming victims and dragging them away. The researchers were warped and twisted, growing monstrous forms, while the dark king began to grow skeletal, a purple glow replacing his eyes and spikes protruding from his crown. 

“And there it is. So, mankind should stay in their place?” Alexandria asked in disgust. 

“You do not listen! Khaenri’ah sought power at any price, and power was offered! The price, however, was too great! The entire nation was swallowed up in payment for power given only to five! The Five Sinners of Khaenri’ah!” 

Five monstrous figures arose, devouring the kingdom and drinking in blood and power, until they towered over the entire desolated landscape. 

“For their sins, Khaenri’ah was destroyed. Heaven itself turned its wrath upon the kingdom, and the Seven were called to contain the destruction. My predecessor, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, was slain in the Cataclysm!”

A glowing green woman stepped out onto the pages, and fought against the Khaenria’ahians, who had grown monstrous. In the end, she was dragged down and killed. 

“So, the Khaneri’ahians did slay a god,” Alexandria said grimly. 

“No!” Nahida wailed and shook her head. “She died SAVING them! Do you not see!?”

The scene played out again, and Alexandria saw that Rukkhadevata had come in, gathering up Khaenri’ahnian civilians and sending them to safety as she fought the monsters. She’d been so focused on the fight, she hadn’t even noticed the civilians fleeing for their lives. 

“They were all there! Morax!” 

An amber lord hurled great stone spears at an endless horde as he sheltered weeping Khaenria’ahnian citizens, an army of amber soldiers fighting alongside Khaenria’ahnian soldiers who had switched sides. 

“Barbatos!” 

A green bard with a bow shot arrows at a hulking purple dragon that sought to devour an entire land, gathering up Khaenria’ahnians and sheltering them from the dragon with his wings. 

“Ba’al!” 

A purple woman who looked like the Raiden Shogun, but wearing not armor but purple robes and wielding a spear fought against endless waves of horrors, and was struck down, even as she tried to rescue one more innocent child. 

“Egeria!” 

A blue woman in robes battled an endless horde of giant robots that had been corroded and twisted by purple energy, protecting yet more refugees. The robots overwhelmed Egeria, who with her last breath, sent the Khaenri’ahnians to safety. 

“Haborym!”

A burning woman with a flaming greatsword struck down an endless horde of monsters, keeping them away from fleeing humans. She barely managed to hold on, taking many wounds as she strove to save as many as she could. 

“And yes, even the Cryo Archon!” 

Not a woman, but an icy man created walls of ice as he tried to guide mortals to safety. In the end, he stayed behind, holding the barrier as the humans fled, but he himself was unable to escape, destroyed when a glowing pillar of light fell from on high, obliterating both him and the monsters. 

The books pages turned to show the fates of the Seven: The Amber Lord stood victorious over the field alongside the burning woman and the wind spirit. However, a great blue lake stood where the Hydro Archon had, a crackling thunderstorm where the Electro Archon fell, a great emerald tree grew over the corpse of the Dendro Archon, and where the Cryo Archon died, a great glacier stood. The book slowly closed, and the hologram faded. 

So. The gods can be slain. And the Abyss can do it.

Nahida looked at Alexandria, fear filling her face. “You, you understand, do you not?”

“The Abyss is deadly dangerous. You’re trying to warn foolish children away from it,” Alexandria said, shaking her head. “You’ve called us as such.”

“Madam President, look at me,” Nahida begged, and Alexandria met her eyes. Nahida put a hand to her chest. “I am a child. This form I take is not some artifact or clever ploy. It is who I am, what I am. Being a child is no bad thing. We children are full of hope, full of life, full of curiosity and a thirst for wisdom. In this case, yes, you are as a child. Ignorant, but curious. I am warning you, begging you: if you find the Abyss, do not study it. Do not approach it. Flee from it. Or your land will suffer the same fate as Khaenri’ah.” 

They just didn’t know what they were dealing with. But we do. And now I know for certain: this power can kill gods. 

“What if Scion discovers the Abyss? What then?” Alexandria demanded. 

Nahida shuddered, hugging herself as she closed her eyes. “Pray such never happens. Already, the King of Demons has power beyond reckoning and seeks to devour all. Should he tap into the Abyss…not only would he be annihilated, but this world, perhaps all of this reality, would be consumed.”

“Then we can’t let that happen, at any cost,” Alexandria said firmly. 

“Yes! Then, you understand?” Nahida asked hopefully. 

“I do,” Alexandria said, and knelt down. She extended a hand to Nahida. “You would sacrifice yourself like those others did, to save mankind from the Abyss. Wouldn’t you?”

“Without hesitation,” Nahida agreed, taking Alexandria’s hand almost shyly. “Please. If you find the Abyss, even a rumor…you will tell me, won’t you? Together, we could seal it off, and prevent it from corrupting this world.”

“Even if it could stop Scion?” Alexandria asked, already knowing the answer. 

Nahida somberly shook her head. “Some prices are too great. Using the Abyss to stop the King of Demons would only destroy that which you would seek to save, even more thoroughly than if he himself enacted his scheme.”

I’m sorry, Nahida, but you really are a child. One day, maybe you’ll understand. 

“I understand. If the Abyss does arise, we’ll work together to stop it,” Alexandria promised. 

Nahida studied Alexandria’s face, and for a moment, she thought she’d failed to guard her thoughts. But it seemed her abilities could wall out even the Dendro Archon. 

Smiling, Nahida nodded hopefully. “Good! Then I will return you to the battle. Though I abhor violence, you are correct that the Kollei and Dantalion must be stopped. I have a plan, and you must trust me that this can be resolved peacefully, without violence. When you arrive back, Kollei will be withdrawing: As I anticipated, she was able to stop Theresa and my mother’s attack, but at the same time, she is denied her storm. Let her withdraw: there is a way out of that will be a harmonious resolution, and for a small price.”

“And what is that?” Alexandria asked. 

Nahida shrugged. “She wishes for the Dendro Gnosis. It is but a small trinket. I have no need of it, and to buy peace, it is a fair price.”

“You would give over so much power?!” Alexandria gasped, astounded by the sheer folly of such an idea, and this from the so-called God of Wisdom!

“Power only means something if it is wielded properly. The Tsaritsa will find that in taking my gnosis, she loses far more than she gains. Fi aman Allah, Madam President.”

“No. America has no gods. We protect ourselves,” Alexandria said, and then stepped back through the waiting portal. 

She found herself not far from where she had vanished. The plant the Princess had grown had caught fire, and was burning away, dead and withered. Kollei herself was falling back with her retainers. The Prince and Farasha had fought to a stalemate, and while they appeared to be hurling insults at one another while Farasha flipped the bird, the Prince was hurrying to Kollei’s side. Even the Witch was falling back, though Theresa had landed and was being tended to by Armsmaster, having reverted to her human form. She appeared to be rather sick and bleeding from many wounds. 

Alexandria couldn’t find it in herself to feel pity for the creature.

Eidolon flew up to Alexandria. “Becky! You’re safe! What happened?!”

“I was trapped in a dream, but Kusinali let me out. But not before telling me a great deal,” Alexandria said. 

Eidolon shook his head. “Later. We have to pursue: We have them on the backfoot, and most of our capes are still relatively fresh.”

“No,” Alexandria said. “Come. We have something to do. Door me!”

A door opened in mid air, and Alexandria and Eidolon stepped through and into Dr. Meliton’s lab, where she and Albedo were peering through glass. Beyond them, in a tightly sealed room, glowing purple crystals hung over weeping subjects that had been strapped to tables. Human subjects.

“Oh! Madam President! You’re not cleared for-” Honey began, but Alexandria cut her off. 

“How many churls, skaven, orcs, and humans do you have ready?” Alexandria demanded.

Honey immediately brightened.  “No human subjects are ready, but we have 500 skaven, 200 orcs, and 100 churls ready!”

“I would caution against deployment,” Albedo said, coming over with a clipboard, his voice as devoid of emotion as always. “They are not trained, and would merely be distractions on the battlefield. The churls follow orders only 78% of the time, while orcs only obey 34% of the time. Skaven have a 50% rate of following orders, but only because after obeying the first few commands, they immediately betray either one another or the one giving orders.”

“We’re not using them as field units. Send small squads out behind enemy lands. Mostly over the Russian border: keep them away from our troops. But send them out, and start collecting data.” Alexandria walked over to the glass, and peered out. “Kusinali told me something.”

“Becky, are you sure this is a good idea?” Eidolon asked, taking off his mask and frowning. Where was his Geo Delusion? He usually wore it all the time. “I don’t like putting untested monsters out as booby traps. It will spread chaos, yes, but it could also harm our own troops.”

“A necessary risk. What Kusinali told me was this: The Abyss can kill Archons,” Alexandria said, looking out at the human test subjects as they writhed under the Abyssal light. “And it can kill Scion. We have our weapon. We just have to learn how to use it. Deploy it. We won’t learn anything keeping this locked in a lab.”

“Yes,” Honey agreed eagerly. “We will identify key targets and send in the Abyss!” 

Alexandria nodded and turned, only for Eidolon to block her path.

“Becky, this is a bad idea!” Eidolon snapped, anger in his eyes. His tone rankled Alexandria, as did his use of her nickname. “We’re creating monsters! Think! I created monsters, powerful ones, and they nearly destroyed humanity! What if we unleash something worse?!”

“I told you, David, that wasn’t your fault. That was Eden’s revenge,” Alexandria said, brushing past Eidolon. “We’re doing this intentionally. We can control it. We know the risks. Kusinali told me an entire nation was destroyed when they let the Abyss run rampant. In fact, she told me it killed four Archons before it was contained.”

“Four Archons?! Then this is madness! Becky, I-”

Alexandria whirled. “I am the President, David! I am in command! You’re traumatized by being a part of the creation of the Endbringers. We didn’t understand our powers. Now we do. Now we have a weapon, after all these years! One final push! One final round of sacrifice, and we can finally save the world!” 

“Or doom it,” David said grimly.

“It’s a poor weapon that can’t also cut its wielder. We just have to be careful. And we will be. That’s why we start small. But we find out what the Abyss can do. And then, we find out how to use it to start killing gods.”

“And Nahida?” David demanded. 

Alexandria hesitated. “If she can be saved, fine. If not, if she gets in our way…well. Then we take her gnosis and make our own god if we have to.”

David looked at Alexandria, then shook his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Of course. I do too. But it’s worth the risk,” she declared. 

And so, the Last President of the United States sealed the destruction of her own people. 

Author’s Note: 

And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

Luke 10:18