Divine Apostasy Book 11 - Revised Prologue

Hey!

Root Tier: the last group of chapters is now open.

Thank you so much for all the comments. Some of my anxiety has disappeared since the feedback so far doesn't indicate I destroyed the series. lol. Seriously though, I appreciate all the comments.

One thing is clear though. Some of the foreshadowing I did was far too light. This is usually the case, especially in the first draft.

COMPLETELY UNRELATED here is the revised version of the Prologue. If you have any thoughts about it please comment.

Thank you!!!!!!

Prologue

Naktos watched with curiosity and a significant amount of anticipation as Ruwen and Lalquinrial battled. Naktos floated deep in the chaotic energy surrounding Tower Island. Soul power coated his body like armor, protecting him from damage. His extended senses would be impossible to detect amid the frantic battle above.

Naktos didn't understand Starfield’s strategy. He’d fight decisively to reach an objective and then falter at the very end, as if sabotaging himself. Naktos had expected Lalquinrial to fail once again, but Starfield's evident issues with the Destruction Realm might prove his undoing.

The boy had shocked Naktos once again, displaying a mental ability that had killed everything within twenty miles, almost catching Lalquinrial. It astonished him how fast the boy had increased his power. Not for the first time, Naktos wondered if the boy had gotten help from outside. That last attack certainly appeared like Minor Prelude of Stillness. Not something Naktos had expected to see here.

Starfield looked to be out of ideas as Lalquinrial's minions continued to pour out of the infernal portals. Naktos watched in fascination as the boy assimilated Destruction essence into his body, obviously taking a page out of Lalquinrial's playbook.

The gambit might pay off, Naktos admitted. Destruction essence contained incredibly dense energy, and if Starfield could harness and control it, Lalquinrial might still fail.

The boy had trapped Lalquinrial in a philosophical discussion, an activity the Infernal Lord found irresistible. Despite Lalquinrial’s embrace of destructive nihilism, a small part of the god Naktos remembered still existed. A noble and determined man who had fallen for a false religion of annihilation.

Naktos repressed a gasp when Starfield's transformation exploded outward, consuming his body in an instant. Lalquinrial looked just as shocked. Naktos was no expert on the Destruction Realm, but he knew Destruction essence consuming a Divine body that quickly shouldn’t be possible and meant disaster for the boy.

Perhaps Starfield's sudden consumption was related to his rapid ascent to Divinity. That growth greatly outpaced what anyone here considered normal, and it made sense that whatever shortcuts the boy had used made him vulnerable to attacks like this.

Naktos found it hard to believe the boy had died. Starfield had escaped so many certain death situations that Naktos suppressed his excitement. Chances were good the boy would save himself somehow.

Lalquinrial, perhaps thinking the same thing, coupled with his failure to convince Starfield to join him, stepped forward. The Infernal Lord looked sad, or maybe disappointed. Regardless, he gathered his Divine might and smashed Starfield’s Destruction contaminated body.

The impact from that attack sent waves through the island and into the sea that hid Naktos. Lalquinrial’s Soul-infused Spirit attacks had barely affected Starfield minutes ago, but in his current form, the attack destroyed him.

Naktos concentrated his senses around the battle, despite the danger of revealing himself. To his surprise, he could sense no traces of Starfield. Destruction essence had consumed the boy’s Fortified body, and Lalquinrial’s attack had vaporized what remained.

The current location made it difficult for Naktos to be one hundred percent sure, but it appeared Lalquinrial had succeeded in destroying the boy. Could Starfield really be dead?

Lalquinrial knelt and passed his hands through the dust, which was all that remained of the throne Starfield had destroyed. Naktos withdrew his senses as Lalquinrial hyper-focused his own detection methods to find any traces of Starfield.

As the seconds passed, Naktos became more and more excited. After a minute, Lalquinrial stood and, with a complicated series of gestures, created a portal.

Naktos grinned at the unexpected outcome. Starfield's rapid growth had surprised Naktos, and he’d not taken the boy seriously soon enough.

Who could’ve predicted Starfield’s incredible mental development? The truth was, if Lalquinrial had failed here, Naktos would’ve needed to reveal a secret to halt the boy's progress.

The portal Lalquinrial had created led to a cavern deep underground in the center of the kingdom Naktos ruled. He didn’t want to give the impression that he’d been waiting for the portal, which is why he’d waited a bit to use it.

Naktos touched his neck, making sure the methane sacks covered it properly. After all this time, he’d not been able to shake this nervous habit. The gesture was counterproductive, like a thief constantly checking his stolen stash. This conversation required his full attention, and he made a note to alter the memories later.

Preparations complete, Naktos tapped his Soul power, and amidst the chaotic energies surrounding the island, he easily hid his teleportation.

Appearing in front of the portal, Naktos stepped forward as if exiting and then spent three seconds looking around in shocked amazement, as if he hadn't watched the entire fight unfold personally.

"What happened?" Naktos asked.

Lalquinrial knelt where Starfield had died. He scooped up a handful of the throne’s powdered remains, and let it fall slowly back to the ground, his expression sad.

"Ruwen Starfield is dead," Lalquinrial said in a solemn voice.

Naktos quickly stepped forward and knelt on the destroyed throne. He placed both hands in the powdered stone and ash, pushing a wave of powerful Soul energy into the surroundings to search for any part of the boy.

The soulless demon Lalquinrial carried in his mind howled with joy, the vibrations of its celebration evident to Naktos’ searching magic. He ignored the abomination. Now wasn’t the time for such distractions.

After thirty seconds, Naktos shook his hands free of dust and sat on his heels. Initially, he’d detected the echo of Ruwen Starfield—the faint temporal impression the boy had left with his presence. And now, nothing remained.

Lalquinrial turned to Naktos. "Well?"

Naktos couldn’t suppress a smile. "He's gone. Ruwen Starfield is dead."

Relief flooded Naktos. In all his time, no one had come so close to unraveling his plans. Now, after almost three years, what had started as a failed assassination attempt on the boy’s Ascension Day, had finally ended here.

"Yes," replied Lalquinrial, his voice just as sad as his expression.

"That's an odd reaction for vanquishing such a powerful enemy."

Lalquinrial grabbed another fistful of rubble and let it dribble out like sand from a broken hourglass. "There’s no pleasure in destroying lies, only duty to the truth. I thought him capable of seeing that truth, but the lies held him too tightly."

No one spoke for ten seconds, as if everyone needed a moment to adjust to the new paradigm. With Ruwen Starfield out of the way, nothing remained to threaten Naktos. He vowed to never let things get out of control like this again.

"The book?" Lalquinrial asked softly.

Two birds with one stone, Naktos thought to himself as he removed the thin journal from a dimensional ring.

Lalquinrial had demanded that Naktos and Izac help with this attack. Naktos didn't know how Izac had sidestepped this event, but Naktos had done so with the promise of a lost journal—a fake journal, but one that held the truth regardless.

Naktos protected the journal from the surrounding Destruction essence with a thin film of Soul energy. He wondered if Lalquinrial's half-consumed body produced Soul energy or if the god had already lost his soul to the Destruction essence contaminating his body.

Lalquinrial accepted the journal reverently, and despite holding it with a hand completely black from Destruction essence, the journal remained unharmed.

"It looks the way I remember," Lalquinrial said quietly.

Naktos remained silent as Lalquinrial reminisced. Naktos recalled how close Lalquinrial and Pen had been before the Darkness appeared and Lalquinrial's path to destructive nihilism began.

This journal was replicated from one of Pen’s real poetry journals. Naktos had carefully replaced the poetry with other information.

Lalquinrial opened the journal with great care. He glanced at each page as he methodically worked his way through the handful of pages, pausing periodically to study the drawings.

After Lalquinrial finished, the journal disappeared, safely stored in dimensional storage.

Irritation and frustration replaced Lalquinrial’s sadness. This pleased Naktos because it meant the Infernal Lord had extrapolated from the book’s clues and reached the desired conclusions.

"What do you think?" Lalquinrial asked Naktos. “The Temporal Offset is enormous.”

Naktos responded as if he didn't know Lalquinrial's intentions. "I'm not sure it matters. There’s no way to confirm it, and it has no impact on us anyway, true or not."

Lalquinrial nodded thoughtfully. "Hypothetically, then."

Naktos had prepared his response carefully after discovering Lalquinrial's plans months ago. Naktos paused for thirty seconds, though, to give the impression of a thoughtful reply.

"Hypothetically," Naktos repeated. "If Pen’s time flow information is correct and it mirrors our experience here, then leaving our universe would, at best, leave one hopelessly untethered in time and, at worst, immediately kill you."

Lalquinrial gazed at the destroyed throne for a minute before standing. He turned and faced his allies and minions, which Naktos had carefully ignored.

The vast majority of the crowd came from the Infernal Realm. The Destruction Realm creature that Miranda had kept imprisoned since the halting of the Darkness looked from Naktos to Lalquinrial. Naktos glanced at the dark priest’s details as he stood.

Name: Achid Noljstew 

Realm: Destruction 

Type: Citizen 

Race: Maelstromian 

Tower: Chaos 

Estimated Power: Tier 2 Level 1 

Class: Inquisitor 

Path: Chaotic Unraveller 

Faction: Chaos, Death

Deity: Destruction Emperor 

Might: Medium 

Durability: Low 

Support: Low 

Strengths: Dimensional Warping, Focus, Willpower 

Weaknesses: Harmonics, Soul Power, Concentrated Aura 

Disposition: Neutral 

Description: Chaotic Unraveller is the most common path for Inquisitors. They are responsible for harvesting a universe at the sovereign’s command, and their vast numbers provide the Chaos Tower a position of respect second only to the Death Tower.

Naktos knew the Infernal Lord and Inquisitor barely trusted each other and had allied themselves out of need. Lalquinrial's desire for Outerverse knowledge made him vulnerable to questionable agreements, and Naktos knew how single minded the Inquisitors of the Destruction Realm acted.

Lalquinrial spoke to the Inquisitor. "You never mentioned the Temporal Offset."

The Inquisitor jerked backward in shock.

Lalquinrial sighed and shook his head. He turned to Naktos and gave him a small bow. "Thank you, brother. I deeply appreciate this information."

Naktos returned the bow, making sure he went lower and held it longer. When he stood, the Inquisitor glared at him.

Lalquinrial raised his voice to address the horde of demons. "Return home and await my call. Our plans have changed."

The demons rushed back to the distant portal that had brought them here.

Locking gazes with the Inquisitor, Lalquinrial radiated displeasure. A black dimensional doorway appeared, and the Inquisitor entered without prompting.

Lalquinrial studied the destroyed throne a final time before disappearing through the summoned door.

The gateway winked out of existence, and Naktos stood alone between the five towers. He gave the destroyed throne a last look and worked hard to contain his joy. His greatest threat had died, and he’d successfully disrupted Lalquinrial’s plans without revealing any of his own secrets.

Everything was going perfectly.