Chapter 23 : Inherited Divine Will

They are greeted to an unfamiliar yet welcome sight.

Elusice. A large village, deep in the midst of the vast desert.

A sizable place, this was. There were a few vehicles on the outskirts but mainly a mixture of ancient huts and a few newer larger buildings. Clearly the people that lived here have been living in this village for millennia. On the outskirts of the village, there were large plots of irrigated land and on the other side, there were signs of a defense system. A bit of the old and new were present in this place.

The people of Elusice had traded with the people from Exora and embraced the newer technology, spurred on by the Divine Hammer, while also keeping their old traditions with them. As they walk forward from the outskirts, the Elder spots them.

To be fair, these folk do stand out quite a bit compared to an average human.

A goddess who has blue and purple armor, another god with majestic long green hair, and four spirits in tow next to them. Truly, the guardian of the village had met such interesting people in her brief absence. The elder herself was a tall brown-skinned woman with had greyish-white hair, a patchwork dress made from numerous types of cloth, and a graceful but beautiful aged appearance. Estola was in her mid sixties and was starting to look for a successor, to start training. That process would take at least ten years, the graceful woman thinks. The Builder of worlds noticed the fiery red-eyed dark skin woman, beginning with an introduction.

“Greetings. Are you the elder of this village? You have this presence about you, it almost in a way reminds me of myself.”

“Yes, my lord. Lord of Creation, it is a pleasure to meet you. We have heard much from you, from our resident protector, the Lord of the Earth. It seems the ‘will’ guided her to you in her absolute time of need.” Again, the “will?” What does this woman mean? It mildly bothers the android that every mortal always felt the need to call her lord or some ruler but it was something the architect could not avoid. It was inevitable.

“No need to call me lord. Please.”

“I refuse, you are a lord of the stars. And not accepting your proper role as a guiding matriarchal monarch is mildly insulting to us, you know. The people that believe and respect you. So take the title with grace, your grace.” Sharp words merely humble the ancient machine.

But those words rang true. Just because the creator lived, breathed and dined with the mortals did not mean she was a mere mortal. No, the hammer of the heavens was much greater than most. And the god had a great purpose and stake in everything. They both knew this. Ella merely reminded this one of her role and to embrace it. You truly cannot escape yourself, even if you want to pretend to be someone else. You can only be you.

Eventually, you will have to look at yourself in the mirror and embrace the inner self. Otherwise, you would simply be in true denial of your strengths and ignore your own flaws.

Now, the Builder has started to see this. The blonde goddess understands why Divine Flash was so angry at her before. Divi, though great at helping others, needs to help herself. Needs to start working on her stubbornness and start embracing that role as a benevolent ruler more so.

Instead of arguing, the android slowly nods, humbled by this Elder. Already Estola has proven that the passed down title is true.

“Good. It is good to see that you embraced my words, rather than reject them. Shows that you are growing. I have heard many tales of you, my lord, and I have heard great things, and rather petulant things. Like the way you and your sister have been squabbling for millennia. It seems that you two finally are maturing, something we all must do to grow. Life is about learning and growing, no matter if you are a mere child or an ancient machine goddess. You too can figure new things out, hmm? I also get this glum, depressed feeling from you. Feel free to express it.”

“So introspective. With a few words you have already seen through me. But yes, we recently met the replica unit, or as we like to call her, the ‘Demon of Legend’, and. Well.” Moments later, a brief recap of the events of yesterday are spoken to the Elder. Her eyes narrow with concern.

The living disaster has come back to life.

All according to the Will, it seemed.

The Will of the Universe. Or the Will, as people in this village liked to call it. People who were strongly connected their spirits to the land, the stars, spirits could eventually hear this voice. Or collection of voices. Everyone had a slightly different experience when hearing the Will.

But it was all similar.

The Will was guiding all of them forward, connecting them together.

“I see. The Will has spoken to me, and your friend. The Will of the Universe, we like to call it. I can sense your spirit Lord of Worlds. And that vibrant spirit of Diana, the servant of the creator goddess. And those mighty ancient warriors behind you, those men and women. Who desire to help you, guide you into the future. The Will is strong around you my lord.” A slightly puzzled expression emerges on that confused face.

“Again, with this Will? What is it? A voice? An essence?”

“It is the voice of the stars. The message the universe gives to those aligned with it, attuned to it. Did you never think that the worlds you created had a voice, my lord Builder? All of them do. And so do the realms. Combined together, they make a majestic voice. One we can hear occasionally. And rarely, the Will will present itself in a physical form. Does that answer your question?”

“Somewhat. I am not sure if I believe in this all-encompassing, connected voice, greater than gods themselves, but I also cannot deny the possibility, either. After all, I perform the impossible every day. Perhaps there is some credence in your words, Ms. Estola.”

Estola nods, happy to see that this great Architect embraced this. It was not necessary to fully believe but tolerating and accepting showed a greater depth of character.

“You can me that or Estola, my lord. Now, how about I show you around the village? There is more to speak about, I can feel. You have other things on your mind, don’t you? Worry about your lost sister. Concern about those two youths. And other things.”

“Practically in my mind. Not the first time recently but this is more acceptable. I do like your vibe, after all.” A great smile emerges on that fatigued face, a genuine one. Amidst the Chaos, calm was found in this quaint village, the android had never seen before, strangely.

Why was that though? She wondered as they walked through the village slowly. How on earth did this place remain hidden? And for over thirty thousand years? Ella glances over, seeing the confused, dazed look emerging on the lord.

“Ah, confused? Why so, Lord Builder?”

“How did you all escape detection from me, the drone network or the other gods?”

“Ancient, ancient magic. A great being lived with us for millennia and when that woman left, they left a powerful barrier that not only protects our village from wildlife but hides us from being detected. Timeless magic, it seemed. In the center of the village, the eternal spell lies.” The two walk towards the center of the bustling village. A large blue orb is held in place on top of a pedestal. Two craftsmen walk behind them, carrying two huge logs of wood.

Busy men for a busy place.

She walks up this dark black pedestal and attempts to pull out the orb, with no success. Some great magic is keeping that thing stuck in place. Magic beyond her capability to interfere with. Yet another strange phenomenon. Though this was of lesser importance than the other strange things learnt from yesterday.

Machine angels.

A false Demon Lord..

And the cultists which have existed long before she even was created. All causes for concern. But that was for later, now, the two continue speaking with gusto, talking about the intricacies of the village. The village has its own self-sustaining crop system, as well as a functional weapon system. They had traveled to the large city on the nearby planet, Exora, that Nam and Divine Flash crash landed on, and traded some of their artisan goods, wood, and jewelry for mechanical systems, artillery and vehicles. Underneath the village, lies a man made underground forest. There, they grew all sorts of fruit, such as apples, oranges and melons. This food cultivation and agriculture were taught to them by this mysterious magic ridden woman. That was what the people called her.

The Magician. Naturally, a master of magic.

But also this woman was also a master of technology and knowledgeable on all things. In fact, it almost seemed like the woman was all knowing, in a way. Though, even though she always pretended like it was mere luck the way she had acquired these skills, it was obvious to everyone.

There was much more to that Magician than the sly graceful lady let on.

None of them learned much about her past, only that the master of magic had visited many planets and many realms, aiding all that she could. Then, one day, the woman left without notice.

Only leaving a small book with her signature and incomprehensible magic spells that no one could decipher. Each Elder took care of that treasure and passed it down to the next one, waiting patiently for someone that could finally take use of it. None of them actually knew what that book really was.

It was a grimoire of ancient magic. Only suitable for a star candidate that could use creation magic. And so, the current Elder Estola can now finally fulfill the wish of all those previous Elders who could not. The Village Chief of Elusice can now pass on this millennia old tome, which is still in good condition strangely, to the Lord of Creation. Estola reaches deep into the brown jacket she is wearing on top of her long sun flower embed robes, a patch quilt of clothes stitched together by the children of the village. Estola offers the book to the lord of the stars, who seems modestly interested.

“We have had this book in our possession for over twenty thousand years. Yet it has not fallen apart or been damaged. I suspect that this Magician would want to give this tome to another that performs powerful, ancient magic, like hers. We will never know, we have never seen that lady since the moment of the great departure. It was a sad day but a hopeful one. It meant that we were ready to live on our own rather than constantly needing aid.” With great respect and honor, the Builder gladly takes the book, peering into it.

The book seems difficult. Some of the language looks familiar yet some of it does not. It will take time, perhaps years, to fully decipher these words. Strange magic symbols and passages are written down. And after a couple minutes, the blonde woman wearing old damaged armor closes the tome. For now, it will be unused. Later, it will be closely read.

“Thank you for this gift, I will do my best to decipher it. Was there anything else you wanted to show me, Lady Estola?”

“Only the great dining hall. We are having a feast to welcome not only the Divine Guardian but the great Creation goddess. Please, please, attend it later in the day. We are still preparing for it, it will take a couple more hours.” Words of complaint briefly rise but the Builder forces them down, knowing it will not change their desire.

Humans can be stubborn at times, as stubborn as she herself can be.

As the mother of the heavens ponders this. The TecCommunicator begins buzzing. Tony’s voice shoots out. Oops, it seems that the lord forgot to notify the servant. Diana casually called Anthony right as the blondie woman went to sleep last night. So now it was time for the young man to speak.

Or more of the time to yell again.

“I finally got an update from Diana last night. Weren't you supposed to update me daily, Ms. Hammer? You know I’m holding down the damn fort here fool!” Anthony again annoyed. Much of the work was forced onto him, with his boss out cold for a week, then away on some “exploration”, which nearly killed all of them. And now they are in a village.

Great. Fantastic. What am I going to do with these two, he groans mentally slouching in his chair. They need to come back to deal with the damn president and the planet council. They want answers to this impending crisis! And this woman needs to be here to help them calm everyone down. The unrest in Aegis the last couple of days could not be missed.

Frankly, it was time the Divine Hammer became the Divine President, really.

The lady had all the attributes, just needed to focus on actually using them better.

“Fine, fine, don’t yell at me Tony! Sorry. We greatly underestimated the threat in that prison but most of us are okay, luckily. My sister, well, I have no idea. She stood back and took on that demon lord, even though we all knew it was a lost cause. Damn it…”

“I am sorry to hear. But look on the bright side; Star Breaker was just pretending to be a little trouble maker. There is more going on then meets the eye. I am going to need to hear your side of this story. I heard a bit from Diana, but you know how she is when it comes to long conversations. I only got the gist from Ms. Servant. Oh and as well, we have found something of interest. But first, tell me what happened.”

Tony turns on the video function of the TecCommunicator. The two start their video call.

A long story is told in the span of about twenty or thirty minutes. The strange facility, the proctor unit. The words of the demon lord. That Crystal Tower that had sent them to that strange place. The battle between Diana, Ms. Builder, Star breaker and the Replica. The knights who awakened then helped them escape. And finally, the missing Mid-Earth Goddess that had swooped in at the last possible moment to protect them. And a bit more from the recent conversation. This was a lot to take in. Tony pauses for a moment, spinning in the chair in their office.

Truly. So many things at once. It was no longer just a string of coincidences. Some greater plan was at play here. And somehow, all of them were going to be forced into it, no matter what.

“I see. Well, then we will have to prepare ourselves. After we analyze this large machine, we found in the nearby ruins, close to the capital, on Stella, we will start reinforcing the planet's defenses. It is obvious that the demon lord is going to launch an offensive on the capital planet, which is both the center of commerce and freedom, soon.” Tony fixes his glasses, worried but shrugs. All they can do is brace for the battle that will come to them. Their thoughts trail to that mysterious thing Tony found recently.

“Tell me more about that machine you found Tony. What is it like? How big is it?”

“It is a machine from the past. It reminds me of that ‘omni knight’ I saw you use earlier and heard about from those young sisters. But this one seems more suitable for the average person. If that makes sense. It is a ten meter machine, slender and feminine. But the inside hatch can be opened. But no one can turn it on. However, hooking it up to our detection systems, we can detect energy flowing through this machine and something akin to a heartbeat. It is, in my theory, alive and dormant, perhaps asleep. And frankly, that makes sense. Considering you just met the living spirits of warriors who sealed away that ‘demon lord’. Perhaps they might know more than we do about this machine. But for now, I will continue inspecting it with our team of researchers. Maybe it can be of help if we can just figure out how to make it wake up.”

“Good idea Tony. Keep me updated. I will update you when we get back to the ship later. Soon, we will board the Dreadnought. But this time, we will not be going home. I have a bad feeling again. Me and Diana will head to Lunace. I suspect those two girls are going to need an escape route out of there. Especially if they have a reason to go back into the den of beasts.” Tony doesn't even argue. For once, the young man actually agrees.

Going back to Lunace was foolish. They were being hunted by those machine slaves, right? Clearly something of great value was still there, something or someone they needed to find.

“Normally I'd argue, but this is the most sensible thing you’ve said to me the whole day. Update me when you get into orbit, we will discuss the details of a plan. For now, carry on with your business. Tony, out.” The communicator transmission ends, the two of them mildly happy to hear each other but not exactly pleased at the reunion, either.

It was going to get busier, it seemed.

She turns around and sees that Estola was speaking to her attendant, Rose, as they were talking, to not disturb their important conversation. The four knights float towards them, calmly observing the young ones.

“My assistant found a machine, shaped like a human. Do ya’ll know anything about that?”

“Ah. An ancient war machine. It reacts to Evolution energy, so it won’t awaken until someone displays enough of that essence. Where Divine warriors, such as you, o creator of worlds, and us, piloted the great machine gods, they were generally not suitable for most mortals. It requires too much spiritual and mental focus for mortals to pilot a machine god, so weaker but efficient war machines, designed for mortals, were made. That one your servant found was merely one of thousands, no, tens of thousands that used to exist. Most have been lost to time, it seems.” The Lance Knight speaks with great grace. Maybe not the first time she had to say this, perhaps?

Estola seems intrigued by these knights and begins inquiring about them, their past, how they reached this state. They don't really provide much of an answer, only saying that it was not necessary to know.

Time has flown by. It is now time for supper.

Diana emerges from seemingly nowhere, with ice cream in her hand.

Running can be heard. The smell of that terrifying scent of the strawberry ice cream spooked the fearful lady. Not as if the woman can escape.

Strawberry was destiny, it was life. It will be eaten, no matter what.

Afterwards, they all meet together in the large dining hall. There, many respectful villagers have given them a place to sit, food to eat and a plethora of drinks.

A small reprieve before their next move and a welcome one at that.

That curious mind continues asking more about the older machines, the ones used by mortals in the past. The Lance knight continues answering.

“So, what about them? Who made those machines? Why?”

“Mortals worked alongside us, the divine warriors, to create sentient mechanical golems that could aid them in their battle against the mighty demon. That red-haired chaos god is also a creator, though frankly, not as skilled as yourself. That woman can make a plethora of machine slaves, minions and golems, the latter which were piloted by others that allied themselves with her. What else do you want to know, o Warrior Goddess?”

“How old is that human-like machine? Do they retain memories? I have found many relics from ruins but never a fully left humanoid machine. Most of the time, I found pieces of whatever my assistant found recently.”

“Hundred? Two hundred thousand years old? Depends. She is not merely that old; that being has existed for millions perhaps billions of years. Though I do not think I can say all that I would like to say. Someone familiar will intervene.”

“Intervene, who? Who could prevent you from talking?” The O.R.B, the orbiting battle god, emerges next to them, freaking out the builder. The spirit laughs, this godly being loves doing that to people.

“Hello O.R.B. It’s been awhile, hasn't it?”

“It has been ten thousand years since our last encounter, warrior of the lance, Lancer. I see you have been awakened and have been aiding our candidates. Good. Please ask before disclosure of sensitive information though I suspect you wouldn’t do so, without a good reason.”

“Always. Who would fight you, after all? Only a fool that seeks death.”

“Okay, okay what is going on? Who are you?”

“I am the Orbiting Battle God, monitor and controller of star realms. You are the Divine Hammer, a creation and battle unit. Greetings.” Questions emerge which all get shot down instantly. The O.R.B merely buzzes about, following around the two as they walk inside the dining hall. Strangely none of the other villagers seemed bothered by this.

“Aren’t ya’ll weirded out by this strange spirit?” The Builder asks a random man next to her. The man shrugs.

“Nah. The O.R.B just likes appearing here and there, giving us advice on how to grow crops better. Besides being an arbiter, that spirit is always a help to people. It shows up in unexpected places and offers advice or help, at times. Who knows where it came from but I ain’t complaining, my Lord Builder!” The man laughs, casually patting her on the back then walks off, grabbing his plate to get some more food.

Everyone in this village is so strange. Strange indeed. Maybe their belief in the “Will” spurs it. The O.R.B continues following them, mildly interested in these people.

Not the first time nor the last she has visited the mortals of Elusice. They have great spiritual insight. That should be relayed to others. The Builder begins to annoy the great cyber spirit with another question but this one is more insightful, this time.

“Great arbiter, what is this ‘Will’ they speak of? Will of the Universe. It sounds like something you can’t see but something you merely feel and experience.”

“The Will? The people here and others around the realm, describe it as the essence of the stars themselves. The stars breathe, they feel, just as you and the mortals do. They remember all things, the beginning. Death. They remember the conflict started by the god of chaos. And they remember the people who believed in them. Faith provided by the people made the stars give faith onto the people. A cyclical exchange. Therefore, the Will guides them, pushes them, and gives them hope. Hope for the future. Perhaps hope is better than pure cynicism? People can not move further if they do not desire to change, to evolve. And the Will strives to do that, it can hear their voices, deep within the cosmos.” The O.R.B unexpectedly talks without reserve for once.

It has been quite some time since this had last happened.

Perhaps the last conversation with the Magician, she remembers fondly.. Often it was short queries or battle approvals this important being had to deal with. It would be nice if people actually treated her a bit more friendly at times.

Divi picks up on this, somehow.

“You. You really just want someone that treats you like a friend, huh? Well, I’ll be your friend if you so desire. Not only that, I'll be your confidant, if you like. Feel free to offload whatever you are feeling, whether it is a joyous moment or a sad or a frustrated one. I do not mind, Ms. Orb.” The O.R.B for once is surprised. Such a kind offering, with nothing attached.

Genuine. Now, the ancient god can understand why the Demon Lord and that Sage were so hopeful with this batch. They possess greater qualities than the ones before. Even greater potential than the Lance spirit standing right next to them. Not only in evolution energy, but in mind, character and personality. Graciously the floating cyber spirit accepts, shaped like a sphere with rings floating around that small spherical body.

“You know. That was the kindest thing anyone has told me in a long, long time. For too long have I been used either as a tool for work or I have been forced to watch over meek, helpless children. As a small reward, I will tell you a little secret. Just you, Builder of worlds.” The cyber being whispers something only the blonde woman can hear.

“I have a small, fairy-like body, hidden in this orb. It is not my real body, merely a copy of it. Useful for moving around. I cannot tell you the true location of myself but one day, you may be able to see me in the flesh.”

“Well. Thanks for letting me know, Ms. Orb? Do you have another name, perhaps I could call you by? ‘Orb’ feels so distant and impersonal. Surely your creator had a different name for you, did she not?”

Ah. There was one. Just one name.

It would be fine to tell, it was not an issue. No one knew the true significance of that name, anyway.

“My old name was Guinevere. Only you may call me that, Creator of Worlds. Now, as delightful as our conversation was, I must go. I am busy. I will, um, find you when I want to talk. Do not worry. I will know where you are.” And with that, the mysterious battle god rises into the heavens, flying out of the dining hall, vanishing into the sky. The Lance Knight smiles.

More proof of that boundless potential, it seemed. The other three spirits float next to them, having similar expressions. They had spoken with the village elder at length and were pleased to hear things about this world. Things they wanted to share with the Lancer.

“You should eat dinner. You have been busy making new friends, great Builder. My comrades will talk with me a bit, we will return to you later. Enjoy yourself.” And with that the four float off away, conversing cheerfully about little not important things.

Flying cars.

Galactic space ships.

Those warp gates she built.

Seemingly simple things that were of absolute necessity to many people. They were all so grateful for the work the Divine Hammer did for their sake..