Chapter 20-Bits and Pieces

Chapter 20 of Vector of the Heavens

The strange woman walked to the center or the room and conjured up two chairs.
“This will take a while, so please sit.” Link sat himself down and looked up at the stain glass windows.
“Do these windows tell a story of some kind madam?”
“Please, my name is Minevra. And no, the windows don't have a story behind them. This building does though. It is the resting place of the sky sword.”
“Never heard of it.”
“And I did not expect you to understand just yet. But in order to explain it to you completely, I have to start at the beginning. With how this world came to be.”
“You mean the origin of Demise? Riku told me that story. I'm all caught up.”
“Yes, but Riku only told you one of the many lies that the goddesses created in writing to keep mortals and guardians from the truth.”
“What? Mortals I understand, but the servents of the goddesses? Lied to?”
“Just let me explain. I'll tell you everything you need to know, alright?”
“Fine.”

“This world was originally a paradise. A fountain of light and happiness. Where every living creature in the world were gods and goddesses. They all answered to the four grand gods and their wives, the goddesses. Everything was good and just, and the four grand gods did not rule over the land. Rather, they watched over it. They let the other gods do as they pleased. But one of the four, Zentrigan, was not satisfied with his lack of control. He felt that since he and his brothers created everything, they should control everything. But his brothers didn't agree with him. So he created the mortals, creatures without any godlike powers at all so that he could have something to control. He made them his absolute slaves and hid them away in another dimension. He gave them mortality as to control the population, and would have them do whatever he wished. From the men being gladiators in arenas to doing what he wished with the women. His wife, one of the four goddesses, found out about this place during one of his visits. But rather than be shocked and disgusted, she was interested and wanted more. So they did what they pleased, and lived a dark life. However, one day, during what would later be known as the great alignment, the boundaries between the two dimensions was weak, and it was possible for the two worlds to interact. None of the gods noticed, nor did Zentrigan or his mortals. What happened was a complete accident. One of the mortals noticed a glimmer of light nearby, and wandered over to it. When he got there, he was transported to the realm of the gods. Shocked and amazed, he went back and told his fellow mortals and they all went to this new land they discovered as a means of escaping from Zentrigan. The three high gods found out, and called Zentrigan to them. They decreed that Zentrigan was to stay in this realm he created and never come back to the land of the gods. He was stripped of his powers to create life, and was banished in that dimension. The mortals that had escaped to the realm of the gods, were given wings and immortality so that they could live amongst the gods. These were the first of the guardians, but they were not guardians yet. A few millennium passed, and then Zentrigan discovered that when he created the mortals, they died. And when they died, their souls had nowhere to go. Zentrigan soon learned that since the dead spirits were still around in the dimension, he could take their souls and make them undead creatures. And by doing that, he amassed an army and waited for the next great alignment to occur. When it did, he, his wife and his army made their way through a portal and attacked the realm of the gods. This caught the gods off guard, and eight of them were killed, and forced into the service of Zentrigan. When he reached the high temple of his brothers, there was a fierce battle. Zentrigan managed to kill two of his brothers, his wife killed the third. But then the goddesses managed to stop the army and destroy the undead soldiers with a sword they crafted out of thin air with the remaining essences of the three high gods. The day was won, but gods had been killed. And also, the goddesses found out that when Zentrigan appeared and touched them, they regained their immortality and could not be reversed. So they were faced with a very tough choice. Either let the mortals live out their lives amongst the gods and guardians, or give them a new dimension to live in. Feeling that the mortals might end up being a hindrance to the realm of the gods, they created a new dimension for the mortals to live in. A few of the guardians felt like they wanted to be with their kin, so some of them were granted that right. They banished the essence of Zentrigan and his wife into a black orb, and casted it into the dimension Zentrigan created. But somehow, when the next great alignment came about, a dark creature called Demise attacked the mortals dimension, and nearly leveled the whole world. The guardians managed to hold him back long enough for the goddesses to arrive, but not before the land was broken and shaped into the way it is today. Afterwards, the goddesses decided to place Demise into yet another orb that would be sealed away on the island he first landed on. This place was to be kept secret, and whoever stumbled upon this maze would be destined to wander forever, and then die. This is the same maze you and your friends wound up in back on Gueron. With that done, the goddesses decided that they had had enough of this dimension and this conflict. So they used their powers to remove the realm of the gods from the great alignment for all of time. Alongside that, they left behind several parchments and stories that were all lies about Demise and the world before this one. They also created a failsafe in case Demise was to ever wake up again. The golden power. It was mainly to be used as a way of destroying Demise once and for all with the thanks of all the mortals, but also as a failsafe to re-capture Demise if he ever escaped again. It was entrusted to the care of the guardians, who had their memories wiped of the incident and were instructed to collect the prayers of the mortals and bring peace to the world. Since then, this world has been waiting for a chance to be free of Demise.”

“So, how do you fit into all of this Minevra?” Link asked.
“The sages were a select few guardians selected by the goddesses to make sure that if the failsafe did not work, there would be another way to defeat Demise.”
“And how would that be?”
“The sword that lies beyond the great door. It is similar to the sword created by the goddesses, but this one was forged with the sole purpose of destroying Demise and all those related to him and his dark family.”
“But wait, wouldn't that mean the goddesses are also able to die by this sword?”
“Yes. It was a precaution they had to make. In case a god with the power similar to theirs ever went rouge again, they would need to destroy it quickly. So that a being similar to the gatekeepers would never live again.”
“The gatekeepers?”
“The gatekeepers are the dead spirits of the gods that Zentrigan killed during the great battle. Since gods cannot go to any form of afterlife else the laws of reality would break, and there would be a void.”
“So they just let them wander around freely?”
“No they put them in the same dimension as Zentrigan and the fourth goddess. But enough of that. I need you to take the sword beyond this door and defeat Demise.”
“Quick question, why me? I mean, Riku and Aqua seem to be the better swordsmen. And don't you dare tell me that it is because my family is a part of a grand bloodline or there is some stupid prophecy saying I have to.”
“None of those actually. In truth, you can only wield it because of your wife and her family.”
“Huh?”
“When you married Malon, you became a part of her family. And her family was a part of the failsafe system of the goddesses. So really, there are a lot of people out there who could wield the sword. You were just the first one to reach the door. But enough talk. I will open the door and you can take the sword.” Minevra stood up, waved the table out of existence, then waved a hand in front of the giant stone door, and it too vanished as if it were never there. Link looked into the room. It was circular, with a small table n the middle with a sword siting on top of it.
“That's it? No sword in the stone, no epic music?” Link asked.
“It's just a sword. Not everything needs to be dramatic like the playwrights say they need to be.” Link shrugged his shoulders at this and took the sword. It was a well balanced sword with a blue hilt and a sharp blade.
“Now take this back to your friends, and tell them what you know.”
“Great. But, where do I go from here?”
“If I am correct, the king of Malendor has been possesed by Demise, so that would be the best place to find him.”
“Okay. I will tell Riku that myself. Also, how do I get out of here?” Minevra smiled, and waved her arms. Suddenly, Link was back in front of the gate with the water still rising. Only this time, he had a sword around his hilt. The sky sword. He was marveling at it when a wave hit him from the side and he had to quickly run up the stairs to avoid being swept off the platforms. He was drenched, and wondered why he couldn't have just been teleported out of harms way all the way up to his room.

Author's Note

I know this weeks chapter was late, but I had a bit of a rough week (the circle is complete will give you a better understanding). But hopefully this chapter will make up for it.
Please review and tell me what you think!