This story utilizes an interactive roleplay format for simplicity and so readers can easily understand what's going on. It is based off a format from the webnovel 'Prince of the Winter' by Melakistal
The universe is dark, yet vast. Timelines entangle each other and snap like the strings in a spider's web. Vile gods and dark deities plague existence, toying with the fundamental structure of the universe like building blocks. Timelines unraveled in decay as the cosmic parasite ate existence then recreated it all over again. Out of the ashes and bodies of this ever dying expanse, 2 forever reincarnating deities emerged. The Hero; the paladin of the righteous, and the Villain; the malefactor of the hateful. The 2 deities traveled across the spacetime continuum, forever clashing in alternate realities in a never ending cycle of war and liberation.
After a number of universal cycles had passed, more than there are named numbers, the last sparkle of hope emerged; Kaitlyn 'Gaia' Morgan. A human girl, about 16 years of age with sparkling red hair, and standing at about 5'4. She was born of the Hero and the Tempest Eye; she was the zenith that would slay the cosmic parasite and end the universal cycle of decay.
Kaitlyn traversed timeline after timeline, gaining powers no ordinary human could control nor defend. Her arcane, divine sorcery challenged the gods of the dark, and she set out on a quest to uncover 4 pillars of the universe; the Arcane Palaces.
The Celestial Palace was the foundation of knowledge and sorcery. The very idea of intelligence and magic came from it.
The Tempest Palace was the foundation of war and control, situated at the heart of the Tempest Eye.
The Nexus Palace was the foundation of time and space, it was the first Palace and the very beginning.
The Ethereal Palace… the existence of the Ethereal Palace is unknown. It is said to be the foundation of godhood and civilization, and guarded by the Unnamed deity.
Kaitlyn sought after these Palaces. She found 3 of them, but the Ethereal Palace remains lost to time.
Kaitlyn: She sat meditating in an old, runic temple, named the Celestial Palace. The walls were pristine navy blue with diamond and sapphire columns and support beams. Magical energy in light blue traveled around her, being absorbed into the crystal columns. Her eyes laid close and the black wooden door laid shut. Sigil's and symbols in white floated around her, changing as if they were spells waiting to be cast. Suddenly, the door creaked open. Kaitlyn's eyes opened slowly. Her friend, Maverick Karfasker, stepped forward slowly unto her.
Maverick: He wore a gray sweater and dark gray jeans. His hair is as dark as wood and his eyes green. He walked forward to her, his hands resting in his pockets. "Kaitlyn." His eyes fixated on her.
Kaitlyn: The sigil's and energy that floated and traversed around her faded into nothingness, the arcane flow of the temple grinded to a halt. "What is it, Maverick?"
Maverick: "The Ethereal Temple, the one we have been trying to locate for years. Your brother, Viktor Kosmov found it." He pulled out an old map, curled up and tied together with a brown string. He tossed the map to Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn: She caught the map in her right hand. She undid the string that held it in place, and unwinded the map. It showed a map of a massive string-like structure, and a drawing of a floating palace above it. "So the legends are true..will we find him?"
Maverick: "We can't be sure if the legend of Uzbörath is true, the Unnamed deity could just be old folklore that became associated with the Ethereal Palace."
Kaitlyn: She pondered to herself for a second, then spoke. "Is that all?"
Maverick: "We discovered several temporal fractures. They heal on their own and they seem to be coming to us, but this happens all the time, they're nothing new." he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.
Kaitlyn: "Very well then. I will talk to the Archangel of the Solar Kingdom. I will discuss with him about sending a convoy to the Ethereal Palace, and to confront the Unnamed deity. But first," She paused, then got up from her meditation, standing and stretching her back. "I have something that needs to be done." She walked past Maverick, and out the door.
Maverick: He turned around as Kaitlyn walked by, then he walked out as the doors shut on their own.
Kaitlyn: She entered an old library. The floor was glass, covered in runic symbols and sigils the color of the aurora borealis, the floor was thin yet indestructible. Books flew past her like a chain, and the bookshelves stretched infinitely high and infinitely low, yet the library itself was small from the outside, only about the size of a 2 story building. The bookshelves are organized cleanly, and the rows of them stretched forever onward. On these bookshelves laid every book to ever exist, from every timeline at every point in time. She watched deities and mystical beings wandering the library. Kaitlyn approached the Librarian; the deity who maintains the library. "Librarian."
Librarian: "Yes, Kaitlyn?" She looked like a being made of clockwork, covered in gears and a mystical brown cloak. She was wise and nearly all-knowing. She had read every book in the library thirty seven thousand times over.
Kaitlyn: "I'm looking for a book on the legend of the Unnamed deity."
Librarian: She hesitated for a moment, before answering. "The Unnamed deity does not have an existing book written about it. All that exists is a few scriptures from an unwritten testament." She handed Kaitlyn a stone slab from underneath her cloak, with only a few sentences written on it.
At the very heart of the void, lies the Ethereal Temple, the foundation of godhood and civilization. The Unnamed deity is the vanguard and protector of this temple. He makes sure nobody who enters the temple ever leaves. Many explorers and pioneers have given him titles, but none have been truly agreed upon. The Unnamed deity, Uzbörath, the Nameless Watcher, and so forth. The
Kaityn: The slab was unfinished. The final word 'the' looked like whoever wrote it had their hand sliced off before they could finish. "What. Where's the rest? This can't be it."
Librarian: "I'm afraid it is. Although I have read this testament thousands upon thousands of times, even I do not know the rest of it. I only know what is written, not what has not yet been written."
Kaitlyn: "I have a map to the Ethereal Palace, maybe I will meet him there." She took the stone slab and set it in a purse of hers.
Librarian: "Interesting. But I would be cautious if you so choose to venture to the Ethereal Palace. The temporal fractures have become increasingly more common. Just this week I have witnessed 17 of them.
Kaitlyn: "I will. But for now, I must head to the Solar Kingdom. I need to have a discussion with the Archangel." She hurried off as the Librarian turned back to her tendings. She went to an arcane starsail. It looked like an old wooden sailboat, but the sail was covered in runes and the starsail was of pristine white metal. Viktor Kosmov and Maverick Karfasker were already in the starsail. As she got in, Viktor spoke to her.
Viktor: "Kaitlyn, I recommend we take the southeast route to the Solar Kingdom, these temporal fractures have made the northern routes ever so dangerous."
Kaitlyn: "Fine, but let's try to get there as fast as we can." Viktor piloted the starsail through space. She watched as the Celestial Palace, floating through the void with a blue star far behind it. Just as she thought everything was going perfectly, her vision turned black, and a vision played in her mind. She screamed and panicked and fell as she saw a being standing in flames. The begin had a pitch black body with a white outline as if it was drawn by paper. The being had 3 eyes, full of fury and depression. The being only spoke a few words; 'I am coming..for you..' then the vision silenced.
Maverick: He rushed to Kaitlyn, catching her as she fell. "Kaitlyn!? What happened??" Concern shrouded his face.
Kaitlyn: "I just saw something..someone.. A being shrouded by flames, and a face pure of hatred.." She was afraid, terrified of what she saw. "Nevermind.. Let's just keep going." She got up, and stared at an ever approaching planet of fire and orange marble.
Viktor: "Kaitlyn, we shouldn't ignore things like this. With what we've seen before, this may not just be some random time where you are seeing things."
Kaitlyn: "It's fine, Viktor. Lets just...keep going." She brushed her shoulder, indicating it was simply nothing.
The starsail landed on the capital planet of the Solar Kingdom, named Trithiin. As Kaitlyn, Maverick, and Viktor got off of the starsail, a divine being greeted them. He bore golden armor with brown leather coverings. He had 4 glowing orange wings, 2 big and 2 small, and the head of a man with glowing eyes; The Archangel.
Archangel: "Hello, Kaitlyn. It's been a while." His arms laid cross in his chest, standing proudly.
Kaitlyn: "Yes, it has. I need your help."
Archangel: "How may I be of assistance?"
Kaitlyn: "We've located the Ethereal Temple. We need a convoy to get there. It rests outside of the timelines." She was looking up at him, as he towered over her.
Archangel: "Then let us make no time wasted."
Kaitlyn: "So you'll give us some men?"
Archangel: "Yes, but first, why don't you join me for new years?" He led Kaitlyn and the others inside a golden castle. The Archangel sat them down at a glimmering round table with many seats, and tons of food and drinks and wine. Angels and old prophets sat in all of the seats except 4. Archangel sat in a throne, and had Kaitlyn and the others sit in the 3 seats to the right of his. He spoke aloud to the angels and prophets, "Angels and prophets of the Solar Kingdom! I welcome you to this holy day and this glorious new year, as it marks the 2800th anniversary of our victory in the Eclipse War! I have brought with us special guests, Kaitlyn Morgan of Earth, and her friends Maverick Karfasker, and Viktor Kosmov!" Cheers erupted around the room, as food began to be passed around as the divine, holy, beings feast. He sat down on his throne.
Kaitlyn: "Eclipse War? What is that?"
Archangel: "Oh, well you see. Three thousand years ago, the Solar Kingdom and the Lunar Empire lived in harmony, but the emperor of the Lunar Empire, Al'vain Rev'el, became greedy, and hateful. He started a war to conquer our kingdom. The war was brutal, lasting centuries. Eventually, our old deity, Godhead Arkhalin, ended the Eclipse War. Ever since I was born in this kingdom a thousand years ago, I have maintained his legacy and kept the Lunar Empire in check." He grabbed his golden cup of wine, light sparkling off of it. He drank from the cup, sipping from the holy drink.
Kaitlyn: "We'll be leaving at dawn tomorrow. But I guess we can stay the night." She took a sip of the wine she was given, along with her bread and steak. Hours later, while she rested in a golden bed at her stay, while Viktor and Maverick laid fast asleep, she thought about what happened earlier. She pondered to herself what happened in that vision, who was that being of darkness. But for now, it lay a mystery. She closed her eyes, and fell asleep.