(Second Arc) The Beginning

It felt like in a single moment years had passed. Within The Voyager's commander bridge, Verax had returned from 'errands' of claiming the 27th Dimension to find it empty, a message left for him. He was slightly worried, where was Lurinia? A hologram of his love popped up from the holopanel which had been left on his throne. In it she was holding their child. Things suddenly felt very, very, bad.

"If you're getting this, then I've already left. I'm so sorry Veary but...." She started to choke up. "Please, you HAVE to understand I didn't want to do this! I wanted to stand by you every step of your journey... but.... but you know, you have to pay the price for trying to defy fate." Verax flashed back to after he saw the black veins on his face.

-------

He fell to his knees as a voice, a presence so powerful, so immense, that merely the act of preparing to address Verax brought him to his knees.

Images had flashed through his mind, an explanation of what he was to do to break his affliction. He saw himself, in a colorless third person, trying to help rescue Eris-Tam, along with two booming words from this unknown presence, Your Offense. Then in another blur, he saw every dimension, every world, and all with flags bearing his symbol, along with two more words, Your Attonment. Then in another blur of images, he saw, the first in color and not in snapshots, but actual flowing motion, some... thing. Standing atop of something else, surrounded by fire and ruins. The thing was... huge, standing twenty feet, at least in comparison to the most intact building.

No... it.... it can't be!? He felt his mental self reeling in disbelief, he couldn't be seeing what he thought he was seeing.

But it is. That emotionless, monotonous, immense and unknowable presence responded.

Atop the mountain of dead bodies, of a mix of all the species could recognize, and some he didn't, stood a pure black monster. It had a humanoid body in shape, but it had demonic wings sprouting from it's shoulder blades. The wings looked torn, and in damaged sections looked like it had magma instead of damaged skin, otherwise it looked abyssal black. It had a dragon like tail, rows of blood-red razor-blade shaped spikes lining the top, bottom, and both sides of it, a triple, trident like pronged spiked end. Despite being pure black, it did have features, such as it being obvious it was almost all muscle. Each of it's five toes on it's feet were taloned, evil red claws, either soaked in blood or naturally red, like the spines on it's back and tail. Like it's feet, it's hands were monstrous claws, each hand easily capable of shredding through steel, and arms and hands looking strong enough to rip massive pieces of any ship it got it's claws on, and could tear apart a tank as if it were a child accidental breaking a toy.

No.....NO! Verax's mind cried as he yelled it aloud.

The monster's face was the most horrifying. It's mouth stretched to almost painful proportions, it's teeth ragged and serrated, but set like an upside-down vampires, it's lower canines larger and more prominent. Coming from it's temples were two devil-horns, but massive, each about a yard in length. From the corners of it's forehead were two, smaller, four-inch horns facing diagonally outward from the center. It's eyes looked as if they were being lit by a million tortured souls each. But what made it the most terrifying, was how the features were arranged.

It was Verax's face.

This monster, it was Verax.

Upon this revelation, two more booming words filled Verax's mind,


Myrionith's were the one species forbidden from defying destiny. Each of them cursed with a terrible end if the chose to try and change it. Verax didn't know this, until it was too late. Until now. Unless he completed his task, to conquer the universe, on his own, without anyone making easy for him, or knowing that he'd return their worlds to their rulers afterwards, without any rebels or resistance, he would continue to be gradually consumed by darkness. If he did not complete his task fast enough, or if the balance between light and dark became any more dire than it was now, he would be corrupted.


He would become the darkness the universe needed, transformed forever, into a god-like monster, knowing only death, and feeling nothing greater, aside from self-preservation, the need to destroy.

As Lurinia was bonded to him, she learned of this too. Verax cursed himself, he should have seen she was going to do this after she learned it. But... it was too late. He flashed forward, back to the message.

-------

"You know what's going to happen if you don't... if you don't complete your task fast enough, you know what will happen. I-I can't put him through this, I can't live like that, raise a child under that kind of threat, that atmosphere. You know I love you, but... but I have to make sure our little Arch is safe." The regret and pleading in her voice was overflowing, but Verax was having trouble even hearing anything she said.

She's left me.... the only one I thought would never leave me.... the only one I could always rely on.... the only one who cared..... was it all a... lie? The thoughts rushing through him blotted out everything else, when he thought he heard more of the message starting, he tried to regain focus.

"If you manage to cure yourself..... well... if you do.... I'll be waiting in the Negative 6th for you... I'll be waiting for you at home. But please, I can't do this right now. I... Luna will be able to handle the Voyager just as well as I could, even better actually. I love you Veary, but... good bye. Archy, can you wave to daddy?" Lurinia asked in a motherly tone, cradling their little squirming child. He had a little giggle fit before waving his little meaty toddler fist at Verax, then the video cut out.

Verax stood there, silent. He... reluctantly accepted what she was doing was right. At least the rational part of him did, but that tiny fragment of him was being overwhelmed by the cries of a thousand shards that were Verax. He fell into his throne, sitting.

He was hunched over, his face in his right hand, covering everthing but the his left eye, which was shaking violently.

"......He.....hehe......hehehe......hehehe ha ha...... heheheheeeHAHAAAAA HAAHAHAHAHA! AAAHAHAHAHAAAA, AAAAHAAHAHAHA! GWAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!" He slowly lifted his head up, his psychotic laughter filling the entire Voyager. He threw his head back as he continued laughing.

At that moment, everyone on board the Voyager stopped what they were doing and looked up, the laughter piercing their very souls. Children of the Voyager's soldier ran into the arms of their mothers, crying. Everyone went to their living areas, closed and locked the doors.

Krakot, who was directing things in the engine room, looked up. My Dreadlord..... what.... what is happening to you?

Vabin, who silently floated at the tip of the Voyager's bow, turned and looked towards the command bridge. So.... the hour is fast approaching. The hour darkness falls, and despair consumes, is coming. Verax.... I pity you, my lord.

Captain Davy Jones, who was in his living area at the time, stopped cold, his memory of a heart freezing. His bottle of rum shattering as it hit the floor. Ne'er before... has such a sound been heard.

Falcion who was in his room/nest dove into his makeshift cave at the instant it was heard.

"HAHAHAHAHA, AAAAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!" Verax finished laughing, and set his head straight forward, looking into the emptiness of space, a terrible, awful smile on his face, and deranged and suffering fire burning in his eyes.

"So be it...... if it is my destiny, I shall go on! This universe..... it belongs to me now! All that matters is how long life tries to prolong the inevitable." He was announcing this over the intercom now, and major information and news networks were picking it up. "If there is anyone who thinks their despair is deeper than mine, show it to me..... if there is anyone who thinks their suffering surpasses mine..... then let them stand before me..... if there is someone who thinks their pain is more powerful than mine, then let them challenge their will to mine! If there are any who think that they are greater than I am, then let them appear! Let all the universe together stand before me! Try to stop me... if you think you can.... I... the Dreadlord, thus make this proclamation! YOUR UNIVERSE-" He knew he was either signing his death sentence, or embracing salvation. "-IS MINE!"

Only seconds after Verax finished his speech, Eris-Tam materialized in front of him. She had no clue what had just transpired, no knowledge of the dare that had just been put forward. She appeared alone, having used the strength of the Neiede link to get there undetected. Alarms went off at her arrival, but she had expected as much and ignored them.

But suddenly... she was nervous. Didn't know what to say. She had come here with a purpose, with the intention of doing something important, but now... she had doubts. As she looked up at Verax, his expression of menace quickly changed into something that she wasn't sure of, something that she was not used to seeing on his face. She was also struck by the sudden change in his features, but was too caught up in her sudden anxiety to say anything.

She had pictured this all in her head, the speech she would make, the words she would say to him.

Verax... I came here... to thank you. The mental picture of herself stood strong, but soft and compassionate. To... to thank you for everything that you did for me in Crenel. You... you saved me. Gave me the strength to fight, helped me fight. You taught me how to trust someone again. That's something... that would have been much harder for anyone else, because... the parasite didn't expect it from you. You tricked the Thel-ghan'che, went against everything you'd been trying to do, and... you saved my life. I want... I need- to thank you for that. You sacrificed a lot for me, I know. And I wish I knew how to repay that debt. I owe you everything, now. But you must know... that if you choose to hurt those I love... I will still have to fight you.

I know that... deep inside... you're not evil, not cruel. You have a good heart, the right heart. I wish things weren't this way. I would regret having to hurt you, but if it comes to that, then... you know I won't hesitate. But I have faith that... you're doing what you think is right. I have faith that you have the right reasons, and I... I think I understand how hard it must be for you. Because you are a good man, inside. I saw that glimpse of who you really are in Crenel, and... I hope to see it again.

So thank you, Verax. I wish we didn't have to be enemies.


Her mental self had been much more resolute than she was now.

She didn't say any of those things. She didn't say anything, in fact, and instead walked towards him, looking deep into his eyes. And as she drew near to him... she made a snap decision and threw herself into his arms yet again, just as she'd done in Crenel when he had been the only person in the world that she had trusted.

It basically said the same thing... right?

"Eris-Tam......." Why now? Why now of all times? But he kept as happy an outward appearance as he could as he looked at her. "Why are you here?" He could hear the despair in his voice and quickly cleared his throat. "I mean why so soon? It hasn't been too long since you've regained y-your freedom." He began to feel uncomfortable, so he tried as gently as he could to give himself enough space to get down from his chair.

Why? Why now? Why now of all times do you come here? You, you who I made the choice to damn myself for? You who are the reason Lurinia abandoned me! ... No.... that was my choice. At that moment, the black veins beat, and for an instant, Aurora could feel what he felt. This deep despair, this loss of hope, this broken heart. But most frightening to Verax, for a brief moment, she could see that image, the monster standing atop a pile of dead, Cassus's, Zyria's, Caz's, and even her own and Archelaus's faces among them, along with the Lyikos child head a few feet away from it's body.

NO!

He instantly tried to make up something to ignore that. "So, how do you feel being a mother now? I happen to have just recently become a father myself." But even though his voice hid it, his eyes could not hide the pain of that sentence. A pain of betrayal and abandonment that Aurora knew.

But Tam heard nothing of what he said to try and cover it.

She pulled back from him, looking at him with a shocked, horrified expression. She was... stunned. Her heart was suddenly pounding, for she had seen something slightly different from what Verax had seen, something that scared her more than the image of the Dreadlord, more than seeing herself and Archelaus dead in the stack of bodies, more than seeing one of her children there as well, more than Verax's twisted, demon-like appearance... was an image that Verax may not have noticed. The child of the Thel-ghan'che, Eris-Aya, standing there beside the Dreadlord, her smaller hand clasped in his large, clawed one. She stood there with him, looking triumphant.

And Eris-Tam's heart nearly broke.

W... why?! Why would she ever... what would drive her away like this? She may be a child of darkness... but she is my daughter too! Wh... what...

"I... I..." But before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face and she fell to her knees at Verax's feet. It was probably... confusing, to any onlooker and possibly to Verax as well. Tam was scared, horribly frightened that her own daughter would turn against her... and the flood of emotions that she had felt from Verax had just pushed her over the edge. She could hardly control what she was thinking and feeling, and... she didn't want to. She was horrified, and at the same time feeling the same despair and lonliness and hopelessness that she picked up on from the Dreadlord.

She sobbed at his feet for a long moment, desperately trying to imagine whatever could turn her Aya against her own parents and sister... and she was at a loss. She had nothing, absolutely nothing...

No... NO! "Aurora! Are you alrigh- NARHG!!" And he fell backwards. "GET....OUT!..... SAVE... YOURSELF!" And in an instant, he became the monster, the demon, where his body had been, a molten profile had been made. It roared, about to destroy the Voyager, when it became Verax again. It was not complete, not yet time, but it was still already alive. Verax was dying. The monster, which was in the legend of those like the Protector and Vabin only known as Shade, was alive.

"Aurora.... please.... get out of here.... I.... I understand.... I am grateful you thank me for.... for giving you strength, but it is too late... we already are enemies.... unless you want to see your daughters and all those you care about dead and this universe in the deepest most unrelenting darkness, a darkness that would make life itself hell, we must be enemies.... I am sorry.... but...ngh....GO! GET OUT! IT IS BECAUSE OF YOU MY WIFE AND CHILD HAVE LEFT ME! IT IS BECAUSE OF THOSE YOU CALL FRIENDS AND THOSE YOU LOVE THAT I MUST SUFFER! I WILL TAKE YOUR WORLDS FOR MY OWN TO ESCAPE THIS HELL, AND NOT EVEN YOU CAN STOP ME!" He was acting, but he had to get her out, convince her he was set on being the evil he believed this world needed.

"GET OFF MY SHIP, AND NEVER COME BACK, SCUM OF THE LIGHT! UNLESS YOU INTEND TO KILL ME, NEVER SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME!" He roared, turning his pain and loss into false rage. "Tell your 'friends' and Mr. Fanypancy hero-man Archelaus that too! Their worlds and THEY belong to ME now!" In his heart he felt regret, but still, it would come to this eventually. He walked to the command bridge. "Set a course of the Negative 6th, our first target will never be able to handle the might of the Catastrophe." He turned back to Aurora, pain and rage in his eyes.

Tam was... she was furious. And hurt.

And she wasn't planning on going anywhere.

"No, Verax! I won't leave! This isn't you, you're not like this! I know you, not the mask you wear for everyone else's benefit! You aren't evil, I know you aren't! Y... you have a good heart, Verax... I know you do. I've seen it. I've felt it. When you found me in Crenel... you were there for me when no one else could be. You were my friend when everyone was my enemy. I owe you my life... and I'm not leaving. You don't have to do this! You... don't have to carry this burden alone... you don't have to do it at all. Please... listen..." Tears were still dripping from her cheeks, and she stood behind him, and then she grabbed the edge of his armor with her hand.

"Stop this, please... you don't have to do this. Let someone else do it for you... y... you're... trying to restore the balance, right? And..."

Tam sobbed, looking down, hating herself for what she was about to say. "And I am... I'm a symbol, aren't I? I'm what everyone's been fighting for, right? So..."

She took a deep breath, and then spoke. "So kill me, Verax. Take my life if it will end your pain, end your struggle. Please... I know you have a good heart, and you... you could be a good force in this world. Or at least a neutral one." She steadied herself against a control panel, and then said it again.

"Kill me, if it will save you."

Verax's eyes went wide open... in fear... then... he smiled. Then he began to laugh. "Oh you are THAT gullible? What makes you think I'm fighting for balance? My species knew only the pleasure of war and battle! Whether it be a war of men or a war of minds! I don't care about balance! I was born to conquer the universe, so that's what I'll do! You really thought I cared about you? HAHAHA! What a joke! I despise you, I despise people like you! You people keep trying to bring peace and order and justice, I LIVE in the moment!" He paused, relishing every word he said next.

"I love the smell of the blood I draw as mothers beg me not to take away their children! As soldiers beg for their lives, and laugh as the last of their life bleeds on to the ground, love the feeling of the watering the grass with blood!" He had the most insane and deranged glare in his eyes now, the same as when he attacked the leaders on Mars, so convincing, not even the mightiest of the Alteriians could feel the deception.

"I had a plan to take this world, and you helped me further it, you were a tool, a tool to gain their trust and to further my own plan! And I thank you for being so very good, but like all tools, once they've ceased to be useful, they can be replaced." He gave Eris-Tam an evil grin. "And you can either leave on your own, your royal wimpiness, or I can through you through a tear in space back to Crenel. Which would you prefer?"

At his last words, about her having been a tool, she fell apart. Every word stung like a dagger plunged into her heart, every syllable he uttered made her wish she were dead. She collapsed again, folding in on herself like she had under the pressure of the parasite on her mind. Tears of pain and hurt stung her eyes, a tool. Just... a tool, that's all she'd ever been. She hated him, hated him but still... somehow she didn't believe him. Still... her heart was broken. Torn apart, utterly shattered.

But still... she shook her head. "Y... you don't mean that. Not any of it. It... doesn't matter what you say, I will never believe you. I know your secret. I know that you chose this. You're lying when you say those thing... you didn't use me. You didn't want anyone to be a tool, didn't want anyone to be used and tossed aside. Certainly... not me."

"It doesn't matter what you say, Verax. I know that you're just acting. I know who you are, it... it doesn't... matter what you say to try to scare me away. I know it's all just an act..." Her voice wavered with the pain that she felt, and it was so obvious on her face that it was remarkable she could speak at all. She was crumbling again inside, but... she had... to be strong on the outside... at least to show him that... it didn't matter what happened, she would... still believe in him. Not in Verax, in Erav. In the good man at the heart of the beast. That should wouldn't give up so easily.

Because it wasn't her way. She didn't give up on anyone.

Even if she was the only one, she would be the one to believe in him.

So she locked her eyes with his, tears still stinging, but said in as defiant a voice as she could muster, "You do what you want. If you really don't care for me at all... then you would kill me. If I was just a tool to you, nothing more... then prove it to me. I am a force of good, and if you are so bent on destruction, then killing me should just be another thing off your to-do list. So kill me, kill me if I mean nothing to you. Kill me right here, right now. Why wouldn't you? This is what you want, isn't it? Hear me scream and wail as you take me from the world... that's what you want? Then do it. Do it now. Why wait?"

"I just ask one thing. When my daughter comes to you for help, as I am certain she will... show her the same man that you showed me. Show her that even evil can be good. Show her that she doesn't have to be what fate would have her become. Do that for me."

And then she sat down on the bridge of the Voyager, and closed her eyes, pain still burning her heart and betrayal still sending white-hot sparks through her mind, waiting for him to make his choice.

Verax started to raise his arm, but of course, he stopped. "Bah, I never liked acting anyways. But promise me you'll keep this all a secret between us, I can't have anyone else knowing. But... could you help me, then? Go back to your friends and such, and help me from the inside? I don't want to do this, but I have to. I'll return each dimension to it's rightful owner after I'm free, but until then you can't act on knowing that. Please.... you understand, but that doesn't mean you'll help me, which I need more than understanding. BAH! What am I saying?!" Verax stood, his cape billowing in the motion, the light making him look like the proud and powerful ruler he was.

"This is the Voyager! I will not tolerate weakness on my own ship! Now stand up Eris-Tam! I will not tolerate you being weak either! You will assist me. I apologize if my words stung, you know I meant it only as a test to see if you really knew who I was. And about Eris-Aya...... if she does come to me, know she will know the truth that only you know. Besides, my son might have a new playmate! Gwahahahaa! Now please, I have to start conquering the universe, either help me, or stand against me, but do not betray this secret of what my true goal is and why I must do this. Know we will meet again, hopefully under better circumstances.... OH YES, also, if the Stalker Separatists strike, try to delay dealing with them, victory over them will ASSURE my instant transformation."

Tam sighed in relief as Verax stopped his ruse. His words had hurt her, and had hurt her quite a lot. But she recovered as quickly as she could, wiping away her acid tears and standing up shakily. "H-how can I... how can I help you, Verax? I... I'd like to, but... I don't want you... hurting anyone else... w-what are you planning? I... I can't help you kill my friends, or their people..."

Tam hoped, inside, that maybe... things could be better after Verax completed this. She hoped that maybe... they wouldn't have to be enemies anymore. She wanted to trust him, as a friend and ally, trust him like he had convinced her to trust him in Crenel. There were many things she was not sure of, but she was sure that she wanted to be there for Verax. He... he wasn't the man everyone thought he was, and Tam guessed that she was the only one outside of Lurinia to truly understand what Verax was doing. She wanted to be there for him, to believe in him when no one else did. She hadn't seen Lurinia... had even she given up on trying to stay with Verax? And he had spoken of a son... but Tam was almost positive that he would have shown off his child if the boy had been around.

There was much that Tam didn't know about the situation, but until this was over she would be Verax's best bet in case something went wrong...

Verax's face became humorously straight quickly. ".............. Please, do tell me, is all the expository banter amusing you? You DO realize that the longer you talk to me here, the sooner I become the monster that destroys the universe? That would ruin a great many people's days. And people will be hurt. People will die. It's just a matter of who, when, and why. If you don't leave soon, I'll lose valuable time for planning the least amount of lost life and valuable time as me and not the end of life."

He noticed she was looking around, and with pain, explained what he assumed she was thinking about. "Lurinia and my son left. Lurinia said she couldn't raise a child with the threat of me becoming Shade so she.... went back to our home in the negative sixth, and said..... that I should wait until this is taken care before.... going back."

Tam's expression filled with sadness and she stepped up to him, putting her hand against his chest lightly with sympathy. "I'm sorry... about your family. But I owe you a debt... and I will do my best to help you complete your goal... so that you don't turn into the monster that Lurinia is afraid of. Okay? I promise I will help you if you need me."

Then she looked down and stepped back, looking away. "I... I suppose I'll... go now. Leave you to it." She looked sad, wishing she could do more, but she just looked down for a moment, and then turned away. "Until we meet again, I suppose...?"

"Of course we'll meet again! Bitch I look like I caught a bad case of the evil, and you have tiny little parasite babies running around. SHIT IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN. I can feel i- VENDING MACHINE." And he punched a hole through the vending machine next to him and grabbed a bar of chocolate. "Sorry... I get weird when I'm hungry. Yeah.... well.... um... this is awkward.... I have to... well.... you know... go plan on taking over the universe now." He slashed his hand through the air and a rift in space was formed. "There! You can use that to get anywhere you want to go! It was.... good.... to see you again. And thanks. I hope we don't become enemies. And if we do, please spare my face, it's one of my more stunning features." He laughed jokingly, his mind rapidly fluctuating between normal and ADHD in a methpipe insane. The chaos and darkness were battling within him... with the chaos trying to over come Shade making Verax's behavior more........


Interesting.

Tam just shook her head in chuckling disdain, and then disappeared through the rift that Verax had created.

The next time we meet... hopefully it won't be the last.





((Ridiculously short, but that's okay, I had nothing else to say.))