The Pillar of Enera

[Chapter 3 part 2] Rose – The HEAVENLY DAO and the Dark Age

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“In general, the HEAVENLY DAO prefers subtle means. For instance, it sped up evolution four thousand years ago. New species pop up at ten times the pace they used to. In the deepest reaches of the Green Hell, this phenomenon is taken to extremes. The outward migrations every few decades are a pain.”

“Is there anything it doesn’t mess with?” Dawn asked.

“Free will.” Simon answered. “It’ll never alter a person’s beliefs or force them to act contrary to their nature. The HEAVENLY DAO considers this essential to the ‘integrity of the story’.”

“Aside from that, it intervenes extensively, going so far as to provide a variety of incentives. Consider ninjas. Those who re-create these warriors in real life are able use special shinobi techniques.”

There must be many more like Light out there… Recalling the novels she’d read, Rose wondered what other outlandish characters she’d meet.

“Fame is similarly encouraged. As someone gains notoriety, they grow stronger, move faster, and age slower. While stardom doesn’t grant immortality, it greatly facilitates the process.”

Spreading their names would be a top priority in the future. Dawn will be thrilled.

“There are also many unique power-boosting special statuses that the HEAVENLY DAO recognizes. You should familiarize yourself with them later.”

“Can you provide an example?” Silver asked.

“The ‘sole survivor’” Wise answered unexpectedly. “The last living member of a group or people.”

That’s dire. At the table’s end, Simon had gone rigid. I understand the feeling. Since Wise rarely speaks up, it can be unnerving when he does. Sometimes his foresight-driven comments hit close to home.

“Correct.” Simon eventually said. “Anyway, at the pinnacle of all this is the path to immortality. Once someone has sufficiently impressed the HEAVENLY DAO, their name is inscribed on the Wall of Legends, and they’re granted eternal youth, the rarest prize.”

“What else?” Simon reflected briefly. “Ah yes, probability. It’s statically proven the ‘boring’ die first. If a boulder falls on a crowd, you’ll find the least exciting person under it.”

“Doesn’t that make people act strange?” Silver asked.

“Life threatening events aren’t common so most don’t find it worth changing their persona. However, on the battlefield, where instant death events like bullets are flying, bizarre behavior is common. Maintaining discipline can be taxing.”

Hope raised her hand, “What’s a bullet?”

Simon looked to Rose. “We know what they are.” She answered quickly. “We’ve some recent works.”

Reassured, Simon faced Hope, “Let’s just say we’ve come a long way since the Dark Age. Think of bullets as something like arrows, fired by a weapon called a gun.”

“I’m not sure what that is, but please continue.” Hope said. She must study more.

“Random occurrences skew towards the extreme. For instance, experiments on soul manipulation have an uncanny tendency to produce ‘abominations’. Not only is this another special status, it’s one of the strongest. Some of history’s greatest villains were created in such a fashion.”

“Why go to such lengths?” Free interrupted. “If it wants ‘abominations’, why not just make them? Indirect methods seem inefficient.“

“Imagine reading a book, and the climax is a stray lightning bolt killing the antagonist. Is that satisfying?” Simon asked.

“No, it isn’t.” Free replied pensively. “I see what you’re getting at. The process matters, not just the result.”

“Exactly. ‘Abominations’ can’t appear from thin air. There’d be no meaning in that. It’s the same with happy endings. They must be earned. The ‘integrity of the story’ is sacred. The HEAVENLY DAO may tilt the playing field, but it doesn’t control the outcomes. Heroes die, and villains sometimes win.”

“Now to the aspect concerning the Dark Age… While appearing a force of chaos, in reality the HEAVENLY DAO values its sources of entertainment. It might allow several nations to fall as part of a compelling narrative, but not a continent. Absent rare exceptions, such as war between global powers, widespread loss of life seldom happens. ‘Dull’ calamities, like pandemics, are prevented entirely. In the big picture, normalcy is ensured.”

“When the Dark Age began, Sola persuaded the HEAVENLY DAO to reverse this protection, switching its preference to ‘tragedy’. Rather than discouraging negative results, it amplified them.”

“Nothing spotlights the ramifications better than the blue-backed spiders of Arguen.” Simon paused for effect. “These giant arthropods ‘evolved’ in the Arguen forest, proliferating prodigiously, and soon everyone was avoiding the no-go area. Close by were several villages. You’d think it madness to live next to man-eating arachnids, but at the time people took their safety for granted.”

“Once the Dark Age began, blue-backed spiders migrated out in large numbers, and the villages were overrun. Tales from survivors were horrific. The situation was worsened by the inaction of authorities, who didn’t yet appreciate the new paradigm they were operating under. So the blue-backed spiders moved on to the larger towns and multiplied. By the time they marched on major cities, their numbers were unstoppable. Half a continent was consumed before the monsters were exterminated.”

“During a Dark Age, everything that can go wrong will. If an ancient evil is sealed away, it’ll break free. If a nightmarish beast has slept for centuries, it’ll wake. Any disaster, even the end of all life, is possible. That’s why the seven are so celebrated. They ended this period.”

That was worse than expected… Simon’s words clashed with the rosier picture Astra had painted. I guess our bedtime stories omitted certain details. Rose felt she knew less.

And those blue-backed spiders… She’d seen arachnids before. Or at least something similar. Free went through a phase where she made bugs, an experiment at creating life. Astra put a halt to it, but a few still crawled the gardens below. Rose tried imagining giant versions of these, and a chill went down her spine. Nothing should be that repulsive.

“I think it’s time——” Simon began.

“Could you tell us about the Fracturing?” Hope spoke up.

“Astra shies away from the topic because of what happened to Ethan and Jenna.” Soul added.

Looking at eager faces, Simon sighed and gave in, “Towards the war’s end, the tides had turned. The undead hordes were shrinking. Hate and Fear had been defeated. Only the avatar of Despair, the Dread Knight Byron, and Sola herself remained. People were optimistic.”

The Dark Gods who fought mother… Entities born from negative emotions in the Ether. Under the right conditions, they could possess and merge with a human host.

“Then the hero Nero Ebonwood issued a warning. He foresaw volcanic eruptions rending the earth. It remained the same no matter where he looked. Across every future, he witnessed the world dying.”

“On the planes of Kazar, Sola had begun assembling a spell to fracture Enera’s crust into a million pieces. Ash would block out the sun, and the sea would boil. Life would be wiped out.”

“Everyone despaired. Victory was months away, yet Sola’s magic would be unleashed in weeks. Disrupting it was impossible.”

“That was when Jenna stepped in. As an enchantress, she had a special relation with the HEAVENLY DAO and understood how to appeal to it. Where the others saw hopelessness, she saw opportunity. Sola’s spell was self-sacrificing in nature, using herself and her army as fuel. If humanity survived, the Dark Age would be over.”

“With this in mind, she made a proposal to the god. They’d let Sola activate her magic and then co-opt the result by restructuring the planet’s gravitational fields. The HEAVENLY DAO would then reshape the world as it saw fit. With this promise as bait, the deity accepted, and construction began on the Pillar of Enera.”

“Jenna designed the interior while the HEAVENLY DAO assembled the exterior. All remaining resources were poured into the project. Legendary artifacts were collected, and ancient monuments were disassembled. All the offerings disappeared into a pillar of light piercing the sky.”

“Fortunately, it was finished in time. Sola completed her own preparations shortly after, launching a final all-out attack.”

“Defending this onslaught would prove challenging. Nero had predicted that Kain, despair’s host, would be at his strongest. Together with his endless stamina, he threatened to outlast them. To counter this, Nero, Arther, Barsal, and Astra would defeat him together, while Lily halted enemy forces. This left Ethan to face the Dread Knight alone.”

“Byron had appeared out of nowhere in the Dark Age’s final stages. Before his threat was understood, he slew many veteran immortals. The only one who could match him was Ethan, yet even he would eventually required assistance. Sadly, for the final battle, this wasn't an option.”

“Simply stalling the Dread Knight wasn’t enough. Sola had imbued his great sword with such power that it’d threaten the pillar even after activation. So Ethan lured him to a valley, and Jenna later used the pillar to fold the mountains around them, trapping both inside. Seals were applied to prevent anyone getting out.”

“Once her attack was repelled, Sola cast her magic. Jenna activated the Pillar, and the HEAVENLY DAO lifted the broken surface. The top few miles of the old Earth now orbit at low altitude. Below, the molten rock has cooled and solidified, forming an unstable second crust. That’s how our ‘Earth’ was renamed ‘Enera’.”

“I don’t doubt you,” Hope said, “but it’s tough to imagine.”

Simon smiled, “Not surprising. You’ve lived on the largest intact land mass leftover. Most of the destruction was aimed elsewhere, and the Black Citadel countered the rest, leaving the arctic shelf undamaged. While it may be all you’ve known, a place with solid ground stretching to the horizon is a sight most have never seen.”

Rose had read about the world Enera had become. Broken continents in the sky were just the start of the HEAVENLY DAO’s ambitions. Leveraging the vast new subterranean spaces, it’d fashioned light funnels, whirlwinds of shadows stretching to the space, which gathered sunlight and transported it underground. Thousands of ecosystems now existed where those ‘bloomed’.

In depopulated areas, it’d gone even wilder, fashioning the ‘Twisted Lands’. Gravity was so warped there airships couldn’t fly. Rose shook her head. Our share shrunk. Enera was loosely divided in three regions: civilized lands, the dangerous frontiers beyond, and the lethal outer wilds. In the Blue Abyss and the Green Hell, wreckages and bones are the only traces of man.

“And Jenna died during the Fracturing?” Light asked.

“That’s right.” Simon confirmed.

Just as Sola’s spell had demanded tribute, so too had the Pillar. The others only found out later. Astra’s still bitter.

Simon rose, “That will have to suffice. I must speak with Astra.”

Rose watched him depart, not close to satisfied. Maybe I’ll cross-examine Wise.