Arthur waited with bated breath as three blazing meteorites of power descended from the sky. By the time they touched down, five additional presences had teleported in. Less than two seconds had passed, and he was already completely surrounded. Arthur took an involuntary step back as he took in his assembled foes.

  He could finally put a face to his generous contributors, an ice-elf who was glaring at him and a red-haired, crimson-eyed lady who looked a little miffed. The others didn’t have much of an expression on their faces, though that could just as easily be attributed to how different their anatomy was from his. Two lizardkin, a dwarf, a naga-like man and a bona fide polymorphed dragon. Then there was the third figure who’d descended from the sky instead of teleporting in.

  Arthur wasn’t sure how he’d describe the creature, except that he was certain that whatever he was looking at wasn’t the entirety of it. A living flame that was both the size of a man and the sun at the same time, simultaneously every colour on the spectrum and none, infinitely vast yet impossibly small. Before he could think better of it, Arthur used Homunculus' Eye to identify the creature. His eyes immediately began to burn in his skull, dripping down his cheeks like bloody tears.

  Arthur didn’t let the pain show on his face, instead running ether into his eyes to heal them. It took about thrice as much energy as usual to deal with the damage, and they still hurt after his vision returned. Everyone assembled reacted differently, some with shock and surprise, and others with reluctant approval. He had his description, though.

  Igneus, The Primordial Flame, level N/A- The dying embers of a universe birthed the spark of something new. Igneus was born, and he has burned since.

  “Few have looked upon me and lived." Igneus said, “And even fewer have understood what I am.”

  “The Primordial flame. An Originator, I’m guessing,” Arthur whispered. His voice was hoarse, like his throat had been burnt too. “You’re the most fascinating being I’ve ever met.”

  Igneus chuckled, the sound like crackling coal. “I always aim to please, child, just as you do, it seems. You’ve created something amazing here. A shard of your soul that seems akin to a Territory. After creating Wovan, I wondered how you’d surprise us next. You truly outdid yourself here. Colour me impressed.”

  The others weren't saying anything, which meant Igneus was a leader of sorts. Arthur was under no illusion that any of these powerful figures were actually here with their true bodies. He was merely looking at a fraction of their powers, and it was already overwhelming. Just what kind of an existence was Igneus that he could command respect here?

  “You’re holding this thing back, ain't ya,” the dwarf spoke, her voice far higher than he’d expected. “Why’s that?” she asked, one bushy brow raised. "Think we can’t handle it, do ya?”

  Arthur raised his hands placatingly. “I was raised to always treat my guests with respect.”

  The dwarf spat to the side. “Giving face to the bastards that’ve come to kill you. You’re a better person than me, kid,” she laughed.

  “You said the quiet part out loud. I was hoping we could keep the pretence of civility up for a little longer.”

  “Ha ha, kid, I don’t like beating around the bush, and I hate fancy words even more,” she chuckled, summoning a hammer half again as big as she was and resting its head on the ground.

  Arthur's pulse quickened. He wasn’t a betting man, but the odds of him dying should a fight break out were practically written in stone.

  “Enough of this,” Igneus declared, his fires flaming for a second. “Unlikely as it may seem, the Council doesn’t want you dead, Arthur Ward. Not yet, at least. We came today as arbiters. The stench of corruption is thick on you. Are you useful enough to be kept alive, or should we put you out of your misery now? Make your case, Arthur. Be as persuasive as you can. Your life depends on it.”

  “No, it does not,” a voice interrupted. It was sonorous, beautiful even, and for once, the sound was coming from a single direction. Arthur had had quite enough of meeting people who talked from everywhere at once. The source of the voice, however, was breathtaking, perfection incarnate. A man with blue skin, dressed in robes reminiscent of Roman togas, was slowly descending from the heavens, two pearl white wings extending from his back.

  “Ezrial,” Arthur whispered, for he had no doubt that was who he was looking at. The man was the spitting image of Iris, and though Arthur would never say it aloud, even more beautiful.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “My daughter was never one to ask for things. Far too stubborn. She takes after her mother in that regard,” Ezrial declared, glaring imperiously at everyone.

  “I’m not too sure of her taste in men, but Iris begged me to save this boy's life, the first time she has begged me for anything since she was three. My fatal flaw, sadly, is that I am a doting father.”

  “You would die for the boy.” Igneus didn’t sound angry, just curious. “As weak as I may be in this form, with everyone else here, you’d be hard pressed to take us all at once.”

  “I’ve become a lot stronger in the last millennium, old man. This fight will be easier than you think, and it'll knock your true body out of commission for a decade or two. A lot can change in ten years.”

  This time, it was the blood lady who replied. “Ezrial. You’ve never been a fool. Moving against us today will make your eventual death inevitable. A century from now, or ten, your life will end with our blades in your chest. Why go so far for a child?”

  Arthur was watching all this happen with wide eyes. Had he not been the main subject of discussion, he would have enjoyed the drama. He’d only just met Ezrial, but he was seriously liking the man. As far as fathers-in-law went, he passed with flying colours.

  “Because I’m not a fool,” he replied curtly. “I know your avatars greatly diminish your powers, but stop being blind. Look at his aura, past the corruption that’s tainting it. Look deeper and see how it's affecting everything.”

  The lady of blood frowned, but didn’t retort, instead staring intensely at Arthur. It was the dwarf who realised what Ezrial was getting at first.

  “What the hell are you?” she gasped. Going by everyone else's reactions, it seemed they’d realised he’d done something strange with nether. It had taken them long enough.

  “I was starting to think you guys were frauds or something,” Arthur said. “Here I was, having spent the last two weeks doing the impossible to make me too valuable to kill, and then you lot don’t even ask me about it.”

  “To answer your question,” Arthur said, grinning, “I've tamed corruption. Standing before you is the very first creature of both ether and nether.”

  “Preposterous,” the ice elf shouted, “two weeks and that's the best plan you could come up with. A bare-faced lie.”

  “He’s not lying, Duncan,” the Queen of Blood murmured. "The kid's gone and bloody flipped ten thousand years of science on its head.”

  “How did you do it?" Igneus asked, his voice deadly quiet.

  “I had an Ender class entity made from my soul evolve with corruption, gambling that Wovan’s nature would protect her. My gamble paid off, and then I refined myself with the energy, and now I have access to the nether stat, the corrupt equivalent of ether,” Artur finished in a single breath.

  “So a feat that's impossible to replicate,” Igneus deadpanned. “You’ve done the impossible, but it doesn’t make you any more valuable to us than an interesting experiment.”

  For the second time that day, they were interrupted by a grand entrance, this time a woman in a grey cowl that completely hid her face. “Igneus, you’re letting your hatred blind you. The Council knew you’d be following your own agendas here, so they sent me to keep you in check. It seems they were right to be cautious.”

  Igneus sneered, well, as much as a being made of fire could. “The Weaver of Fate, and the only man who ever broke her chains. To think a day would come when you’d work together. I’d say fate has a strange sense of humour, but you always were a dour bitch, Makora.”

  “And you always were a raging arsehole,” she sniped back. "Inevitable when it's always on fire. Truly, Igneus, is there a more deplorable life than yours?”

  Arthur watched the byplay, cringing as the insults got harsher and more specific. It seemed there was a history here, and not a good one. “Enough,” Ezrial shouted, raising his hand. The gesture quite literally froze sound in place, plunging them into silence. “The council has decided, Igneus. If you have any problems, take it up with them. The boy's mere presence is helping undo the corruption in this world, which you’d be able to see if you could cast your prejudice aside for a few seconds."

  “You always were too close to the dirty bastards," Igneus sneered. "And I remember defending you against those who accused you of betrayal, Ezrial. Are the rumours true then? Is your wife one of those corrupted skanks?"

  Arthur was quickly learning what type of man Igneus was. Turned out all the power in the world didn’t give you class. Still, I should never have expected warmth from flames born from the corpse of a universe.

  Ezrial's smile froze. “My wife will strike you for that insult herself,” he declared coolly. “I sincerely doubt you’ll survive it.”

  "Please, the wife that doesn't exist. I'm starting to believe the rumours you made your daughter in a test—"

  “This charade has gone on for long enough,” Makora interrupted. "Your people would weep if they saw your pathetic behaviour today. The Council's initial plans will proceed as normal. No two ways about it, though Duncan's domain will be locked down first. He is also forbidden from killing Arthur Ward, and will be sanctioned if he gets too excited and ignores these rules.”

  “The battle will take place right here in The Perfect Homunculus' stronghold and will be broadcast to all members of the Council for viewing.”

  Makora turned to Arthur and finally addressed him directly. “We don’t expect your victory, child, but acquit yourself well. Your performance now will forever dictate the way the Council treats you. A valuable asset to be treasured, or a muzzled beast that will be chained.”

  “Your future lies entirely in your hands, Arthur Ward, beyond even my ability to dictate.”

  Arthur couldn't see her face, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

  “Some may say I’m a compromised opinion, but fate favours the bold. You have proven time and time again why one should never bet against you.”

  "Today, I ask that you prove yourself once more."

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  Etherious: Originator

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