"I made the mistake of assuming hUen-dE would be happy to let us go," EUe replied. He started to pace. "Year after year, as Vyxit society became more and more militarized, it became dangerous to show weakness or voice dissent. Knowing that, I thought hUen-dE would be happy if I took all the kwekek Vyxit away with me. I'd be doing her a favor, you know?"

"Right when EUe was about to tell hUen-dE and the other fleet heads about his plan," V said, "I discovered a secret hUen-dE had nearly succeeded in burying: hUen-dE had wanted to be Archived, only to learn that something with her dreamshard made that impossible. That was why she started researching what would eventually become the aegises. hUen-dE ought to have been one of them, she was a great leader and warrior but… fate had other plans. So, unable to bring herself into the machine, instead, brought the machine into herself, and into so many others."

"You see," EUe explained, "the Vyx can't archive everyone. Few are compatible with the procedure, and even fewer are worthy."

"Yes, the Treefathers told me about that," I said.

EUe blinked, pleasantly surprised. "The Treefathers? Their Archive hasn't been destroyed?"

I nodded. "Yes, they're fine. They're the ones who first suggested I find you."

EUe fluttered his wings nervously. "I'd like to see them again, someday. They're wonderful conversationalists, just like Uka-yen was."

"They'd enjoy that," I said. "When my friends and I dropped in on them, we were the first company they'd had in a long, long time." I looked up at the Philharmonium sphere. "So… hUen-dE?"

EUe flicked out his tongue several times. "Y-Yes, sorry for getting off topic."

"It's no trouble," I said, "I do it all the time."

"Where was I?" EUe asked.

"hUen-dE going crazy once she learned she couldn't attain digital immortality," V said.

"Yes," EUe continued. "That was the first solid piece of evidence that hUen-dE was working with ulterior motives." He glanced at V. "The more we looked into it, the more we found. She was pitting factions against one another, to help ensconce her position."

"From the sound of it," I said, "she was cartoonishly evil. Why didn't you stop her sooner?"

EUe shook his head. "No, Genneth, it's not that simple. I know her. She's not doing this to hurt anyone, she's doing it because she genuinely believes it's for the best." He shuddered. "It was my mistaking for thinking the years had softened her. hUen-dE didn't just want vengeance against the Blight, she wanted to recreate the Ecumene and its vaunted 'order', and would stop at nothing to do it. The Beholders were just the first step." He clenched his fists. "The fleet discovered the Lodestars Not long after we discovered hUen-dE's plans and, well… that's when I knew we had to act. I couldn't let her get her hands on the Lodestars. Once she succeeded in destroying the Blight, she'll want to spread her 'order' to the entire universe. So, I told my allies to seize control of the Lodestars and take them with us. But that's when everything fell apart."

"hUen-dE already knew what we were planning," V said.

EUe nodded. "The whole thing was a trap. hUen-dE sicced the Keret on me once I signaled my allies to act. They cornered me in the Tower and locked me away."

He turned back to the Philharmonium.

"Not long after that, hUen-dE sent this to me."

A new recording began to play, displaying mayhem through and through. The Vyx flagship led two other motherships in a three on one battle against the lone rebel mothership.

Angel, they were being boarded!

The Philharmonium showed the slaughter as it played out inside rebel clansteads. Aegises crawled, flew, and ran, mercilessly mowing down any rebels in their path. By the time hUen-dE's non-aegis battalions had begun to storm the rebel mothership, the aegises had nearly completed their work.

It was over this dark scene that a voice spoke. It was younger than the old crone's, but there was no doubting that it was hers.

"I want you to look long and hard at this, EUe," hUen-dE said. "This is your doing. You brought this upon us. You and your kwekek! Gods, I can't believe I ever thought you'd finally maled up. But, no, you and your weakness have been working against us from the very beginning. If left unchecked, you'll end up denying us the justice we deserve. You've been infecting the Vyxit with your weakness. It's sad, really. We wouldn't be here without you. But it's also just as true that we can't move forward as long as you and your kwekek continue to interfere. If it's any consolation, EUe, I know it's not your fault. People don't choose to be kwekek, they just are. I'd put you out of your misery if I could, but you're too deeply intertwined with the fleet's systems for that to happen. But don't worry, I'll use your memory to make things right. Already, news of your assassination is spreading across the fleet. I've pinned the blame on your so-called allies. Hopefully, the Vyxit's anger at your demise will help steel them to do the difficult work of culling the herd. We owe it to the dead to murder their murderers, and weakness like yours will only get in the way. I'm sorry I have to do this, but it just has to be done. Until true order finally reins with justice for all, peace isn't just a dream, it's a delusion, and it will tear us apart if we let it spread. Goodbye, EUe. I do not expect we will meet again."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

EUe raised his hand and flicked it over his shoulders in a perfunctory gesture. The Philharmonium blinked out a moment later, the energies coursing through the sundial underneath it soon stilled.

My wings and tail feathers drooped. "By the Godhead…" I muttered.

EUe nodded slowly. "I've been waiting to share this for a very, very long time." He spread out his arms and looked up at the statues. "Sometimes, I think this is my punishment for having allowed the Ecumene to execute eUna and hUno-an for the crime of simply being alive. Back then, I could have done something, but I didn't. Now, I'm condemned to live with the knowledge of what I wanted to do, but couldn't."

"And she just gets away with all this?" I asked.

"Yes," V said, "and with impunity."

"It's the power of hUen-dE's persuasion and her rage that makes her so dangerous," EUe said. "As we traveled among the stars, fighting the Blight again and again, every new batch of survivors we managed to rescue joined the fold with grief in their hearts. They'd lost everything."

"Pain is a powerful drug," I said. "I know that all too well."

"So when hUen-dE called them to arms, they responded. Our rescue mission became a quest for vengeance. We became militant, and the Long Hunt became an end unto itself."

"Considering what the Blight has done," I said, "revenge isn't unreasonable."

"And you're right, but…" EUe looked back at the statues. "What about those of us who wanted something more?" He nodded. "If hUen-dE and the others want their vengeance, they could have it. They just wouldn't let us have our peace." He tapped his chest. "I don't know about you, Genneth, but… if I can't get back what I've lost, I'd rather move forward toward the next tomorrow."

"hUen-dE only allowed the dissenters to come out of the woodwork because she wanted to gather us in one place—"

"—To wipe you out," I said.

EUe nodded grimly. "I know there was nothing I could do, but I still blame myself. I should have known better!"

"EUe, believe me when I say that it wasn't your fault."

"Don't bother," V quipped. "I've been telling him the same for eons and it hasn't gotten through that thick skull of his."

"For your information, V, twEfE bones are actually quite light," EUe said. But then he let out a sad whistle. "But… it's not a matter of changing my mind. Intellectually, I know it isn't my fault, but that isn't enough to change the way I feel."

I nodded. "I know exactly what you mean."

There was a pause.

"What happened next?" I asked.

"Torture," EUe said. "Slow, methodical, torture. I'm trapped here, with no escape, forced to fight my way up to the top just to keep from getting beaten up or worse." He shook his head. "The arena is a cruel place, Genneth. Everyone we interacted with was a simulation or an illusion. They're just phantoms, designed to torment me." EUe's feathers quivered. "Sometimes, at night, I can hear the screams of females and hatchlings being whipped by their taskmasters. I race into the arena to stop it, only to realize there's nobody there. I've stepped into battle with the sounds of rape playing behind me, but there's nothing I can do to stop it. It disappears the moment I turn around."

"So the twEfE you cut down without a word…?"

He nodded. "Yes. They were false friends. Sometimes they are facsimiles of people I knew, pulled from my memories. Other times, they're pure fiction. They're meant to become my friends, so that I can become invested in them, so that I want to find a way to use the loop to save them when they inevitably suffer an awful fate. I've wasted lifetimes trying to save people like that." He shook his head. "Let me tell you: there's no pain quite like being forced to kill a friend in a one-on-one deathmatch."

"It took me a long time to find EUe," V said, "and nearly as long to convince him that these people weren't real."

"If you hadn't," EUe added, "I think I'd have gone insane."

"I'll help you get out of here," I said. "Both of you. I promise."

"I'd hold you to that," he replied, "but there's still one thing I don't quite understand."

"Yes?"

EUe crossed his arms. "How did you get here?"

"Through the Network."

EUe shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant." Folding his wings at his back, he leaned forward and looked me in the eyes, bringing his beak's serrated tip close to my neck. "How did you get into the Network? You're clearly not Vyxit."

I sighed, drooping my wings and head. "You're right, I'm not."

At that moment, I kept thinking back to how Dzrtk had reacted when he'd learned the truth about me.

What are you? What are you!? And what have you done with me?!

I wanted to believe that if I could help EUe escape, he could restart his revolution and deal a mortal blow to the Vyxit crusade against wyrmkind. But if he reacted like Dzrtk had, what was there to stop things from blowing up in my face? Answer: nothing. And unlike with Dzrtk, I didn't have the advantage of being in total control of the reality EUe and I were in.

So, I made a spur of the moment decision and told a half-truth. I was scared, and it was the only thing that came to mind.

"My world is being attacked by the Blight," I said. "The Vyxit are going to use the Lodestars on us, and I need your help to stop them."

"If you can help me escape this prison, it would be my honor to help you."

But, as much as I wanted to feel good about that, I had a sinking feeling that I'd just set things on a collision course with collapse.

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