Ethan woke up the next morning. Treya had gently set his head down on the couch, as he must have nodded off during his staring-into-the-abyss session the night before. The thoughts of what had to have been going through that woman’s mind, that Imbued who was warped by Cheat Code, what happened to her…

  And what I’ve done, he thought as he stood up. “Ascend Beyond,” he muttered as he opened his Sanctuary and walked through the opaque, white portal ringed with golden symbols. As he walked through, he was met by the cool, comforting breeze. The portal snapped shut behind him, and he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of the flowers in the meadows that were scattered amongst the farmland surrounding their guild hall’s recreation.

  The enormous gates stood open, and he started walking toward them – planning on sitting down and using Nobilis as a therapist of some type…but he saw a glimmer in the air. A brilliant, emerald light that blinded him despite his vision supposedly being able to prevent that. When he felt the surge fade, he faced a being that he could not describe.

  He was frozen in place as he looked upon a shapeless mass that looked something akin to human, colored deep cerulean; the form was fluctuating and without distinct edges. He tried to move but his limbs wouldn't respond. He was a prisoner in his own body and only able to stand there.

  The voice that came from this being was warm, and Ethan instantly recognized it as the one that spoke to him a bit over a month ago. "Ah, Ethan. Good to meet you in person. You may speak."

  Ethan's mouth was able to move, but the rest of his body was still locked in place. "You’re The Entity, I’m guessing?” he asked feeling his skin tingling at the sensation of this locking, immobilizing force.

  Ethan swallowed the lump in his throat as the reality of his helpless situation sank in. The thing that owned his soul was standing in front of him. The thing that gave him his powers. The thing that could obliterate him in an instant, he was certain. The Entity floated forward and raised a vaguely hand-shaped appendage up to him, caressing his face. "My Imbued…you truly believe that I granted you powers to fix the world?"

  “Yes,” Ethan replied feeling every danger sense in his mind going off. Screaming at him to run from this godly being who could annihilate him. No, don’t be scared. This thing wants you alive. And you’re going to help fix things. Be the good guy. Treya flashed through his mind, Be the hero for her.

  “Ah…my wonderful Imbued…I love it when you take your powers and decide to try and improve the world with them. But…I sense turmoil within. Let’s see…”

  Ethan gritted his teeth, as he felt something foreign caress his thoughts. Something vast – infinitely vast – perusing his memories. He felt flickers of emotions as he saw flashes of previous happenings.

  The Entity pulled back and Ethan felt his body under his control once more. He stood upright and shook his arms and legs, feeling the blood still flowing through them as the tingling sensation he hadn’t noticed until just now began to fade. “Happy with what you saw?” Ethan asked. “Going through my memories without permission is fucked up.”

  The Entity shifted to a red hue and gripped Ethan's neck with its amorphous hand. Ethan struggled to breathe as it growled, "You dare mock an Arch God? The one who gave you power? You dare question me?”

  Ethan coughed out a weak laugh as the grip loosened just enough for him to get enough air to speak, “Sorry.”

  The Entity let him go once more, “Apology accepted.” The form shifted to a deep, purple hue. “I will ask for your permission next time.” It waved its arm and a bench of shifting, nebulous starry matter appeared. It sat and patted the bench, “Sit…let us talk.”

  Ethan did so, “How come you’re letting Cheat Code do what he is doing?” He was wary of the figure given its rapid mood shifts, and was ready to use Ascend Beyond to leave and book it if he needed to.

  The Entity shrugged, “Ultimately, the Earth will continue to persist regardless of his actions. The stronger he gets, the stronger my defenses will be. And if I need to reset humanity, I will do it – just as I did with the floods, the plagues, and the volcanic winters of the past. It is not always a full reset; sometimes I just nudge the scales one direction or another.” It sounded ever-so-slightly frightened.

  Ethan felt a sense of conviction within him and somehow knew he had to keep pushing. "You’re scared of something. That's why you don't actually fix the world, isn't it? You don't take control yourself to fix the problems we deal with - instead you use Imbued. You're afraid."

  The Entity turned to Ethan, the pinpricks of light where its eyes would be were a pure white that seemed to bore into him. "You're not entirely wrong." Its color shifted to a dark pink hue, "You wish to know why I fear? I will tell you. And you will never be able to tell another, save for Nobilis."

  The Entity continued, staring at Ethan the entire time, "I am one of several gods. I am not a fighter, conqueror, or diplomat like many others out there. I'm a planner, schemer, and plotter – interested in my own survival. I fled to the edges of the Universe and found this ball of burning rock, safe in the eternal dark. I shaped and guided it - ensuring that I did not call attention to myself. Using my powers to keep it hidden. I still do."

  "Hold on, there’s other gods? Other worlds?” Ethan asked, bewildered at the sudden validation of alien life.

  The Entity nodded its head, "Yes. And that is what I am afraid of. If I use my divine power on its own and not through vessels such as the Imbued…then I may be noticed. Earth may be noticed. And we could be attacked." The Entity crossed its legs and sighed, staring up into the skies above. “Eventually, humanity will go to the stars, and they will come into contact with these other species, these other worlds…other gods…” he looked sideways at Ethan, “That is a long way off yet – but when that happens…I need strong Imbued to be the bulwark defending Earth. Contained within The Archive for Ragnarok – the twilight of the gods…Odin, that fucker, put down the warning in rune stones. So, some concepts of the event persisted through the millennia.”

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  Ethan gulped, trying to contemplate the scale of what he was being told. The idea of humanity going to the stars and colonizing planets, but resulting in wars with alien species and gods? The mere thought sent chills down his spine. "I think I understand.”

  "Good."

  Ethan had to keep prodding. He had to know more. "But…why not tell us? If we all were working towards preparing for or countering this threat, we wouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves. We could push humanity into collective action! Stop wars by focusing on something external."

  The Entity sat silently, as if contemplating the proposal.

  Ethan stared at the odd mass in its torso which he caught glimpses of. For a brief moment he activated Sight Beyond Light, peering past the odd amorphous shape and at the crystalline shard - clear colored but with multicolored flecks - floating in the center of the mass.

  The Entity noticed his staring and turned to him, its color shifting once more to a green. "What does your vision see?"

  "You can't see what I can see?"

  The Entity's color shifted to a yellow hue, "No. Imbued have powers that even I do not have access to. A benefit of divesting my might to others. It prevents me from being detected, and the power manifests how the person elects."

  Ethan deactivated the power and went blind for a few seconds before his sight returned. A thought popped into his head and he smirked with sudden revelation, "You went for diversity. You want to be able to counter a broad variety of threats, instead of just relying on your own power that isn't suited to the task."

  The Entity shifted to a blue color once more and sounded impressed, "Yes, that was the plan. Gods are powerful, but we aren't unlimited in our potential. But, when I grant some of my power to a mortal and turn them into one of my Imbued, the power is theirs to shape and use until they die. Their subconscious helps to change the expression of that power."

  Ethan tented his hands and leaned forward, forearms on knees. “I…I killed someone that Cheat Code did something to.”

  “Yes,” The Entity replied. “I do not support his actions, but neither do I condemn them. Imbued grow through adversity – whether that is through fighting one another or encountering events and averting crisis…iron sharpens iron, to use the old smithing phrase.” It looked at Ethan, and there was a sense of…compassion that emanated from it. “I know you are torn. I assure you, killing Imbued is perfectly acceptable, as they return here to The Archive.”

  “I need to stop him,” Ethan said as he clenched his hands together to the point that they hurt. “I…I need to…I need to deal with it. He wants to send an Imbued a week at Los Angeles.”

  The Entity sighed, “Well, good luck finding him. The power he has is very versatile and has much depth. My advice? Just stick to the status quo. Deal with his “villain of the week”, as I saw him reference them. You mentioned uniting humanity under a common cause?” The Entity cracked a smile, a thin, black line appearing across the now-white humanoid blob. “Who better to unite against than a super villain? And who better to unite them than the figurehead who has been against them since the start?”

  Ethan stood up and turned to face The Entity, “You want me to just…let it happen? Keep letting him send Imbued, stopping…or killing them- only if necessary.”

  “It would be a way to unite humanity. He will establish himself as a villain beyond compare. You, the shining beacon of hope. Unite humanity under your banner, conquer Cheat Code, and then bring a lasting peace to the world.”

  Ethan felt lost. Powerless despite the energy at his fingertips and at his beck and call. “You want me to let people die.”

  “People die every day.” The Entity stood up and placed a hand on Ehtan’s shoulder, the bench vanishing in a burst of starlight. “You have no way to permanently end Cheat Code. He has…extra lives, as he called them. Plus, other backup contingencies from these games he pulls his powers from. You will need to grow your power until you come up with an Ability that can obliterate him at the deepest level – the soul.”

  “Does he still get to come here to The Archive if I do that?” Ethan asked, hoping that the answer was a resounding “no.”

  Disappointment came instead. “Yes,” The Entity stated. “He is a powerful servant and will be a potent defender should be worst come.”

  Ethan felt defeated. I can’t hunt him down and permanently end him, because I’m not strong enough and don’t have the right Ability for the job. I just have to let him send Imbued…probably against their will…and keep making him out as the villain? It felt as if Ethan’s morals were being thrown out the window. He would have to put on fake morality. Treya was right. I’m not Superman. I can’t be the boy scout that does everything right and is always on the moral high ground.

  He resigned himself to fate. Being the hero that unites the world behind them, takes out the villain, and brings an age of peace…the death of a few Imbued, even if they are unwilling in Cheat Code’s schemes…I know they will come here to The Archive, and live in a personal paradise. I can live with that. He drew his lips into a tight frown. For the greater good.

  "What happens now?" Ethan asked.

  The Entity exuded an aura of warmth and calmness, and Ethan felt his still disquieted heart settle to a steady beat. "Eventually, when Cheat Code is defeated and you have united the world behind you – whether through your altruism, force, or some other means…well, you focus on getting there, first. It will be a long, arduous path. But you will need to grow in power enough to permanently defeat your hated foe.”

  The Entity floated next to Ethan, "You're welcome to keep your friends and family safe here in your Sanctuary, if you believe that Earth is too dangerous" It gripped Ethan's shoulder, "Do what you will." The Entity faded into nothingness, vanishing from Ethan's side.

  He waited for a few moments to make sure The Entity was really gone. After he was sure it was gone, he activated Ascend Beyond and returned home to their house. Going to the bedroom, he gave Treya a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going out to do some hero stuff,” he whispered.

  “Love you,” she mumbled back. “Go kick some butt, hon.”

  Ethan geared up and pulled out his phone, scrolling down through the messages he had received. Imbued Restoring Earth is going to be the best way to build public goodwill. He quickly texted King Blood, asking if there was anything he could do right then.

  The phone rang, and he picked up. “Radiance.”

  King Blood spoke, “There’s a problem in the Mediterranean. A volcano is rumbling. Anything you can do to help stop that?”

  Ethan thought for a moment, and an idea flicked into his mind. “Get me video of the eruption point. I have an idea.”

  Well, now you see the overarching Meta Plot! Ethan is going to be building up his "Hero Identity" as Radiance, and the ultimate goal is to unite the world in its shared hatred of Cheat Code to help end conflict and unite humanity. Plus, you got a glimpse into a possible end-game of interplanetary, superhero wars (cosmic scale, anyone?).

  Hopefully you like the direction the story is going. If you haven't already, leave a rating, a review, or if you want to be super, an advanced review.

  Every 5 Reviews/Advanced Reviews we hit (5, 10, 15, etc.) I'll drop an additional chapter (a double feature!) on the next day I upload.