Mogul vs. Remnants

With the death of Paladin Decen of Acadia, Prime Aspect Mogul continued his hunt to eliminate all the Paladins in the multiverse, and bring back the proper mantle of lordship to the Aspects.

The following story arc follows the story of the remnants, beings created from Decen's soul and essence, as they find their ways together, from their own stories and their own origins, to band together with the help of Guardian Merrow Rivenlight to avenge the death of their progenitor, and stop Mogul for good.

This story arc serves as a prelude to The Chronicles of Croft.

Prologue (Decen of Acadia)

"Get up, Master Decen." Sentry muttered from his numerous face wounds. His face unrecognizable. His armour shattered.

I stared at my body, which was broken. My bones were shattered, I had a punctured lung, and I could feel my consciousness disappearing. Merrow standing between me and Mogul, her face bloodied.

"Little Neptunian, you are delaying the inevitable." Mogul spoke, his voice like knife scraping against rock. If only I had my Restoration back. Or my Absorption. But it was no use. Mogul had taken it all. For the first time in my life, I felt truly helpless. Weak. Vulnerable. Like all the people I had killed.

Merrow spun her spear, at lightning speed, water and green lightning coming together as one into a huge barrier. "Cheesen, I'm not going to let you die. I'm not going to leave my Paladin."

Mogul grinned sinisterly.

"Damn.... it all." I growled, clawing at the ground, trying to find any leverage.

Everything was taken from me. First, my chance to become the number one Paladin, then my powers. I did everything right. I did whatever was necessary to be the strongest. And to have it all taken away.

Mogul striked, the force breaking through Merrow's Hydropower barrier.

"STOP!" I summoned the last of my strength, but before I could process anything else, my vision turned bright.

Streams. Streams of water and floating platforms. I looked around me, and realized I was standing on one of these platforms, suspended in mid air, like a floating city. I knew this place. I learned of this during my studies in the Paladin Collective.

I was in the Restoration Force.

I walked up the platforms, leaping from one to another. Without my powers I realized how unathletic I was. I had always depended on them, because training my body was pointless when the Restoration Force and Absorption took care of everything. Now it was really coming back to bite me in the ass.

I finally reached the top platform, which was decorated with lines of ancient Acadi. Svarkop Rolaa'ah. Elder Rolah.

I went up to the elder and politely grabbed him by the collar, shaking the old geezer.

"Grand Elder Rolah, I need my powers back. My comrades are going to die and I must kill Mogu-"

Rolah grabbed my hand, turning around and staring at me with void eyes.

"Paladin Decen of War. You have seen many battles, and fought with the Restoration Force for years. A truly remarkable warrior indeed."

I was getting impatient. "Listen here you geezer. I don't have time for this. I need my powers back I need-"

"Your powers aren't coming back."

My eyes widened. I stepped back, in pure devastation. "What... what the hell do you mean they're not coming back?" I whispered.

Rolah walked up to me, analyzing me like a book. "It must be this way. This must happen."

I clenched my fists. "What game are you playing at. You're the Paladin of HOPE. So give me HOPE. My friends, my FAMILY is going to die!"

Rolah turned around, his white beard fluttering in the air. "Friends, family. Did you not forsake these things, when you swore to be the strongest of our kind?"

"ENOUGH with the preaching! Look I get it. I was wrong. I took everything for granted. I'm sorry. Okay? Can I just have my powers back?"

"You are not truly sorry. You are only sorry because you have finally seen the true horror, the true horror that is death."

I tried to contain my rage, but I couldn't. I swung my fist. "Don't start preaching to me you old piece of -"

My rant was interrupted by a sudden back hand from the Elder. I was sent flying several feet backwards, landing on the platform, groaning and wheezing.

"Why the sudden change of heart? Paladin of War? Why love your Guardian? Why love your Familiar?"

I was barely able to speak, clutching my midsection but I managed to mutter. "Because... because they love me. They took care of me, and put up with me even though I did these things..."

I coughed, spitting out blood. My body was no longer quasi-static. It was human. So very human. And fragile.

"I don't deserve them, but they came in my life anyway. To make me realize... realize..."

Rolah approached me, his red robes dancing with the wind. "Realize what?"

"I was still worth loving." I closed my eyes aggressively, tears leaking through the sides. I took everything for granted, and it had to take the loss of my powers, the death of Jonna, everybody. It took all this to realize how ungrateful I really was.

Rolah was silent for a few seconds, then knelt down. "You have my blessing."

I looked up, in shock. "What?"

"You have my blessing to call upon the Power of the Paladins."

The Power of the Paladins. I had no idea what that was. Even during my studies of it, no one really knew what it was. It was just some random thing we learned, but the only thing we knew was it required the blessing of an Elder to achieve. And here I was.

"Will it help me kill Mogul?" I asked.

"Yes." Rolah responded. "But not in a way you might imagine.

"The Power of the Paladins shall bring upon a new age, from which you will be the progenitor. The stem, the seed for which numerous branches shall grow. Think. Think about what you should have done, how you should have lived your life. And the Power shall flow through you."

How should I have lived my life. I should have lived my life as someone who didn't blame my shortcomings on other people. I should have blamed it on myself. Because I was incompetent. Cursed. Everybody else, they were better than me. I would have been a better person, and become great, just like Icarus. But not through bloodshed. But through something else.

My vision shunted back to reality as I watched Merrow hit the ground in front of me. Sentry shouting her name. I couldn't take this anymore. I had the Power of the Guardians now, whatever the hell that was. I struggled to my feet, by some miracle and trudged towards Mogul's body. I could feel immense pressure from the Corruption aura he was giving off, but I didn't care. I was already corrupted. Polluted with sin. There wasn't much to lose.

"The depowered Paladin approaches. Come, and let us finish this. Know your place, servant of the Acadians."

I lifted my arm, thinking about how my life could have gone differently.

"I know my place. I'm gonna kill you, you ugly orc. With the Power of the Guardians!" I growled, releasing anything, imagining the power exiting my hand.

Nothing.

Mogul smirked and grabbed me by the throat, lifting me up as I began to choke, my vision turning dark.

"Delusional ant. For a second, I was going to cherish this execution. But to know you still live in your silly world of fantasy makes me sick. I shall rid of you and your pathetic kind."

I tried to grab his hand, but to no avail. Merrow screamed my name as I felt the bones in my neck crack as everything went dark, my body fading, my consciousness fading, everything withering away. I could feel my soul leaving my body, dispersing out.

So I guess this was it. The Power of the Paladins didn't work. I'm so sorry, Merrow. Connor.

Since I was dying anyway... I could ponder about it. What it was like.

Think. Think about what you should have done, how you should have lived your life.

Probably muscles. Yeah. Muscles would be great. Getting muscles from hitting the gym. Like that model. Samuel Mason. I'm sure he wouldn't mind having another Samuel Mason to honour his name. But maybe some kind of backstory to it. Something to drive me, maybe a drive to be great?

To be great, not by bloodshed. Not by being a killer. But by something else.

By being a hero.