Rine Vect Nol Karmaskor sat at a table opposite his two long-time friends and fellow Celestial Sages in the hall mortals often called The Throne Of The Gods as they held their monthly meeting.

Croin Markoth Vel Armagor, the male of the pair, was a tall, powerfully built man who was strikingly handsome in his white robes, his shaven head doing nothing to detract from his good looks. That wasn't surprising, given how much time he'd demanded Rine spend perfecting that sculpted physique with biomancy.

Similar feats of biomantic engineering had given the man a body that never aged and would remain unchanged no matter how poor his eating habits or how little exercise he did, nevermind his habit of heavy drinking and engaging in carnal delights every night with dozens of women at a time. The man was an immortal, godlike embodiment of everything that modern society believed to be the pinnacle of the masculine form, at least in terms of the physical.

If that was the case, the female of the pair possessed the idealized female form, with a beautiful face sporting full, sensuous lips and large, vibrant eyes, framed by hair that constantly shifted through every color of the rainbow. Sadly, few men noticed the perfectly sculpted face that Rine had spent countless hours shaping, as they were far too busy staring at the woman's enormous, supple breasts or her fantastically shaped posterior.

Those, many women would have been enraged to learn, were fully natural, Rine only having to use the bare minimum of biomancy needed to ensure that they never sagged or lost their shape. The woman had once been what lesser mortals would have termed 'Butter-Face', before Alrada requesting Rine's practiced hand in reshaping her to the sublime visage she felt a goddess deserved.

The result was a vision of loveliness that was jaw-droppingly, impossibly perfect, a voluptuous body that nearly reached a parody or caricature of the feminine form that, candor forced Rine to admit, was largely the result of generations of genetic tampering combined with a meticulously sculpted face so lovely that anyone who saw it, man or woman, fell instantly in love with her.

While nowhere near as promiscuous as her male counterpart, Alvrada Moni Cogratith certainly reveled in her magnificent form and the attention it brought her, often wearing revealing garments that were so alluring that literal nudity would be less provocative. If even a lich could admit that he found a woman intensely erotic, it was truly saying something.

The woman kept her incredible body and peerless beauty intact by draining life energy from plants, which had the side effect of making her extremely fertile. If she ever became pregnant, she'd no doubt birth a dozen children or more in one go.

The two living sages were discussing their respective spheres of influence, and how things were going amongst their worshippers. Rine found such talk boring, but he did enjoy being included in the meeting, and occasionally offered an observation or a piece of advice to his friends regarding the problems they faced. As the meeting went on, he pondered the problem that had presented itself to him over the last few decades, one he was struggling to find an answer for.

"And how go things with you?" Alvrada asked, fluttering her perfect eyelashes towards the lich.

Rine would have sighed, had he lungs, then admitted, *I've encountered a dilemma. One that I'll need time to unravel.*

Croin, curious, asked, "What dilemma?"

Rine considered keeping it a secret but decided there was little harm in sharing what he'd learned. *During my study of the labyrinths, I came across something extremely worrying.*

He paused to organize his thoughts, then explained, *I found evidence that some of the labyrinths weren't built by the civilization that preceded our own, but by ones older still. Given the differences in age between them, it implies over a dozen civilizations have risen and fallen before our own. Thus, the evidence implies that multiple great civilizations have been born, risen to prominence rivaling our own, then suddenly fell and caused the world to descend into barbarism, only for a new civilization to rise, repeating the process over and over again through the eons.*

"An interesting discovery," Alvrada noted, "but I fail to see the dilemma."

Unfortunate, but not unexpected: Alvrada was a Celestial Sage, but that was because she was immensely powerful, not because she was a paragon of intellect. In truth, she was remarkably vapid, working her magic through impressive instincts rather than skills trained through long study and discipline. She was far more compassionate than the other two, which complemented her specialties of healing magic, support, and reinforcement, but she was often too kind for her own good.

Croin, after a moment, observed, "You said that the civilizations in the past rivaled our own before they collapsed. That's where the dilemma lies: Civilizations reach our level of power and prosperity, and then something happens to cause them to fall apart, so you're thinking that the same thing may happen to us."

The man might have been vain and dwelt far too much on pleasures of the flesh, but he did have something of a brain in his head, albeit an average one. While he lacked a towering intellect or an unnatural instinct for magic, the man had been blessed with both an extremely large mana core and proportionately oversized conduits, making him capable of displays of raw destructive power that even Rine would have difficulty replicating. However, he lacked subtlety, tending to use brute force solutions to problems where a gentler touch might have been wiser. His good intentions could sometimes have disastrous results.

While neither of the other Celestial Sages were towering intellects, they were Rine's closest friends, and they often looked to him for counsel when faced with problems beyond the scope of their respective capabilities. If you were to put their relationship into the simplest terms, Alvrada was the heart of the trio, Croin was the muscle, and Rine was the brains. U

nlike the others, Rine had no specialty due to his capabilities being born of study, research, and training. Instead of natural-born talent, Rine had built himself into a Celestial Sage through hard work and ceaseless effort. Taking a backseat as the moderator and advisor of the group, he helped to fix any mistakes the others might have made due to being too kind for their own good or using far more power to solve a problem than was necessary.

Admittedly, at times he could become far too engrossed in his studies, so much so that the other Celestial Sages had to drag him away so that he'd attend these meetings. Between the three of them, the world had seen hundreds of years of peace and prosperity. However, Rine was certain that this was all the calm before the storm.

Rine nodded, admitting, *Yes. That's exactly it. When I went out last on a foray into the vastness of the cosmos, I encountered several worlds at varying stages of the same cycle of rebirth, growth, prominence, and then ruin, although I didn't realize it at the time. Some of those worlds were very much like our own. Others were so alien that the beings living there can barely be considered life as we define it. However, one thing remains certain: They had all experienced this cycle multiple times.*

*However, I could never find a clear cause for the disaster, as it had always occurred in the past, and no record of the disaster itself could be found. All I had to go on was conflicting myths and legends, with no evidence with which to separate fact from fiction.*

Rubbing a hand over the top of his skull in frustration, he added, *If we don't know what the disaster is, we may not have a means by which to prevent it when it arrives. The only clue I have is that worlds reliant upon magic experience this cycle. The worlds I encountered that eschewed magic for science instead did not undergo this madness. However, they do encounter different cycles that can be just as perilous. Whatever it is that befalls great civilizations built upon sorcery, it is intrinsically tied to magic itself, I believe, and as such, that may give me a lead.*

He paused, then stared at the ceiling for a bit, before saying, *Now that I know that the danger exists, I must figure out what it is, and how it can be stopped. Something has to be done.*

Alvrada, her perfect face gazing at the lich intently, said, "Well, I'll admit that does seem a bit worrisome, yes, but there's no reason why you should get worked up about it. I'm sure that if we just keep an eye out and work together when it arrives, it'll all turn out alright. After all, no world has ever had the three of us to protect it."

Shaking his head, Croin admitted, "I'm not so certain of that. How many times have the elite mages of the past said those exact words, only to be proven terribly, fatally wrong?"

"I think you have the right of it, Rine. However, with things the way they are, neither Alvrada nor I can go with you, especially if a potential disaster might be coming soon. If things take a dire turn before your return, we'll be needed here to shepherd our people through the dark times. Since you don't have such responsibilities weighing you down, you're our best bet at finding an answer, if not for us then for future generations. If the disaster you fear arrives, we'll do what we can to leave you some clue of what caused it, so that future generations will be able to avoid it.*

Looking at his two friends, the lich chuckled, and said, *Alright. My theory is that, if the disaster is related to magic, then the only way to find the answer is exhaustive research into sorcery, not simply at a global level, but a cosmic one. I'll need to go on another foray, going much further for much longer, so that I can try to grasp the true heart of magic and determine the underlying principles behind everything. Once I have a true understanding of what makes sorcery tick, I'm certain that the answer will present itself.*

*I'll make my preparations, and be ready to depart by week's end.*

The other Celestial Sages nodded in agreement. After a bit more discussion, they each left for their respective homes. A week later, with many hearty and tear-filled goodbyes, Rine departed. Little did Rine know, he hadn't needed to go out into the vast cosmos to find the answer to the dilemma. Instead, he only needed to understand the nature of the hearts and minds of mortals...

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Rine had not been lying when he had stated his journey would take him far longer and far further away than ever before. He journeyed amongst the stars at speeds that even his undead, adamant-coated bones could barely withstand, searching for answers within the cavernous recesses of planets or in the hearts of dying stars.

He combed the cosmos for secret knowledge about the inner workings of the arcane. He cautiously tip-toed, in one case quite literally, around beings whose might was so immense that they could extinguish the lich by blinking. Finally, one thousand years later in a distant galaxy, Rine encountered beings who could finally answer the questions he had.

Unfortunately, the answers weren't what he'd expected.

As he floated in the void between worlds, the lich 'conversed' with a being that had no concept of language, a feat that had required immense time and study to accomplish. A formless mass of energy, it was less an individual, and more an embodiment of the will of the vast cosmos itself, bound to one of the fundamental forces that held the universe together.

This entity that Rine dubbed a Cosmic Prime embodied magic itself. As such, it knew of the calamity that magic-based civilizations faced in a never-ending cycle. It had explained that many things can cause a sorcery-based civilization to collapse, incursions from other worlds and planes of existence, magical accidents or disasters, or far more mundane issues. However, the bane of a highly advanced society like Rine's almost universally shared a single source.

^The problem is inherent within the nature of both magic and of people,^ the Cosmic Prime of Magic explained, as Rine's complex array of spells translated it, at least.

^Unlike science and technology, magic is a force that is bound to individuals. Science can create things that benefit the whole of society, but a mage's power is tied to that one person, so whatever good or ill can come of that power comes purely from that person, and ends with the death of that individual. So, while science-based societies can destroy themselves due to things like cultural conflicts, wars between nations, or misapplications of science, magic-based societies tend to face destruction because two or more immensely powerful users of sorcery come into conflict with one another.^

There was a lengthy pause, then the entity added, ^While the leader of a powerful nation may pull his people back from the brink of war due to feeling responsible for seeing to the welfare of his nation as a whole, a powerful magic-user can be far more selfish and short-sighted. A person who has so much power that they see themselves as a god will not act with restraint or responsibility as mortal lives are beneath the concern of all-powerful beings.^

^Worse, perhaps, is that one who sees themselves as a god will not allow either rivals or superiors. There can only be one god, in their mind. Once those wizards lose their mortal perspective, it will be the beginning of the end. If there is only one person with that kind of power, peace can be kept for a time, but sooner or later, a rival will appear. If there are multiple individuals with that kind of power, then conflict is inevitable even if they might be friends or even lovers.^

^When their power and egos exceed their ability to contain them, they'll fight to determine who is the one and only god. Such a battle can only end with the annihilation of all parties involved, and with the destruction of nearly everything that mortals have built. The suddenness of the destruction, combined with its wanton nature, ensures that neither the survivors nor their descendants can know the truth of what happened, even if that knowledge can be passed down through the age of barbarism that follows.^

Rine had a horrifying premonition, and as if reading his thoughts, the vast embodiment of magic itself noted, ^Yes. In your one thousand year absence, things have degenerated to that point. The fighting had already begun well before you arrived, and is nearing its climax.^

As Rine turned to go, feelings of guilt flooding him for not having been present to stop this disaster, time stopped. He could no long more his body, and the vast cosmos held itself still. All that could move was his own conscious thoughts and the vast, nebulous being.

^Your guilt is misplaced. Observe the numerous alternative paths you might have taken.^ Visions flooded Rine's mind. Each vision showed him staying behind, rather than pursuing knowledge out in the vastness of the cosmos, instead opting to continue acting as a mediator and counterbalance for his fellow Celestial Sages.

While events moved in different ways, the end result was the same. In some of those paths, an argument began and Rine attempted to calm his two allies, only for them to turn on him and destroy him before turning on each other. In others, he joined forces with one to defeat the other before his ally turned on him. In others, the three began in a free-for-all. In all of those visions, the end result was always that the three killed one another, with civilization being wiped out in the process. Had he remained behind, the end result would be the same.

^If you mean to go and stop them, that is your right,^ the Cosmic Prime of Magic stated. ^You cannot prevent the fall of civilization, but perhaps you might help rebuild it. However, know that the end result may well be the same, as knowledge of the cycle and its conclusion does not mean knowing how to prevent the great wheel from turning. Know that we do hope you might find a solution. It is tedious, watching mortals commit the same mistakes over and over again. Now go, and go with our blessing.^

Time resumed its stately march, and Rine left, intent upon finding a way of stopping something that the most powerful and omniscient entities in the cosmos claimed was inevitable, or at the very least figure out a way to prevent it from happening again.

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Rine stood high in the heavens between the two warring Celestial Sages, hands extended in what one world he'd visited would have referred to as a T-Pose. Each hand pointed towards a Celestial Sage, each imprisoned within a barrier so powerful that neither of his former friends could break it.

Yes, former friends. As he looked at each of them, he understood that neither of the two people he'd loved dearly existed anymore. Not even Rine, who knew them best, could tell any difference between them, their physical bodies destroyed beyond recovery. They were nothing more than a mindless mass of magic, rage, and hatred, each intent upon destroying the other. They were beings so angry they refused to die.

He had tried to reach out to them, but his mystical probes into what remained of their bodies, minds, and souls revealed that asides from their now-bottomless hatred, nothing remained. The forces that the pair had channeled in an attempt to destroy one another had in turn destroyed themselves in every possible way. There was nothing left to save, as they had passed the point of no return long before the lich had arrived. The moment that either one of them was destroyed, the other would extinguish as well, the bottomless well of hatred that sustained them spent.

As he looked out over the blasted landscape, Rine could only shake his head and regret his inability to cry. All he could do now was end them. Making a fist with each hand, he dispersed the two writhing masses of magic and hate that were once two dear friends.

Then, he slowly descended down to the ground. After taking a few moments to grieve, he began walking forward. There were things to do. He would rebuild civilization, restoring this world to the height of wonder and power it had once before known, and then...

He came to a stop, as he realized that he didn't know what to do after that. What point was there in rebuilding the world if it would inevitably face destruction again? Until and unless he had a plan for preventing another disaster, simply rebuilding the world was foolish. It would be like building a castle in the sand, only to watch the tide come in and wash away all of his hard work. Something has to be done, or he'd just be adding a link to a chain that remained unbroken for countless eons. But what?

So, he found a stone large enough to sit upon and started thinking.

He ran through every possible option in his mind, conceived countless simulations on how to move forward, calculated increasingly wild and disparate variables, but he could not come to an answer. Hours turned to days, days into months, and months into years, yet an answer eluded him. Every possible scenario he conceived, every path he took in his mind, all of them led to the same results in the end.

So lost in thought was he that when the followers of the now-deceased Celestial Sages came with vengeance on their minds, he didn't notice them. As they attacked him with sticks and rocks, swords and sorcery, he sat there, paying them no mind. These men and women wanted someone to blame for the state of the world and failed to realize that their so-called gods were the source of the cataclysm that had destroyed their world, not the lich who had put an end to it.

Then, after weeks of violence, mages were assembled, and cast a powerful ritual, sacrificing their lives to power the spell. Rine, so lost in thought, didn't realize what they were doing until it was too late.

*Stop, you beautiful idiots! You don't know what you're doing!* he exclaimed, just before he was forcibly ejected into the nothing outside of reality.

And there he remained for thousands of years afterward.

He needed to get back, and soon. When those deluded men and women had forced Rine out with forbidden sorcery, they didn't know what consequences their magic would have. One cannot simply eject a being out of the cosmos and not expect repercussions. In the space where Rine had been banished, a distortion had formed in reality.

Over millennia, it had slowly, steadily grown larger. So long as Rine sat outside of the cosmos, its expansion would continue. Once it became large enough, it would come to the attention of the Cosmic Primes. Those vast, all-mighty beings would eventually become aware of this tumor in the fabric of reality, and fix it. However, with beings powerful enough to reverse the spin of a galaxy if they thought it necessary, fixing the problem would no doubt have cataclysmic consequences for the world.

Thus, the majority of Rine's impressive intellect was dedicated to effecting his escape before that happened. Saving the world from the more immediate threat by gaining his freedom took priority over finding a means of breaking the cycle. However, those simulations, theories, and extrapolations based on available data continued in the back of his mind, along with two very simple sentences...

*Something Has To Be Done. But What?*