Benjamin Vryce

He didn’t know how much time had passed outside. He couldn’t have said how much time had passed in here, for that matter. Benjamin Vryce hadn’t left his void space once, since he entered it at the Arbiter’s insistence. It had, at minimum, been several weeks. He didn’t give it much thought, but he assumed his body was still in the autumn hive tower’s sewer. What happened outside, simply wasn’t his concern at the moment.

He was sitting in his meditation chair, in the vast expanse of what had been empty white. Once he had been elevated to the status of World Lord, the void space changed somewhat. It was still a blank white canvas, but he could now overlay his will onto it, and condense it into semi reality. To date he hadn’t made much, except the simple metal folding table. That he placed before his metal folding meditation chair.

There were two chicken egg sized objects on the table, and he was examining them closely. Each of the objects was intricately carved with twisting patterns, reminiscent of Celtic knots. One of the objects was the pale white of starlight, while the other was deepest black. Both had cracks, spiderwebbing out across their surfaces.

They were the damaged patterns he had gathered, one from a burnt and buried goblin corpse, the other was from the demonic woman. Who had invaded the hive world through the rift in reality? Benjamin channeled essence from his dual natured core. The empty black chaotic essence through one hand, and the shining starlight of creation essence through the other.

The separated essences entered their respectively created pattern, and with an effort of will he pushed the patterns out into the air. He looked up at what he had done, it was similar to a three-dimensional projector screen. The essence from his hands passed through the fractured patterns and created a model of what they would look like manifested into reality.

There now appeared to be two women standing in front of him, their forms composed of essence. The goblin woman stood four feet tall, with an hourglass figure. She looked strong and stable. The demonic woman on the other hand stood six feet tall, and had an elegant demeanor, even her projection radiated cold nobility. There were other differences too, the most obvious being the demon’s wings.

They did have a few things in common as well however. Like the fact that they were incomplete. Each of the projections came with impressions of personality and memory, what made them…them. Parts of the women’s minds no longer existed, along with chunks of their bodies. They had been damaged beyond repair when their patterns had cracked.

He moved the projections together slowly, trying to combine the patterns and create at least one complete form. Like so many times before however, nearly as soon as the patterns touched, they fizzled out of view. When the essences of creation and chaos failed to mingle, the exercise failed.

“Shit,” he swore. It had been weeks of the same, trying and failing, trying and failing again. It was getting tiresome. He knew it had to be possible, he just couldn’t figure out the trick.

“You are trying too hard. When you did this before, it was all done instinctually.” The voice that resounded through his head came from the draft horse sized she wolf, who was curled up around his chair.

She lifted her great head from the floor and looked down at him. Her face was shorter and squatter than a normal wolf, her sabretooth’s fangs on full display, as she yawned. She had changed a little since he had first killed her, however many months ago that had been now.

Her dirty white fur was still long and shaggy, but now had an ice blue tint to it. Combined with her long teeth and thickly muscled frame, she looked like a holdover from the last ice age. Benjamin sighed and reached up to scratch her shaggy coat. Working his clawed fingers around the leather straps that held her ice blue, carapace armor in place.

“I hear you Ice,” he said at last. “I just can’t seem to…capture, what I felt before.” He sighed in frustration, before jumping at the new voice that intruded into their conversation.

“She is right you know,” the words emanated from the TVesk screen that now floated in the air. The Erlking’s bestial form, complete with antlers, staring out at him.

He had only popped in on Benjamin a few times, since he shut himself away in mourning. The fact that he was here now tipped him off that his extended pity party might be about to end.

“Erlking,” he greeted his benefactor and senior World Lord, with a slight inclination of his head. “I understand in theory, but I haven’t been able to make so much as a single pattern since I started trying.” He finished, throwing his hands up.

“Is that so?” the Erlking asked incredulously, “then what, pray tell is the object you are sitting at?” he asked pointing to the folding table.

Benjamin looked down at the item in question with a frown. It wasn’t anything special, he felt the void had changed, and he simply thought the table into existence.

“I don’t understand, are you telling me this table is a pattern?” he said, confused.

“It is. Patterns are little more than the physical manifestations of our creations. If you exited your void space and pulled that table out into the universe, it would either become a pattern like those” he pointed at the eggs, “or, if you infused it with sufficient essence would become a real, solid table.”

Benjamin just stared at him slack jawed. It was that easy, it couldn’t be. He had worked on these two fractured patterns for months.

“If it’s that easy then why can’t I make this work?” he said with a jab towards the two patterns he had been trying to combine.

“There is no one way to do this, Benjamin. A lot of patterns are made with flash inspirations, emotions and memories. I made many of my creations based on my memories of times past.” He said, going silent for a long moment. “When next you try again, remember how you created the table. I suggest you think about what you are trying to get out of this experiment, take those thoughts feelings and desires and combine them with your essence and…make it so.”

Benjamin thought on his words for a while, still absent mindedly scratching the huge wolfs coat. With that short conversation, his understanding had just increased tenfold. On a whim, he lifted his hand and concentrated. A near perfect replica of the autumn hive scything limb he had used as a weapon appeared on the table.

He looked at it for a second, then adjusted the limb portion into a better handle and lengthened the entire thing to better suit his body size. He changed its color to blue and added some deep scarring to its surface as a tribute to the blue king before he called it done.

“Huh, well ok then.” He said looking at what he had made. It had cost him a decent amount of essence, but nothing unreasonable. He looked up to see the astonished look on the Erlking’s face, and furrowed his brow. “What?” he asked confused, he only did what the Erlking had told him too.

“I…sorry, I mean, did you use combined chaos and creation essence to create that blade?” he said after a few faulty starts.

Benjamin had to think about the question for a beat, he hadn’t actively thought about it. Replaying the process in his mind he realized that yes, he had instinctually braided the two essences together. Just like he had done when he sealed the rift.

“I did, yes. It just came naturally that way, why?” he said, looking back to the Erlking.

“Watching the process from inside your void space gave me a better understanding of how you sealed the rift, by how you created that blade. I was surprised because if you had used only creation essence it would have cost several times more, and taken much longer than it just did.” The Erlking answered, still staring at the blade. “Did you imbue the creation with a name?”

“I did actually. It felt a little silly to name a practice piece, but I couldn’t help but think about the blue king while I crafted this. So, I named it King’s Blade, in tribute to his memory.” He said, feeling a little embarrassed. He hadn’t been bonded with the Hive monarch long, but he had made an impression.

“I see,” the Erlking said at last. Benjamin thought he was tearing up, “I approve of your choice. However, that isn’t why I’m here.” He said changing the subject with a deep inhalation.

“Yea. I kinda figured that.” Benjamin replied, “What do I need to do?”

“Things are going to change going forward, Benjamin. The Arbiter has left on business of his own, and he lifted many of the restrictions he placed on us when he did. Illyria and the court of seven were already causing trouble. Now, I am afraid it will mean all-out war.” He said, dropping a lot of information in a short time.

“Who’s that?” Benjamin asked, “And what does it mean for me and the other human souls?”

“Illyria is the self-titled queen of her faction. She has six weaker World Lords under her control, honestly it isn’t relevant to you right now. But to your second question, you will continue to close the rifts. Illyria might try to capture some of you, but she will have to fight very hard to do so.”

Benjamin contemplated that as he picked up King’s blade, and tested its heft and feeling the scarred surface beneath his fingers. The universe was being invaded by freaking demons, and the old fools wanted to war on each other. Honestly, he would tell them all to pound sand, except he would burn right along with them if the demons got their way.

“Fine, what’s first.” he didn’t care anymore, he just wanted to move. His eyes drifted over to the aged copper acorn. The seed contained an entire world, created from Benjamin’s essence and subconscious thoughts. It was also the tomb he had inadvertently sent his goblin love and their unborn child to. It was still locked to him, but he didn’t want anything to do with it right now, so it didn’t bother him.

“First, I would like you to take a look at Jade. She has been in a coma since the battle, she wasn’t as fortunate in absorbing the chaotic essence as you.” The Erlking answered. At Benjamin’s concerned look he quickly added, “Oh she is fine, she just couldn’t stabilize her core. Her soul shut down while it worked on the problem. I think you could help put it to rights quickly, however. You will need the backup, where you are going.”

With a sigh, Benjamin stood up. He stretched his limbs unnecessarily, and looked to his soul bonded companion. The only member of his team to survive the last battle, other than Jade and Tok he supposed.

“Are you ready, Ice?” he asked, as she rose to her feet as well. The thickly muscled she wolf had been waiting for action as long as he had, and was ready to move.

“Always, my rider.” She responded directly into his mind. She hadn’t spoken often, even after he fixed his mistake that robbed her of her voice. So, hearing her voice in his head, was still new to him.

He turned back to the Erlking, who was still watching him through the screen. He knew the World Lord was using him, but he couldn’t hold it against him. He had felt loss, since coming to this new universe. Thinking about his fallen companions, he couldn’t say he wouldn’t do whatever it took if it meant keeping them safe.

It was too late for them now; only he and Ice remained, but he would die before he let someone else feel that pain if he could prevent it. Closing his eyes, he willed himself back to reality. He had needed the time away, but now it was time to get back to work.