Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

Kieran sat suddenly in the Realm of Self and flicked two extended fingers downward.

"Sit and explain."

He didn't give requests, he commanded. And that came as a pleasant surprise. It even made the Flame grin with delight rather than scowl with scorn.

"Yes. That is the fierce attitude a Firebearer must possess. Now, tell me, my child. What is it that you wish of me?"

Kieran took a moment to gather his thoughts, organize them, and then speak them.

"Your glory. You said you had been feeding it to me. What do you mean?"

Suddenly, against his will, Kieran's head began turning in his Realm until his gaze paused on the blackness in this place, the part that embodied the abyss and the ruin that could precipitate that kind of destruction.

"That is what I've been feeding you. You see, my Significance is no longer aligned with the Will of the Gods. They are that which governs every Boundary. What I attempted was akin to suicide. And I did die for it. Ah, yes, I died. But now I seek retribution. Evil only became evil when it no longer serves a purpose."

Kieran could understand that last part. There were some cases where the ends justified the means, and for that, people were looked at as saviors who gave salvation. But they were only seen as the salvation of those who survived the means.

To those who perished, they would forever remain a scourge worthy of being despised.

So, then, was the Flame not always evil? Or, more precisely, had it been an evil for the right cause — for the cause of the Gods?

Then, it was a betrayal, and its retribution was all out of spite. It was the embodiment of a spiteful being seeking vengeance. Kieran hated how much he resonated with what the Flame was.

'Is the Trial asking me if I could ever become like the Flame? So… someone had indeed become like the Flame then?'

Kieran reckoned Valdu had become the Flame's weapon — its Blade of Ruin.

But the Flame was far from finished.

"Ah, I should make clear that there is no good or evil amongst Gods. There is only cause and effect, and that lies at the root of all. In one word, the power of the Gods… is choice. They determine choice by dictating fate. And I was the Order that kept that fate unchanged."

Suddenly, the Flame didn't seem as sinister. Still, it remained malignant and hateful simply because it spoke of the Gods.

"And I killed many Gods… but the thing about a dead God is that they never stay dead. As long as their Domain is revived from a single ember of faith, they reappear with it. And you see… I never had a name before. But I became Ruin… because I ruined the Gods' Plans. That was the Condemnation they gave me. But they made a grave misstep because Ruin holds too much power. I am everywhere and nowhere. I am unseen but always felt. Ruin is shapeless, for it comes in many forms."

The Flame grew feverish with ire as it spoke.

"You, my child, have been chosen by Ruin — by me. You were too Significant… and so you were Condemned. In exchange, I gave you power, though. An equal sacrifice. You understand the Law that Balance operates upon, right? I can feel its theurgy permeating your inner Realm."

Enthralled by the story, Kieran leaned closer and questioned.

"What is your name, Flame?"

"I am nameless, for even I forgot it in the time it took enough Ruin to be wrought. However, I remember my title: The Great Deicide — Father of Condemnation. But now, all I am is the Flame of Ruin. I am not much else. But I will be… soon."

Somehow, Kieran didn't like the confidence in the Flame's tone.

"You… are Ruin's Spirit?"

Kieran tone while asking the question was strange. He asked tentatively but also seemed quite sure.

The Flame analyzed Kieran before giving an eerie grin.

"Not yet. Ruin is never alone. And because I am alone, I am not yet Ruin. But I will be."

Kieran's frown deepened. The Flame was back to evading answers, meaning it either touched upon a subject it wished to avoid for now or couldn't speak on the matter.

After a moment of silence to consider his next question, Kieran asked it.

"Why did you kill the Gods if you were amongst them."

"Ah, I was the one that maintained the Order of cause and effect. And that was nasty work — evil doings, really. And I wanted change. So… we went to war because the Gods' hate change. Change is erratic and hard to predict. They like the predictable… the controllable. If you travel far enough, you'll understand what I mean."

Kieran nodded externally, but internally, he was somewhat disappointed.

The Gods had gone to war for something as simple as change? Was change that meaningful? No… he needed to know how powerful choice was to understand why change was hated.

For that, he'd have to walk amongst the Gods. How far down the road was that? It remained so far away that Kieran's puny mind failed to fathom the power they epitomized.

Kieran looked at the Flame with wistful anticipation before sighing and clearing his thoughts.

To obtain its goal, the Flame would willingly sacrifice a Boundary. For that reason alone — even if its hatred for the Gods was warranted — its machinations had to be stopped.

But to stop the Flame, he had to fool the Flame first.

"Tell me, what does that blackness represent."

The Flame grinned now that Kieran was asking the right questions.

"It represents the Condemnation that has taken root in your Body. You will not fall even to the strike of a Master. I have ensured your resilience because you must fight many troublesome opponents to wade through the opposition. It's okay, though, because I will empower you at every turn."

"So your Condemnation would be…"

"The inversion of Significance. Two sides of the same coin — Dark and Light — that whole spiel. It is everything that I am and have been made to represent. I had no choice in the matter… and it's only right that I share that with you."

Kieran stopped himself from rolling his eyes at the Flame's gracious and gratuitous blessing.

"You're so kind."

His tone was flat and obviously satirical, but it was a concept lost upon the Flame, for it responded with perverse glee.

"You are my child, and I the nurturer. What am I if not loving?"

Kieran refrained from answering.

"Back to the topic you spoke of before I came here. Where will you be getting this glory now that I'm Unspoken? The Pit will not help me anymore."

"This place is abound with prey. You could easily embrace your predatory nature and kill them. Didn't you want to kill them all?"

Kieran considered it, then shook his head.

At some point, the desire to kill the followers had vanished. The more he learned about the sinister Flame, the more he realized how pitiful and powerless they were in the grand scheme of things. They were exploited victims.

"I need only have you."

The Flame rejoiced with disturbing euphoria.

"Correct. I am all you need, my child. That is why I shall give you all the glory! What a lovely father-son chat. Parental guidance is key in grooming a child."