Distant Cathartic

Distant Cathartic III (Soul 6)

"Your God has left you. You have been abandoned. But do not despair; you are not alone. I have arrived with glad tidings. No longer shall you worship a God who ignores you, who allows you to suffer, and leaves your prayers unanswered. A new dawn approaches; and with it comes the Morning Star. a new God, who will not forsake you, no matter the trials you face. I bring with me an endless bounty, a renewed purpose, and salvation for all from the dark things of this galaxy. Rejoice! The new dawn is nigh!"

Athlon couldn't believe what he was hearing. He fully expected to receive a transmission about Lucifer's movements, but he thought it would come in the form of a devastating attack, not a proclamation by the Dark Lord himself. Lucifer wasn't hiding; the message came with a recording signature, offering Athlon and the Elysians the exact location of the transmission.

Athlon returned to the surface and played the message for the six Elysians. They discussed possible motivations, and tried to detect any hint of a trap. Ultimately, they decided that Lucifer's intent mattered little; whatever he was doing would not end well. Only the seven warriors on Heaven could stop him.

The transmission came from the Assyria Sector, from a tiny moon not labeled in Athlon's memory banks. Nearby was the Thracian Empire, one of the most highly populated civilizations in the Dopinephrine Galaxy.

Immediately, Athlon knew that was where Lucifer would strike. It would offer him a powerful victory to begin his campaign on the rest of the galaxy, and give him a strategic stronghold near the deep mines of the Alabaster belt. The only question that remained was when he would make his move.

Athlon and the Elysians departed Heaven, flying in a pattern for the open stars. It would take only a few hours to arrive in the Thracia solar system. Athlon enjoyed the company of his Elysian friends. He had spent so much time flying alone in space with no company but his own thoughts.

Less than an hour had passed when a second message came.

"Your God denied you your natural state. He made you turn from your natural instincts, demanding you conform to arbitrary laws set forth by Him and Him alone. I say, embrace your humanity! Tonight, on the first dusk of this new glorious era, I call on you to reclaim your birthright! Go forth, people of Thracia! Rape, pillage and steal! Murder those who have wronged you! Push doubt from your minds! Embrace the true potential of your species. Anarchy and chaos rule your hearts; show me you have the courage to exist in a world that is not controlled by greedy rulers and arrogant enforcers. Set fire to the galaxy!"

Athlon began to understand. Lucifer would not simply attack the people of the galaxy; he meant to turn man against himself. In the aftermath of bloody anarchy, millions of souls would flood Lucifer's pit. He was building an army of misfits, outcasts and anarchists to tear down the institutions that enforced order and justice. Lucifer would sink the Thracian Empire into a lawless dystopia in a single night.

Athlon and the Elysians slipped past the Assyrian border, and then entered the Thracia solar system. Athlon declared the unknown moon as there destination. Lucifer was almost certainly there, and the only chance they had of stopping the approaching carnage was to put Lucifer down. If they failed, tomorrow would see a Lucifer at new heights of power, with the galaxy tearing itself apart in his name.

As the moon came into view, the Elysians slowed.

<That is Cimmerian. This is where it all began, so many years ago. When Boris wrote Lucifer into existence, it was from this moon that he was said to rise. A city rose from the moon's dust, already ancient when it appeared. Lucifer will have extra power here: it is his mortal domain.>

Athlon slowed as well. He had never heard of the city, but it's name rang in his ears, repeating itself over and over. Cimmerian. Birthplace of Lucifer. Home of evil.

The Elysian warriors were clearly shaken. They never thought that they would ever see such a place, and now they approached battle here, in Lucifer's oldest layer. Athlon spoke to his friends, reminding them of the vital task ahead. There was no room for fear now. Lucifer had to be stopped.

The Elysians paused for only a moment; they knew Athlon was right. They nodded at their leader, and the group continued their journey. Athlon's joy at having company had evaporated. He was leading six people into a battle that they well might lose, and he could feel their uncertainty. The idea of losing his new friends scared Athlon even more than the pit of Hell had.

Cimmerian loomed before them. Athlon's body tingled as they approached: Lucifer's dark presence extended well beyond the borders of the round rock. Strange vibrations ripped across Athlon, and bizarre thoughts began to tremble in his sub conscience. He noticed unusual low light frequencies coming from the moon, and upon analysis discovered that they were delicately tuned to upset the natural balance of the human brain. Lucifer was using a wavelength projector to stir madness among the people of Thracia.

Athlon scanned the Thracian sun and its 14 worlds. The population of the capital planet of the Thracian Empire was concentrated on a single continent, and the planet's shadow was creeping onto the edge of that land mass. Dusk was setting.

There was no more time. Athlon lacked a plan, and he had no weapons beyond his own fists and the Elysian's swords. There was nothing for it; they had to attack now. They sped up, gaining momentum as they closed on Cimmerian, the red streak of Athlon's thrusters, and six thicker streaks of blue on a collision course for the city of dust.