Thanatos was deep in meditation. The room around him seemed to have vanished. His thoughts traveled across the galaxy, trying to find something, someone. It always led him to new places and discover new secrets locked away from humanity. He was not alone, though; the voice in his head, the entity in his midst following him around, was ever-present. It was guiding him through the galaxy, showing him everything he had to see. Even though Thanatos could see, he could not hear or speak; that was the rules of the Void. Nivshevus was the name of the entity, the voice following Thanatos guiding him in his journey to discovering the power of the Nihil. Nivshevus appeared to Thanatos for the first time after touching the stone on Dessix two hundred years ago.
Thanatos remembers the first time he discovered Nivshevus; days after touching the stone, he thought his thoughts were leaving him, that his mind was wandering, and his age was catching up with him. As soon as he discovered how to listen to the voice in his mind who introduced itself as Nivshevus, everything he ever knew and understood changed forever.
He learned to commune through meditation, and Nivshevus taught Thanatos new wisdom and knowledge. In his reflections with Nivshevus, he was shown how fragile the galaxy had become and how it was on the brink of disintegrating into total chaos; Thanatos never wanted to believe that the universe was on such a fragile brink. However, these visions of the galaxy revealed too much for him to continue thinking it was stable. Although the order has ruled the galaxy and shaped its form since interstellar travel was discovered, their rule was dwindling; thus, the complete control they believed they had was proven to be nothing but a lie.
The few rogue systems that existed caused countless wars across the galaxy and billions of people to die, proving to the numerous loyal peoples the importance of the existence of the Order. However, for the Order to remain in power, only a very small select few were allowed to know of its existence. Now it seemed like the galaxy had forgotten what the Order was and what their true purpose was.
Iphis, of whom Thanatos was aware, was the leading cause of the decline of his clandestine Organization, according to Nivshevus. But she was a necessary evil to allow an awakening of the Nihil within Thanatos and Izzar. It has come from centuries of infighting that Iphis gained the confidence of some of the leaders to openly defy the Epsimus, something that would have been enough reason for execution in earlier years. Though Thanatos wanted to get rid of Iphis, Nivshevus convinced him that it was in his best interests to keep her alive and in her position.
“Great power is born from chaos; peace follows the birth of a new era.”
These words Nivshevus repeated every time he would be on his last nerve with her; he understood that the saying was for the birth of the Nihil in him and that whatever is transpiring needs to be allowed so that a strong power could be born within him. Though Thanatos could not understand why Nivshevus insisted on training Izzar, let alone interfere in a task given to him by Thanatos himself.
“The Nihil is moving on its own accord; I did not have a hand in what transpired today." So Nivshevus said as the thoughts of Izzar being taught about the Nihil without him approving crossed his mind.
“I always believed I would be the one to attain this power alone, and then I would pass it on to Izzar.” However, Thanatos was unsure about Nivshevus being truthful or not.
“The plans of Iphis are ever-evolving. Her fleet is indeed heading to Dessix as we speak. Izzar has a younger mind, open to many new things. It is indeed easier for the Nihil to manifest with him.”
“How is it possible that the Nihil has come to him so quickly?” Thanatos asked.
“In my own attempts to introduce the Nihil to him, I’ve visited him in his dreams, subconsciously training him, as I do with you. As a result, his mind offered far more resistance than yours. It has blocked me from doing so for a while now.”
“Will the boy be able to wield the amount of power that even you have? Would you still be able to train him if I died?”
Thanatos was concerned; he knew that Izzar’s training would not be complete before he was killed. There was much that Izzar still had to learn, and he was afraid that Izzar would never complete his training after his death.
“He is perfectly capable of wielding an even stronger Nihil than I do, though I cannot continue his training after you have gone. The stone my essence once called it's home was destroyed when you touched it; I only managed to survive because of your physical contact. It is forbidden by the Order for anyone but Izzar to touch you while you are alive. In Izzar’s case, it’s only during training. Only if you transfer my essence to Izzar at the moment of your death will I be able to survive and teach the boy. I am afraid once you die, I will die with you. Izzar will not be here to allow the transfer.”
Thanatos understood; he did not want Izzar to be left alone, not without his training being incomplete. However, sending him on that mission was his own peril.
“Will he restore order to the galaxy?” Thanatos finally asked.
“No,” Nivshevus answered coldly. “Though I cannot see into the future, I can sense the intentions of people. Izzar is not ready; this is why he has been sent out into the wilderness to be prepared; he might not be ready to take up your mantle, but he will be ready to defend himself and survive the coming attack to one day. Reclaim that which is rightfully his.”
Thanatos was uneasy about this plan; he had lived too long to want the Order his ancestors helped create dissolve and become nothing but a cult following. In his visions of the galaxy, he could see how their influence was waning, how countless individuals, peoples, and organizations, aware and non-aware of the Order, were growing in influence and power and thus growing distant towards the age-old Institution. Very soon, an uprising against the Order would occur; it would be the beginning of the end. Although it has been the desire of many he had control over the centuries to be free to make their own choices and form their own destiny, they did not know that the peace reigning over the galaxy was maintained by Thanatos and his people. Instead, they believed it was their own doing, their own achievement that peace persisted over humankind.
Prion, the largest empire in the galaxy, was already losing faith in the Order. Izzar was to become their new Emperor, to maintain control over that sector of the galaxy, but he could not send him to be crowned because of his training and fears of assassination. The late emperor, loyal to Thanatos to his last breath, was young and expected to live long enough to produce an heir, saving Izzar from taking the throne. However, Thanatos could not stay true to his word, causing distrust with Prion and almost causing them to completely lose faith in the imperial system. It has been proven to be nearly an impossible task to maintain total control over a stellar democracy of Prion’s size.
A new Order was needed, that much Thanatos understood. The power of the Nihil was critical to the rebirth of himself and his empire; Nivshevus was adamant Thanatos saw it that way. An entire society of powerful beings with control over the Nihil would be able to control the galaxy in ways it has never been controlled before. They would be able to enter the minds of countless people from millions of lightyears away and permanently eliminate the threat of uprising and dilution. Although it was fabled that such a power existed in the cosmos, it was never confirmed until Thanatos met this strange yet still elusive entity calling itself Nivshevus.
“I am the definition of both existence and void. I create, and I destroy. That which has been, is no more; but still is. Trapped in a stone for thousands of years, I could not use these powers. Though my essence will disappear with your death, the Nihil will always exist, waiting for someone to wield it.”
Thanatos trusted this entity to give him the power he sought; finding out whether or not this trust was well placed is a fundamental question on its own.
The Order of the Ipsimus was ancient, one birthed from the desperateness of spiritual men seeking peace and harmony amongst humankind. The five hundred founding members were high-ranking members of religious orders, governments, global organizations, and companies seeking unity and peace when war was devastating Earth and its population. Mankind had not yet discovered the technology to send humans beyond the moon; they were infants to the art.
The war ended not long after, the Earth was at peace, and the First Earth Council was formed with the clandestine Order of the Ipsimus wielding complete control over the council. It was mankind’s dream to have a single world government, and they finally achieved it. Many were against the idea. However, an uprising began, and a rogue state-funded genesis to the Earth’s moon began. The order was brought into question; though they did not have a single leader, something had to be changed. They needed a single leader to lead the Order. Thus the birth of the Epsimus. One single all-powerful person who wielded absolute control over the organization was brought forth in the form of the first Velix. Primis Velix gained the trust of all four hundred and ninety-nine members of the order to take on the massive responsibility; the entire Earth Council was forced to swear frailty to this one man.
Primis led the Earth Council into a war, one many did not approve of, one that drove all rogue states into space, birthing the Colony Discovery Era. Many Ipsimussian agents were deployed to route out these rogue states, gain internal control, and bring them to complete obedience under Primis. He mostly succeeded. The first Luna Republic was declared under Primis’s agents' influence, becoming a substate to the Earth Council. Though immigration to the moon soared, it was still mostly wild and ungovernable. After the first atmospheric generator was installed on the South Pole of the moon, the population on Luna skyrocketed, people were flooding the barren wastelands of the moon, causing tremendous strain on Earth’s food production.
There were many things during that era Thanatos could use to save the order; he had far more resources than his ancestor ever did. Unfortunately, however, the Order has grown to a size uncomparable to what it once was; he could not count the number of agents in his employ or even control all of them efficiently.
The Monks, four hundred and ninety-nine, were all descendants of the original founders. Their roles have been decreased over the millennia to protectors of the Epsimus; some would argue it was the noblest role anyone could take on in the order. Nevertheless, the Monks were essential to the order's survival, though he had to revisit their purpose to understand more about them. The old rule forbidding them to look him in the eyes also had to be changed; he needed the honest council of his monks, which meant he needed them to look him in the eyes when they counseled him.
Ramon is a descendant of the most essential member other than the Epsimus in the Order, the Grand Archon. That title no longer exists as Epsimusses of the past absorbed it into their own. Ramon needed to have that title back and gain more power within the order. Once Thanatos can reorganize the order and remove all the unneeded laws, it would be less likely that an uprising would harm him. Though he had eighteen days left before the fleet arrived at Dessix. Reorganizing the order before that was impossible; that is why he needed to gain the full power of the Nihil before then. No human has ever achieved this before, so Nivshevus would tell Thanatos in their countless meditation sessions.
Thanatos knew Iphis’s plans were years in the making, ever since Thanatos decided to isolate himself on Dessix in search of this great power, though she was never aware of his intentions on the planet. The Ipsimussian Fortress on Earth stood empty; Thanatos had moved them for the first time since the order's founding to a foreign world. Iphis was now heading the Order from Earth, the home of all humankind. This is how it should have been; this is where the order was always intended to be ruled from. Moving the monks rallied many to her cause; she possessed power over them she did not understand. Although many were following her as a suitable heir to the Order, she knew little of the Order's secrets. The Velix name has ruled the order since Primis, the line has not been broken for more than nine thousand years, and all of those Epsimusses and their descendants held knowledge of some of the Order’s most significant and oldest secrets that no one in the Order, not even the monks, possessed. Thanatos had taught Izzar most of these secrets, many he still needed to learn and would disappear if Thanatos did get the chance to teach it to him.
Sorath was under consideration for the future role of the Epsimus, but the monks found that Iphis had an extramarital affair and that Sorath was not a true Velix. Taking Soraths inheritance away angered Iphis, causing her to hate Thanatos; she wanted her eldest son to rule and not her youngest. She tried to murder Izzar in the womb many times before Thanatos discovered this grim secret; she was placed in an induced life simulator that took away all her abilities to act by herself. The pregnancy went full term, and Izzar was born strong and healthy. However, Iphis was most displeased with his birth and wanted nothing to do with the child. Although it was the custom where Izzar was taken to be brought up by the monks that saved his life, no harm came to the boy.
The law of the Order stated that the designated heir to the throne was to be treated equally to the Epsimus himself; if she directly harmed Izzar, she would not face death, but the most excruciating torture ever imaginable. The technology to keep a human alive even after being exposed to death causing injuries was used for this torture. Though these kinds of technologies were still being prototyped. Banned by all of the governments of the galaxy as being too inhumane for use on anyone. The Order conducted many experiments across many different fields of research. Many have been forgotten because of the service being obsolete, and others were hidden away as contingency plans for one day when the galaxy fell into a state of war that could not be stopped or influenced by the Order. Thanatos knew of many of these plans; there was one on Kerr that remained dormant in its core that might be able to fight a war for him that his armies of spies couldn’t.
Sorath was chosen to oversee the sector where Kerr was situated; the reports of this world were amongst the details he had already received but not read. Thanatos thought maybe he could influence Sorath to turn on his mother and turn the galaxy away from this certain destruction.
“Sorath might be the key.” Said Nivshevus with a sense of deep thought.
“If Sorath can delay Iphis for long enough that you and Izzar can complete your training, then the Order might stand a chance of surviving,” Thanatos said with great hope and enthusiasm.
“Though look where he is.” Nivshevus took his mind to Prion; it only showed the massive city-covered planet from orbit; it could not show Thanatos everything he needed to see.
“He is negotiating on behalf of Izzar to accept the throne of Prion.”
“Indeed,” Nivshevus said, laughing. “But not for Izzar; he is there for himself on behalf of Iphis.”
Thanatos was unaware of this; he never knew that Iphis went ahead and nominated Sorath for the throne. It was years of planning and negotiating that took place to secure the throne to Izzar. It was his attempt to thrust the Epsimus into a public office to clear suspicion of the Order amongst those who knew of their existence. Izzar was to rule both as one but separate entities. If Sorath succeeded, all that planning was for nothing.
“Then I need to send Sorath on this mission immediately; it will distract him from his goal.”
“Indeed, that would be a good plan.” Said Nivshevus with indignation.
Sorath still had to answer to Thanatos whether someone else was placed above him in the chain of command; no one outranked Thanatos and his office. If Thanatos gave an order, it had to be carried out immediately, or the agent in question would face the consequences. Thanatos was certain Sorath would abandon his attempts on Prion to carry out an order; Nivshrvus, on the other hand, did not have faith in Sorath. It is believed that Sorath had been brainwashed by Iphis, making him an enemy that would do anything to hamper his attempts to coordinate a well-calculated plan. If Thanatos was to get to him, he would contact one of the nearest Archons to persuade him to abandon his plan.
“Archon Tristius is the man for the job. Besides, Sorath has a very close relationship with him because he believes Tristius is his real father.” Nivshevus was intriguing Thanatos now; he could see his plan fall into place.
Thanatos opened his eyes; the room around him was dark, he could not see. His darkened eyes gave the world a grey tint nonetheless, so there was only a certain amount of darkness he could see. He pressed a button under his cloak summoning Ramon; within moments, the door behind Thanatos opened, causing light to flood the room. He closed his eyes.
Ramon walked into the dark room; his eyes were still adjusting, the silhouette of his master was visible on the floor where he sat and meditated. The cloak was over his head, allowing Roman to look at Thanatos; he wondered what the man looked like, whether he would meet him someday. He knew all the sides of Thanatos. Nothing was hidden from him. Ramon was good to Thanatos, obeying every rule and executing every command without question; he always respected him.
“Contact Archon Tristius at once.” Said Thanatos in a soft voice. Ramon bowed and left the room. Thanatos could feel his presence leave the room, allowing him to get up. He was struggling. His legs were growing weaker; he thought that none of the monks must know about this.
The image of Archon Tristius flickered over the hologram projector; it has been a long time since Thanatos contacted him directly. Nevertheless, he seemed happy about the occasion. He was kneeling as he should; his posture was perfect, dutiful, and natural above all.
“Archon Tristius K’unn, I acknowledge you.” Said Thanatos as a custom to their conversations.
“I live, and die, to serve the Order of the Ipsimus.” Tristius was an old soul; he was only seventy-three Earth years old, but he was wise beyond his years and was dutiful and loyal unto death; coming from a military background, he took his office as seriously as he would the position of a general.
“You may rise.” Thanatos acknowledged his response. Tristius was the only one to pledge those words to him every time he had the pleasure of speaking to Thanatos.
“I have a vital mission for you. I need you to contact Sorath on Prion; he is currently on an unsanctioned mission to acquire the throne. Iphis is on her way to Dessix as we speak, so I can’t send her to speak to him. Iphis is about to betray the Order.”
Tristius was shocked by this revelation; he could not believe there were people in the order willing to rise against the Epsimus. It was simply not how things worked.
“Do you wish me to rally my sectors and meet her at Dessix, my lord?”
“That will not be necessary Archon, we have the forces to stop her. I need you to give Sorath the instruction to take the Morningstar and stop Iphis from making a mistake; he will see things our way.”
“As you wish, my lord,” He bows in the hologram before Thanatos.
“The agents of the Order of the Ipsimus are failing me, do not follow in their footsteps, my dear friend.”
Thanatos could see he offended Tristius by this comment; Tristius was one of his most loyal allies within the order. Making him an Archon of a sector only cemented that loyalty deeper.
“I will not fail you, my lord.”
The hologram transmission ended, the room grew darker. However, his council was still present with him in the room.
“My lord.” Said Ramon from the shadows. “Archon Tristius can be trusted as always; he will do exactly what needs to be done even if he has to travel to Prion himself.”
