The hallways were darker than usual; there was a silent presence throughout the Citadel; Diggix had expected to be sent to Izzar’s chambers much later. But, instead, Thanatos had been very upset, storming into the little robot’s resting pod, pacing from side to side. It was an unexpected visit; all the other robots, including Tomal, scattered when their elusive master entered their sanctuary.
Diggix had seen Izzar and a monk enter his room earlier but hesitated after the monk left in a hurry. Since early morning, there had been a buzz around the Citadel about something extraordinary that had taken place during a lesson with Thanatos. Generally, rumors were ignored, but this one caught the little robot’s attention.
The task was simple: Go to Izzar and record everything he says about his training for the day, don’t engage with him any further, and return to Thanatos in his meditation chambers on the pinnacle of the Citadel. Although this was his first recording in a long while, Diggix imagined Izzar was also not expecting a recording session.
It must have been hours that Diggix just stood there. It was a remote part of the Citadel not often visited by anyone; it was the perfect place for Izzar to hide from the rest of the monks and the loud noises of the DG units going about their tasks. His thermal sensors only picked up the usual cool air that persisted during the day. There was no movement beyond the door; Izzar remained silent for a long time. Finally, Diggix decided it was time.
The old wooden door creaked open; Diggix found the room unchanged since the last time he visited. Nothing seemed to have been disturbed, and Izzar was found on his meditation spot in the large window that overlooked the forests of Dessix.
“Oh, Diggix, it’s only you.” Izzar had turned to see who entered his room unannounced, but he turned back, overlooking the jungles, searching for something out in the distance.
“Master Epsimus sent me. He wishes you to repeat to me the lessons given today.”
Izzar gave him a glare, Diggix knew Izzar did not want him there, but his duty and loyalty towards Thanatos forced him to remain standing where he was.
“Is there anything else?” Izzar asked, but Diggix did not answer; he kept on staring with his glowing eyes, expecting Izzar to explain the lessons of the day.
Izzar turned away once again, staring into the forest; he gave a sigh; Diggix was not much bothered by this gesture of discontent.
“Very well, this is my day. I had woken early to meditate, earlier than usual. I was anticipating the chains, pondering what lesson Epsimus Thanatos would teach me today. I never realized how much time had passed during my morning meditations; it only ended due to Tarium interrupting my meditation to let me know the time had come. I was taken to the lesson room, bound with chains by the wrists, and left in the complete darkness to ponder my existence within this Order.
What seemed to have been hours of solitude ended with Master Thanatos revealing his presence in the room with me. In his lesson, he had taught me of the first Epismus to rule the Order, that he had wisdom and strength not easily found amongst the people on Earth back in his day. Again, though, Thanatos emphasized the importance of the Epsimus to be an elusive figure, someone only known by a very select few. He continued to teach me the importance of being careful in choosing my inner circle.
By placing considerable weight on my shoulders utilizing the chains that bound me, he offered me an analogy of what kind of weight I could expect to carry on my shoulders one day when I take his place. Furthermore, Master Thanatos taught me that I should trust no one and that he was no exception to this rule.
He taught me that I should not possess such a thing as fear, that fear was created to control us, and the Epismus is not to be controlled by anyone, not even emotion. He also told me of the importance of our bloodline, that we are to rule and that we are the only true heirs to the galaxy. With that said, Master Thanatos presented to me new teaching, that of the Rule of Three.
The Rule of three is meant to build a strong foundation for the Order's leadership and keep the Order safe and going for another nine thousand years.
The sparring session within the Battles Courtyard is where I learned the most important lesson: that I am alone and only I can protect myself. Master Thanatos took me there to kill me; he was not there to teach me any lessons.”
Izzar’s tone began to change; Diggix was processing each and every word the young master was telling him. It was primarily useless information to the small robot, but it was evidently clear that it was essential to Thanatos.
“I was told that I was weak, that if I’m alone, I’m vulnerable. My body was broken, tired though he wanted me to get up from the floor. I only saw darkness in my master’s eyes and his full intent to kill me in that space. If it were not for my body to heal miraculously and my hands stopping his incoming attack, I would not have survived this day. Indeed I am not special; I do not hold favor in the eyes of Epsimus Thanatos. But, it is as he said, everyone is replaceable, including me.”
Izzar’s countenance dropped, a dark cloud hung over him; it was clear to Diggix, his master’s nature was being revealed to him over and over again. Diggix understood why Izzar did not like him; Thanatos would recover and repair a mere robot but kill a human just to prove a point, even if that human was his heir.
“Are we done?” Diggix could see that Izzar was agitated; he wished nothing more than wanting to leave the room.
Though Diggix had one last message for Izzar, he removed a small datapad from within the storage space in his head. Thanatos had instructed him to bring it to Izzar and give it to him after their recording session.
“Master Epsimus has instructed me to notify you of this: He has sent for two beings to join you in these halls. Therefore, you are to prepare yourself for their imminent arrival. The names of these beings are Aargon Lexius of Prion and Viha Remit of Gandron.”
Izzar climbed down from his meditation spot and slowly approached the little robot; he gave him an indignant glance and took the datapad from his lifeless hands. Izzar looked at the contents open on the datapad and seemed to be in deep thought.
“If you do not mind, Master Izzar, I will now leave you to your solitude.”
Izzar gave the robot another glance; hatred burned in his eyes though his face was calm as a frozen lake. Finally, after a few short moments, Izzar gave the little robot a nod and turned away. But, Diggix did not waste any time; he quickly left the room to find himself in the empty hallways to his own thought processes.
Death seemed to surround the old Epsimus; he did not seem like a person who would listen to reason and spare a life that made a mistake. Diggix could not help but wonder whether or not all humans were like this. He quickly realized why he wanted to rebel against his master so severely; to get rid of Thanatos would mean getting rid of evil from the galaxy.
The images in his head kept on playing over and over of how Thanatos trying to kill Izzar. What kind of people would kill their own just to prove a point? Beyond that, why would Thanatos teach Izzar everything he had to know about the Order if his ultimate plan was to bring harm to the boy? Nothing of this made logical sense to Diggix.
What’s more, the last bit of details Izzar had shared was also alarming; with some kind of cosmic power, he managed to heal his body entirely and even shield himself from an attack by a sword that was made from one of the strongest metals that could be found in the entire galaxy.
The question in his mind was burning, what kind of power was this, and did Thanatos too possess this power, or was Izzar the only one? If Diggix wanted to go back and see his plan to remove Thanatos permanently, he must know; otherwise, he would be caught out and destroyed without any effort. No attack would work against Thanatos.
Diggix looked up and down the hallway; his sensors picked up someone there with him, but he could not see anyone. The hallways grew even colder than before; Diggix could not understand what was going on around him. He quickly brushed it off as an unusual wind coming through the hallways from outside, and the thought of a mystical power made his sensor imagine things.
