Aryu saw the fire in Nixon’s black eyes grow bright and strong. This Omnis, whatever it may be, was not something he took lightly.
“Blasphemy? You say that to me when your task, as prescribed by the Lord God Himself, sits beside me and eats my food?”
“Bah, like mother like son. My task and how I chose t’ execute it are my own business, lest we all forget my Creator’s Divine gift of free will.”
Crystal smiled, and not a peaceful one this time. It was a look of defiance and mischief. “Tell me, did my darling son ask you, great and powerful weapon of God, to check on me to ensure I haven't taken ill of the effects of what I do?”
“Bah, ya sly hen, ya know damn well he did, and rightly, too.”
“And what do you see in me, Nixon? Any change?”
Nixon was slow to respond, taking her words and actions in. “No,” he said at last, much quieter than his previous barrage. “Not yet.”
“Not yet? So you expect to, eventually.”
“The Est Vacuus comes fer all who see it, Crystal. Ya know tha’. Even you, with all yer experience and power, know ya can't escape it. Not forever.”
“I know, and I hope to be rid of the Echoes and Omnis in time, but with the connections between the havens severed, it's a much more daunting task to see the world than it once was.”
“Don't touch the Omnis, Crystal. Respect its power. Respect its existence. And respect fer what it means t' witness its awesomeness. No man or god can stand against it. Even Ryu knew that.”
Crystal, clearly trying to change the subject to one she was certain Nixon wanted to talk about in mentioning the missing Haven connections, was sullen for a moment at her failure and the mention of her lost love.
“Ryu was a fool,” she said at last, her broken heart on display for all to see. No one contradicted her.
Seeing he’d hit a nerve, Nixon allowed Crystal the respite from the topic she was seeking. “Tell me, Crystal. Let the questions begin. Why can I not flow through the Havens as I did? Clearly, some still exist. Wha' 'as 'appened t’ tha others?
Crystal, in all her power, could not entirely hide the relief she felt at the subject change, but after that, she wasn’t as cocky. “That, my old flaming friend, is a very long story, but to give you the short version of it: Embracers banded together years ago to sever the connections between our respective havens. We came against an enemy powerful enough to enter them despite our best efforts. If they couldn’t walk into one, they would walk into another and attack one after another until they got to where they were going. After that we found a way to use our abilities to cut each other off, effectively making every Haven much like your own.
Crystal waved her hand and looked into the distance. “Of course, the point is moot now.” Nixon looked at her, encouraging the reason behind the statement. “It’s simple math, my friend. There are barely any of us left.”
“How many is barely?”
She gave it a moment’s thought. “It’s hard to say for certain. I haven’t gone out looking in a while.”
Nixon was nonplussed. “Where did they all go?”
“You don’t seem too surprised. Is this what you expected?”
Nixon nodded but did not explain, allowing her to first answer the question. “Well, up until the Fourth Fall of Man, there were still quite a few. When the power of technology began destroying everything again, many chose to stay out of the fight. Others chose to join in, believing they were strong enough to withstand such simple weapons. During the wars, many didn’t return; others who did weren’t the same as before. People I knew for thousands of years seemed to change overnight. Soon, they all began to disappear. Eventually I, Sho, and only a few others were all that was left.
The playful nature returned to her voice. “But tell me, oh wise phoenix, what makes you so certain that it would come to this?”
Nixon smiled his non-reassuring smile. “God knew eventually it would all come down t' one. If they follow tha right, I’ll ne'er awaken, if they follow tha wrong, I rise and destroy ’em. Both instances equal my eternal rest. Now then, about this enemy tha' warranted a complete shutdown of tha system I’ve grown so dependent on. Wha' was the nature of this enemy, and if it was such a threat, why didn’t I wake up?”
“We thought the same thing. For a time, we waited for you to arrive and deal out a little of that swift justice you’re so fond of. When we realized it wasn’t going to happen, we made our own plans. Limiting his ability to travel was the best we could come up with. That way we could keep him trapped. It only worked for a time, then he simply became too powerful to contain. So they brought in the big guns.”
“Huh, that would be you?”
“No,” she said, “not me. They asked Sho. At first he refused, swearing not to get involved. His power was strong enough, but he still foolishly believed his place to be here. He stayed out of it until they did something foolish.”
“And what, pray tell, was tha’?”
The impish smile came to her face again, Aryu loving every smirk of it. “They attempted to invade here and destroy the hard work Sho maintains. After that Sho stepped forward and stopped them and their army of loyal Embracers.”
“And how long did tha’ take him? Three days? Four?”
“Bah, barely two and a half, ye of little faith. I think he fell asleep in there somewhere, though. He always was a napper.”
“Wait, wait,” Aryu
