The Light of Dawn

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IamLEAM1983
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The Light of Dawn

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May 2031

Nereus Marinos had been spending the last two months waking up next to the woman he'd always loved. It had felt like a haze, a dream out of which he expected to wake up. So much of the last few years' events had a hazy quality to them, as if he couldn't believe they'd happened. Joining the resistance even as Chambers kept on assuming he was docile. Coordinating with Meris through encrypted emails, riding piggyback on Elysium's old algorithms. Being kidnapped by his benefactors, ending offworld both figuratively and literally. Holden Hall's rat of a hacker killing Xenophon Thanos, excising him from the legal spectrum with a few keystrokes - about a dozen or so laws being broken so catastrophe could be averted and a couple, reunited. Hope's protectors going rogue for the greater good, joining Gammell and the Promethean Order in their killing of deceptively innocent folk.

It took Chambers being killed by Meris - and rising from the grave as Amaxi's second - for the world to finally see his kind, to realize they posed a threat. He, in the meantime, had felt the cold clutches of Her hate close around his heart, even as the mantle of the Architect's old and faded grace fell on him. The aged god had no miracles to spend, so he'd given of Himself. Hate crumbled away from the Black Speech's words, somewhere in Nereus' mind, and he saw them infused with the light of purity and purpose.

The seas had changed. Rendell had been wrong, total war wouldn't ever touch shorelines, but it forced Man to build islands where there were none. Oil platforms turned into armed nations, the Finmen rising their own monsters from the depths, with Greece fundamentally changing as an archipelago turned into a small continent almost overnight. Formerly coastal settlements were now clinging to mountain ranges, eternal snows beginning to grace what had once been the first of many maritime arrival points for Syrian refugees, in the 2010s. The Greeks had descended into the new valley, finding that those who couldn't reach Nereus or flee Dalarath effectively had made port there. They'd did as they'd once done, shaping New Dalarath with words they were still surprised to see lack their usual content of insanity.

Plenty of people called for the new refugees' deaths. Muslims had at least been human, in the decades past - the Squids were anything but, and they carried abilities few mundanes understood. Marinos had expected to be able to spend the rest of his life in marital bliss' warm embrace, but voices called out for help. He'd stepped up to sign the Vienna Accords, at least confirming that the rebels wished to be law-abiding and respectful. It didn't stop the loyalists, unfortunately.

The terrorists had once been human or anthropomorph in origin. They'd once been Fae. Now, the news' Great Evil bore tentacles and tattered robes. All surface-world religions had to burn, if you believed Chambers' supporters. All cultures had to bow to the Others. The terrorists of old turned into freedom fighters, old hatreds between East and West being pocketed away in favor of opposing a common threat. Now it was Nereus' and Lulroth's old friends and allies that were the subject of bigotry, even as unscrupulous biotech firms started paying top dollar for Abomination blood and tissue. Gammell's protégés were offered vacation packages in Thailand or Japan, they tasted of ordinary pleasures for a few days - and then you found them, eviscerated, somewhere south of places like Phi Phi or Harajuku.

Delmar had a body now, and he had the difficult task of being the representative of the Architect's faith. For every person who appreciated the idea of a god whose gospel was Science, others doubled down on their own faith. Delmar had to appease everyone, explain that the Architect didn't sell a truth so much as he did an understanding - but the social networks had already made their mind. It was one religion too many in a world where some freaks were now busy trying to openly sell the masses on the world's destruction. Those that didn't use doomsday rhetoric stuck to the old standbys, modified by Squid intellect: kinetic-force charges detonated in public places, public autodafés of everything between the Bible to Hawking's A Brief History of Time.

None of this seemed to touch Hope, for now. Life went on, people read or watched the dire news and talked about it - but that was it. Dying in the Centennial Park had been enough for Chambers, who'd understood that his facing Shield directly wasn't going to accomplish anything. Making the world antagonize them was easier. After their black op on the local Renewal center, it hadn't been difficult. They'd, after all, seemingly killed a high-profile civilian.

So, the tables had been turned. Nereus, Chauncey, George, Delmar, Lucian and Meris had a public life, and Holden Hall was now deserted. With Nami Urakawa on sub-orbital transport, the group could live off of a set of rigs in the Seychelles and fly back in as needed. Wyvern money kept the rig off the radar and off the maps, which explained why its codename was Avalon. As far as Nereus knew, Archibald greatly lamented the way the events had forced him to end his relationship with Crystal Lowell. An outlaw couldn't be seen romancing a cop, after all.

As he shook off the last embers of sleep and looked to his beloved, the former Augur reflected on how insane this was. First Elysium, and now Avalon - a well-meaning and righteous group of friends the world had dubbed terrorists. Terror against terror, then, with him and his old consort, his love, being pulled out of the shadows to catch the flak. Crazier still, they'd been forced to break out Gregory Rendell in order to have full access to his funds and resources. The megalomaniac had sensed his empire sifting away between his fingers, so building something new with people he'd at least respected from afar had appealed to him. As self-centered as he'd always been, tossing the remnants of Elysium for the authorities to pick apart hadn't taken much more than a few phone calls.

The new state of affairs felt wrong, but a part of him wanted to bask in it. He had Meris now, and they were both free. Free to love one another, finally. The house he'd built didn't exactly mirror what the Darkhallow had suggested, but dreams rarely did fully conform to reality. The shore was further away, the Tree was smaller and less distant, but his and Meris' noses never stopped picking up hits of the sea's iodine, so close to Mertown as they were.

He'd lost weight while undercover in his own cult, had lost more once out of the planet's gravity well - and now that new troubles seemed to rise on the horizon, contentment had seen his waistline balloon again. With the Architect shouldering him and no fears hounding him, food and drink had become joyful experiences. His son felt like a gleefully deleterious influence: he'd earned the right to enjoy life on his own terms, Chauncey said. Not only that, but after over a thousand years spent plump, couldn't it be slightly possible that he wasn't physically meant to be as svelte as Meris?

He turned to his side, one hand propping his head up as the other lightly stroked Meris' shoulder.

"Wake up, little seal," he lovingly murmured. "We have another peril and wonder-fraught day to face."
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Re: The Light of Dawn

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Nereus' affectionate gesture caused the roane to stir, opening her bleary eyes. She smiled in a half-awake fashion at the Void Weaver and responded as the Orcadian dialect slipping into her voice, "Good mornin', Nereus." She sat up and stretched her arms over her head. "What's on the agenda today?"
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Re: The Light of Dawn

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As much of a sedentary lifestyle as Nereus had prayed for, the needs of these difficult times forced him to keep hoping his skills as an offensive Speaker. He'd dropped the term "Black" from "Black Speech", seeing as he now could openly use a sanitized version that carried only raw Creation. That allowed him to be as effective as his wife of an Archmage, the Merlin to her Nimue - albeit one that didn't tap into via.

"Archie's asked us to do something about a Loyalist cell that's been pushing for Hope, as of late. We have a few doors to kick down."

As crazy as things had once been with Holden Hall, now the local vigilantes were a tubby Squid in a white suit and a shapely middle-aged selkie who probably could've given spelunking lessons to Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. They still had their own occupations, Nereus having taken to drafting commissions from various potential homeowners, and Meris having joined the workforce as one of Hope University's Arcane Studies teachers. What had formerly been Shield couldn't officially operate in Hope anymore, so urgent matters were passed on to, well, local assets.

They'd already busted a handful of insane hopefuls around the tri-State area, Nereus proving that he had a bit of a boyish streak, an inner kid who adored these bursts of adventure. These incursions had to mean something, but they'd yet to find someone who'd actually talk to them and who wouldn't just call for Amaxi to nuke their brains, if cornered. Maybe this time would be the one.

"Did I ever tell you I envy your martial arts training?" he asked, delaying getting out of bed for the sake of a few seconds' worth of cuddling. "From Adewalé's bow-and-arrow training to your sparring with Helena... You've turned into one heck of a sexy fighting machine."

His belly shook once as he scoffed silently. "And I've turned into a shield generator on two legs, and possibly the least-muscled of all arcane bruisers."

The truth was that he didn't mind in the least. He understood his son's pleasure at being what he was - objectively better than even him for a lot of things Void Weavers took for granted. He wasn't Chauncey, but he was still a former Augur, someone who could oppose wild mental aggression with controlled power. After centuries of powerlessness, it felt good to oppose would-be Chamberlains with a Non-Euclidian take on Oh, please...

Being in the right felt good, after so long spent trying to scrabble away from his own lies and mistakes.
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Re: The Light of Dawn

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Meris scoffed and kissed him on the mouth. "I think you've told me more than once, actually," she joked. "Adewalé was an excellent mentor, but my time in Brazil worked wonders in learning capoeira blended with elemental magic, much like the Eastern dragons do with their forms of martial arts," she commented. "It helps that capoeira also counts as a dance, so thank you for the compliment, dear."

"As for you, I'm glad to have you with me when we do these cases. We balance each other," she noted.
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Re: The Light of Dawn

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"We're a Starksy and Hutch rerun," joked Nereus, who briefly squeezed her in his arms - as huggy as ever - before getting out of bed.

A suit and tentacle-clad vigilante needed its breakfast and requisite set of armor before the day could start, so he briefly slipped into the shower stall, switching their saltwater tank on so he'd be able to be as hydrated as possible for the day. Meris could still enjoy freshwater; he just happened to have his species' unavoidable needs concerning water retention. Freshwater showers turned out to have been part of the problem behind his centuries-long funk - he'd never been properly hydrated in all those years. Stronger Weavers could enjoy freshwater baths more often - Nereus' skin was definitely the maritime sort.

That done, he slipped on a suit that had a few diverging factors from what he'd imagined in the Darkhallow, starting with a pistol holster and several miles' worth of embroidered wards Meris had set in place, white thread on white silk. Nothing showed, even in direct light. No-one could have expected the former Augur to now be able to take one or two chest-based shotgun blasts without suffering more than the loss of his last intake of air. The same went for his black necktie, belt and suspenders, more layers of protective power gently humming at the edge of his hearing range.

More action-packed days called for proteins, so he ignored his reflection in the bedroom mirror and focused on his third love after Meris and Chauncey, it being food. He'd double down on the salads and veggies later - eggs, bacon and beans were on the menu. He wasn't a mage, but he had similar needs, as Speaking the Architect's power was still as demanding to him as meeting a howling Prelate on equal terms had once been. If the idiots waited for them and had weapons to bear, chances were they'd be both famished again by the time noon came around.

As usual, a part of him contemplated the worst of what could happen. Actually taking a bullet, Meris being shot down, a vocal blast catching him off-guard for all his centuries of training... Another part thought that if this was the price he had to pay to see his wife in the beauty of her magic being wielded to its best extent, he'd pay it a thousand times over. There'd been times where seeing her subdue a cultist had been almost enough to have him grab her and kiss her right then and there, but he also knew that following the Gomez Addams School of Romance wouldn't foster a calm private life. They already were grudgingly tolerated vigilantes, they didn't need to be amorous vigilantes on top of that!

Well... At least not in full view of the public.

It was all fairly funny to him. Chunks of marital bliss mixed with the smell of frying beans and eggs, gunpowder wafting in from his office. It had turned to be the ideal architect's working space, as planned, but he'd also been forced to keep taking care of a few pistol-grade firearms in the same room...

He recovered his HPD laminate from the kitchen table and clipped it to his suit's lapel, even as he stepped away to at least put his favorite firearm in working order.

"Chambers probably thinks the last few weeks have been a bad joke," he commented, coming back as he holstered his piece. "They're still a bit surreal to me. You and me, together, storming the proverbial castle for our enemies' dread secrets. This should be the kids' job, not ours!"

By "the kids", Nereus obviously meant Shield.
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Re: The Light of Dawn

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"Likely so, but my grandchildren and their friends had to do what they had do to get you out. They pushed the law in ways it doesn't understand, and they have to live on the edge for now. Hopefully, one day, that will change," Meris said, taking her turn in the master bathroom.

She switched the tank back to freshwater. While she was used to saltwater, given her maritime origins, she still enjoyed warm showers that didn't include granules of salt that would exfoliate and de-moisturize her skin too much. She washed her hair with lavender-scented shampoo, rinsed, and conditioned, drying off quickly. She pulled a navy blue women's business suit that had been modified with her embroidery that acted as arcane armor.

She wove her curly tresses into a intricately braided bun, giving her hair more security of staying in place. "Ready to grab breakfast and then head out?" she inquired rhetorically.
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Re: The Light of Dawn

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By then, Nereus had already been emptying his pans inside his plate and had removed his jacket. He'd obviously put it back on after eating. He sat down at the table and eyed the tablet their shared, flicking through the newsfeed. "Yeah," he said. "I picked up some watermelon slices, yesterday - figured that would make for something a bit more sensible. Sort of undo the guilt trip I'm going through, right now."

He scoffed at himself. "People stuff themselves like this and have no excuse. I used to have the same problem, and now I'm doing it because other Weavers need their mouths sewn shut."

Since abandoning the Thanos persona, he'd had to change his voice to go along with everything else. The Old English undertones of his and Meris' early days felt antiquated and the Grecian he'd been had officially died in a car crash. Nereus Marinos came across as more of a second-generation Greek American, with a Midwestern bent sometimes poked through by the occasional Hellenic word or turn or phrase. It still seemed to fit his build, however, being a bit on the rumbly and expansive side.

Spearing a few beans onto his fork, he gave the objects an almost rueful look. "At least there's no ethereal glutton in the back of my head anymore. My damn hunger signals are my own and I won't be confused by that same idiot's perverse pleasure. I mean, I love food, but Jesus Christ, did I hate the feasting and the drinking, way back when!"
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Re: The Light of Dawn

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"I know you did. I always hated seeing you under Their influence," Meris stated, grabbing her own plate of eggs, beans, and bacon. She grabbed out the watermelon slices for them to munch on. "Now you're free and can truly enjoy the food you eat, just like all other physical pleasures people get to enjoy," she added, using her fork to feed the eggs into her mouth.
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Re: The Light of Dawn

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Nereus nodded in agreement, only to gesture to his pistol holster. "I just wish I wasn't broken free so we could move to this," he said. "You've already fought for centuries and I've pushed through what's probably the longest depressive slump in History - and now we're putting bullets in old subjects of mine. I've spent eons trying to pretend to be a man of peace, and just as I'm given the chance to actually be one, I'm told I'll have to protect what freedom we've gained with knives, spells and guns."

He shook his head in disbelief. "You - You, I can see fighting Chambers. I know the Architect told me I'd need to step up as well, but..."

The Void Weaver sighed in frustration and popped a bit of egg yolk and melon in his mouth with his fork. "I'm a man of peace who has to carry a gun. It's painfully ironic. I wanted to build things, not fill them with holes. I can still fill things will holes with my mind! Where's the challenge, where's the fun in that?!"

Nereus then reached along the table's surface until their fingertips touched. "And you deserve to be a bookish, nerdy Archmage. Subtle and quick to anger, to quote Tolkien, but with no actual reasons to have your anger stoked. You deserve peace even more than I do."
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Re: The Light of Dawn

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Meris grasped his hand and squeezed it gently. "I wish that was the case, but it's not. Blame it on a bunch of Void Weavers still clinging Amaxi like leeches, with Chambers at the head," she replied.

"This sort of thing becomes monotonous. When I was after targets, I worked in a machine-like mode because there was no fun in it. I knew that if they had been on our side, they could've had a lot of potential do great things, but they squandered their abilities on serving Them. I'd feel saddened by this, but I couldn't let it get the best of me. They're so inured to Her nonexistent teat that they can't give it up for anything. I went on autopilot so I could get the job done. I'll probably be doing it again, depending on what we find."
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