COMPLETED Remembrance of Self | Fantasy | LGBTQ

Chapter 17

"FUCK!" Emperor Ryel screamed from the top of his lungs and in a fit of rage flung his arms across his expensive hardwood desk throwing everything on the ground. His fists battering the wood in frustration. "Maven Marduke," he said between clenched teeth. His eyes menacingly looking up at the fat stubby man prostrating himself in front of the Emperor. "How many weeks have you wasted trying to make the artifact work? How many more must I wait?" He demanded.

"Your Imperial Majesty, I beg of you," the fat man whimpered. "There have been no records of how the apparatus works. The writings that Ad'hm's team brought did not detail anything on how it functions, your Imperial Majesty."

"I do not care!" He shouted so loud, even the guards outside his study audibly flinched in their armor. "You have at your disposal the brightest minds in the whole fucking Empire, Maven. You're telling me you cannot make a simple slab of crystal work?"

"With all due respect, your Imperial Majesty, the Creators' technology is beyond our comprehension. We need to know more." The man squeezed his eyes, face flat on the ground, not daring to look up. One wrong movement and his life would be over.

The Emperor palmed his face in annoyance and sighed heavily. "I am a patient man, Maven. But that patience is finite. Tell me everything you were able to find out, in detail." He demanded.

"Very well, your Imperial Majesty." The maven remained in the strainful position, his back and joints ached from old age but he ignored it at the best of his abilities. With a strained voice he began. "The apparatus presents minuscule grooves in geometric patterns, at first they seem random, insignificant, but they have the ability to contain Fios, your Imperial Majesty."

"Interesting... I'm certain you and your men have already tried to feed it Fios. What were the results?" The Emperor asked.

"Indeed so, your Imperial Majesty. When Fios is introduced in geometric grooves, it simple holds onto the energy. We've brought in our best empaths to sense the energy dispersal, even Ad'hm, as he has first hand experience with Creator's technology. It seems that the grooves, although similar to those encountered in the lost city of the Creators, are far more complex than those used to open the doors in the pyramid structure, your Imperial Majesty. Ad'hm related in his reports that the doors simply absorbed the energy and reacted. The apparatus just holds the Fios with no reaction until it begins to naturally decay into ambient energy." The Maven related his rehearsed speech.

The Emperor sighed again. "This tells me nothing, Maven. What else have you found?"

With his heart beating faster and faster, worrying about his life coming to an end from the slightest mistake, Maven Marduke continued. "The apparatus presents two cylindrical openings, made of a metal we have never seen before, your Imperial Majesty. The cylindrical openings have a central prong that is highly reactive to Fios, itself. I'm glad to report, your Imperial Majesty, that we do have records of such apertures detailed in the writings Ad'hm has brought. The ancient texts call them conduits, your Imperial Majesty. Used to channel constant supply of energy to the apparatus. We have, of course, conducted numerous experiments and trials trying to figure out how they work. Our latest breakthrough, that was aided by the writings, was that the conduits respond positively to energy fluctuations. We believe that these oscillations, depending on frequency and amplitude, control the apparatus, your Imperial Majesty." The Maven awaited for the Emperor's reply, but none came. It seemed Emperor Ryel was deep in thought.

"You're telling me that through these...conduits one would send commands to the artifact?"

"Yes, your Imperial Majesty. Very astute observation, indeed. There are more experiments to follow to observe the effects different oscillations have on the apparatus."