Imaginary Time

Colagart is a planet of xenophobic, but technologically advanced, tribal warriors known as Colagartrunes. Typically, access to the planet is heavily restricted, but with the Dark Dragon war raging and Tempo Regine's recent security breach, the Empire has opened its gates to refugees; though the life offered may not be so much better than servitude to the Dark Dragon Army.

Those who are not lucky enough to land work in fields or mines, find themselves choosing slavery over being cast from the safety of city walls. Surviving Colagart's drastically damaged climate away from city centers can prove challenging; but it's the beasts of the planet that are truly to fear.

At the time Earth's asteroid impact destroyed 140 million years of evolutionary progress, Colagartrune mammals continued evolving. Without any planet-resetting disaster to hinder their technological progress, Colagartrunes came to become a Kardashev Type II civilization approximately 100 million years ahead of Earth.

Unfortunately, this transition is known to carry with it the risk of self-destruction, and self-destruct the Colagartrunes surely did. As a warrior species, who had no written history, it's unclear what occurred; but it is widely agreed upon by Colagartrunes that they undid themselves. Resetting their civilization just after creating amazing time/space warping technological advances; the Colagartrunes are still struggling to rediscover the secrets of their ancestors. Secrets that are closely guarded, and rightly so.

"Riloxb, please stop eating my test equipment," I said as I replaced yet another sugar puff.

"They're going to be eaten anyways," the brute responded, and again I had to stifle my desire to snap his thick neck in two pieces; mostly because I wouldn't even be able to get both hands around it. Margurka's friends were always the most irritating security service.

"Yes, but I don't get any data from your intestinal track, you're here to ensure my experiments are carried out without any combat related injuries," I scolded Riloxb.

I almost felt sympathy for him, it was indeed a boring position. This was a relatively safe experiment, the only danger was one that the scourge usually yielded from a dragon. These volunteers were spared execution however, deemed of safe mental stability by the Court. If anything went wrong they'd probably kill themselves before they harmed us, but, it was always good to have a security professional just in case.

"So what are these puffers supposed to test anyways?" Riloxb asked.

"I cannot discuss the experiments, but my hypothesis comes from previous successful experiments on one of my other experiment groups. We believe that the warping of behavior attributed to the scourge has to do with the psychological hierarchy in tangem with the three desires. By temporarily satisfying the desires, our bodies move down the hierarchy list of priorities," I explained, "the scourge however, seems to work in the opposite direction. It seems to seek to satisfy the need for magical power, then psychological affiliation, then physiological achievement."

I pointed to the orb protruding from the wall of the room as I prepared my personal terminal to record the data, "So by measuring magical consumption through energy distortions in contrast to their apparent desire for calories, we will be able to eventually come up with a theory on how those afflicted by the scourge are changed on all levels; mind, body, and soul."

Riloxb, surprisingly followed along, "so if I understood that correctly, you're saying the scourge needs magic; and uses our bodies, a natural channel, to consume it, even rewriting our own needs to meet that end."

"It's what we hypothesize; this test will yield data that can be used to answer so many questions regarding the scourge, including this, it's exciting," I said.

Riloxb thought for a moment, before speaking one more surprisingly intelligent question, "I'm surprised these tests haven't been done before. It's been nearly two centuries since the plague, right? Did we not have the technology then? Why wait til now, when there are so few scourge afflicted left on Colagart?"

I had trouble responding; not for lack of an answer, but for lack of lie to replace it with. I perhaps needed to not underestimate Riloxb's intelligence from here on out.

"Politics," I finally answered, the safest answer in nearly any society; blame the people in charge, nobody ever questions that.

Riloxb nodded, interest obviously fading. I barely kept my sigh of relief. Volum knew this was a waste of time. This entirely what the scourge had been designed to do.

Riloxb spoke up one last time as we waited for the subjects to be escorted in, "so is that why the scourge is so dangerous then? It is consuming the magic, not channeling it?"

"Precisely," I responded, "the common misconception is that magic is an unlimited source of power; but look at Colagart, look at Earth. Completely devoid of it. Magic can be lost, and if it is lost, then what? The power of the darkness is tempting, but our universe is destined to fall apart, in the long unforeseeable future. Consumption of magic is the cause of this, and so the sooner we eliminate the scourge, the better odds the universe will remain stable. But don't be mistaken; this is not to say scourge dragons are inherently evil, just inherently dangerous. That is another common misconception."

A silent breath, the faintest of scratches from a pen, the subtle him of a silent illusion. These things all came from the vents, luckily for the spy so did the sound of a fan...one week and already so much information had been gathered, though he doubted this would be of much use he continued to wright down everything the scientist said soon would come the hard part, sneaking down when the lab was empty under an invisibility cham so as to access the documents themselves and alter the data "none may surpass caelum " that was the golden rule he thought.

The test subject was brought in, the girl, no older than Margurka, a mere ten sol years and we conversed for a bit of time. Meaningless things, about boys, about songs, about her favorite places to be; keeping her relaxed and at ease, all the while as she ate the puffers. She was safe, I wished her to know that, even Though it was an experiment. These halls had history, much darker tests had been conducted here at one time, and on children no less. I briefly wondered if she'd been one of them, offered to Volum by the Necromancer as the tales were told. But the chats continued, and soon the test was over for this one. She was taken away, and I recorded the data before the next subjects were brought in.

"So what happened there?" Riloxb asked.

"What do you mean," I replied, somewhat annoyed.

"What did her data show?" Riloxb elaborated.

Sometimes I couldn't help myself, "well, compared to her statistics during similar conversations in previous experiments, controls, food types, etc; her metabolic rate falls in line with that of a healthy ten year old Colagartrune girl. Her life signatures still seem to indicate a comatose patient, one who should not be up and functioning as well as she has been, as those affected with the scourge do. Her faded higher functioning seems to be the only indications of the low neural activity. Physiologically, her veins have grown darker since we last spoke, but they once again relaxed as she entered a calm environment; her pale eyes and face became the only indicator of infection. Still no pathogens or biological bodies have been detected to account for these changes. Which leads me to our energy readings. Again, in the presence of a dark dragon, even one as newly hatched as her, there is a pit of darkness centered on her. Low radiological readings, and a near lack of magical energy in her presence. There was, as before, a corona of dark energies spilling from her in place of this, towards both me you, and the vent. It's not quite clear what this means yet, but if I had to hypothesize, it has to do with how this infection spreads. It must be seeking further sources of food."

"Sorry I asked," Riloxb asked, "so it's trying to get out?" He finished looking to the vent.

"Possibly. By all accounts it's shown to be a fully sapient entity, mirroring our myths of the Children."

Riloxb shook, adding, "that's spudzing creepy."

I finished the recording of the notes, before thinking aloud, "yes. Perhaps I should try a new round of experiments within rooms with different opening and sealing conditions."

"Yeah," Riloxb said, obviously still on his own thoughts, "so, that hierarchy thing you mentioned; what does that data show you then?"

I sighed, "you're thirteen, yes?"

Riloxb scoffed, "yeah so?"

"Aren't you supposed to be a quiet and insecure macho boy at this age?"

"...no?" Riloxb said, genuinely confused, unsure of what had just occurred in the conversation. Quite honestly I was as well.

"Nevermind, you are a guardsman on duty, I suppose it's only right you don't let yourself be hindered by the crippling awkward stage of youth while bearing such a responsibility. To answer your question, it technically answers nothing; I need to study everyone's data and that could take days. Patience."

The spy almost let out a groan, he had been careless. Still if he yet lived it was likely that the scientist expected it was going elsewhere. None the less he would need to continue watching the experiments done here weather by this scientist or not, after all Zerta would be coming in person in a few short weeks to make an offer to start some joint experiments between the two.

A few more hours passed, with similarly boring conversations of bonding between two strangers. Riloxb and I continued speaking as well, but little of it was of consequence until they left the room.

"Now where we're heading I truly cannot speak about," I told Riloxb as they exited, "it requires special security clearance from the Emperor himself. My father has his reasons, you need to understand."

"The Black Site," Riloxb muttered, somewhat chilled.

I nodded grimly. He understood what he needed to. No more prying from him, not about this.

Still, he talked, reciting the stories as they were told in the streets amongst wives and children, "the mad Emperor Strovodon envisioned a universe one with Volum. He had a portal made to ascend to her grace, and discovered a horrible power. He had been tainted by his trespass and brought back with him that which did not belong. Forever known from then on as Strovodinok, the scourge wrought. When he was overthrown by the Champion, the place he conducted his dark ritual was sealed away, condemned, the only Imperial property to ever be classified as a 'Black Site;' no one shall enter, and no one shall leave."

"Only half truths in that tale, but that's why they exist, to obscure what is actually true from the people who need not know it. Speak no longer in common tongue. It is against regulation from this point on," my words came hastily.

"So you know the truth?" Riloxb realized.

"If I did, why would I be researching it?" I rebuked his claim.

Riloxb silenced, at first trying to reason it, but then at the knowledge he was in way over his head.

The spy curved his rotten luck Zerta wouldn't be showing up so soon after all. He had left on some sort of quest for relics to better caelum. He prayed that the emporer would arrive soon as he wasn't sure how much longer he could stay hidden.

Hours later, Rodriun emerged. Darkness leaked from the room in its invisible, pure energy form. Riloxb was far too weary to speak, and they silently left the labs, as a new group of scientists and guards exchanged their shifts.