Ch. 1 The Last Hero of Astra

This is the first chapter in TAS (name to be revealed)

Quick note: For more stories in the world of Astra, check out the Astra Playlist! But strap in for the beginning of a new long running serialized novel…

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It all starts with a promise. When the gods came down to Astra – one by one in their own time – we promised them our never-ending praise. In turn they promised us everything. The sun, the moon, the stars. They promised bounties beyond our reckoning. They promised peace. They promised everything the mind could ever begin to comprehend and more that surpassed even that. Though their promises stayed the same, our desires grew. Grew to fit the needs of our people. As huts turned to skyscrapers, fire turned to electricity, spears turned to bombs, new promises needed to be made.

            They upheld their promise as we upheld ours.

            But were they satisfied with this new deal?

            Perhaps some. Never all.

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Paradia, the paradise city-state. The most peaceful place on the supercontinent of Astra. It was a common misunderstanding that Paradia was named for it being a paradise, but that wasn’t quite right. As Akashi Pacè, lead investigator of the Peacekeepers, explained to the new recruits, the city was named for the ancient tradition of the locals known as the The Parade of Return. It was during one of these grand Parades that Providence Monroe – the city’s founder - came to the ruins of the city and gave it its namesake. And its new purpose.

She promised hope, safety, peace. Paradise. Akashi followed like a moth to the flame, looking for his own slice of paradise. That was fifteen years ago. Paradia wasn’t much older than his time there. Fifteen years of beautiful perfect days. Fifteen years of doing a job that basically did itself as far as he was concerned. Being a Peacekeeper in Paradia was easy. The people needed little and asked him for even less. It made his life blissful, and at this point in his life, Akashi felt he deserved that much.

All around him neon lights competed with the sun. Towering skyscrapers tried to block out their competition. High over his head vehicles blazed across the sky, and all around him land vehicles – as complex as cars and as simples as goat drawn carriages – made their way through the bustling city.

On any other day, Akashi would be sitting in his favorite diner or in his office in the Peacekeeper HQ reviewing reports from those who worked beneath him, but today he had an important job to do. One of his favorite jobs as a Peacekeeper in fact. He leaned against the pristine façade of a building and waited. The afternoon heat of the day felt comforting against his warm skin. He had a headache from another sleepless night, and somehow the sunlight against the darkness of his eyelids was a gentle reprieve. He could stay here all day. It wasn’t like he had much else to worry about. But just as he thought he might start to doze off, a voice broke through the crowd,

“Peacekeeper Pacè!” the called from down the street. Akashi opened his eyes and peered through the crowd. A disheveled young woman in the traditional Peacekeeper uniform was running his way. She had a utility belt with an energy pistol on her waist. Her hair was a short dyed blond and her face was coated in sweat. Her tan skin was flushed red from running. Akashi had never seen her before, so she must’ve been the new trainee. She got to him and doubled over heaving and coughing.

“Afternoon.” Akashi said with a wide smile. “You’re the new trainee, huh?”

“Yes. Shara. I’m Shara - I - was - am -”

“Breath, Shara.” Akashi said with a laugh. She went silent and continued gasping for air. She wiped the sweat from her head and then straightened out. “Don’t tell me you ran all the way from the HQ in the Medullary district.” She gave a hesitant nod. Then once she caught her breath she announced,

“I’m your new trainee.” 

“Yeah, that’s what I heard.” Akashi replied with a chuckle.

“I’m sorry. We were supposed to meet this morning for the first time so Lady Monroe could tell you that for the foreseeable future I’d be shadowing you, but I must’ve missed you.” He had seen Monroe’s message that morning, but he had slept in so he figured she could just meet her in the field.

“So, you were late?” Akashi asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No – no of course not, sir. I must’ve missed you, I’m sorry, I –“

“Yeah, I’m just playing with you.” Akashi gave a wide playful grin. “I was the late one. Not you. Anyway,” Akashi turned on his heel, and began walking down the street. He pushed his short curly hair off of his forehead in a feeble attempt to slick it back then continued, “welcome to Paradia, Shara. You’re new to the city, right?”

“Yeah - I mean - uh - yes sir.” 

“Don’t worry. No need for that ‘sir’ stuff.” Akashi protested. He couldn’t imagine calling him sir. His hair was a mess of greasy unkept curls. He wore a shirt dark enough to cover years of coffee stains and pants that were too big if not for the overly tightened belt around his waist. He imagined to a stranger he must look less like one of the city’s leaders and more like someone pretending to look important with clothes picked up from a dumpster. Akashi tried to think of a time when he was a little more together, but his memory evaded him. Maybe he was always like this. As his mind wandered away, he realized Shara wasn’t with him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Shara walking a couple of feet behind him.

“What are you doing back there?” He asked. She shrugged. “Get on up here then!”

“I apologize, sir, it's just such an honor. I never thought I’d be a part of the Peacekeepers, and I never thought I’d be trained by you. A veteran of the southwest wars and a Peacekeeper of Paradia. You’re a legend, a true legend. Some say more than Providence Monroe -”

“Ok ok ok, don’t keep blowing smoke up my ass, Shara.” Akashi gave her an uncomfortable laugh. “I appreciate the admiration, but you and me, we’re equals as far as I’m concerned. You might have to take orders from me as a member of the Investigations Department, but you’re no different from me. To make it to Paradia, you must’ve done something special. You must be a hero to someone out there. Where’d you serve?”

“The Faren-Tarn warfront in the west.” Akashi whistled,

“And you survived?”

Shara nodded.

“Oh - you must be - phew.” Akashi shook his head, “I’ve heard what happened out there… I know that to have survived is something. You belong here, Shara. They say the gods punished everyone, but – I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be bringing it up.” She looked down at the ground and nodded.

“Thank you sir - Akashi. Thank you, Akashi.” He smiled and clasped his hand on her shoulder.

“Alright, kid! Let’s get to it then. You’re new to Paradia, so for today I’ll show you around. Teach you a thing or two about the city.” Shara nodded. She had a look of hesitance on her face, but Akashi knew that feeling. He felt it himself fifteen years ago. She looked to the massive towers that riddled the city, and he could see the awe in her eyes. Paradia was a different beast from the wars to the west. This was a whole new world.

“Now listen carefully, around here we have our special issue energy pistols, but you’ll almost never need to use them. Can’t even remember the last time I used mine…”

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The moon had risen above Paradia. The sky had grown cool. Wind whipped through the streets. The city was bustling with citizens enjoying the evening. Akashi and Shara sat in a diner on a street corner. It was empty side from the two of them.

“You know,” Akashi said his mouth full of pie, “the fruit in this pie is genetically engineered.”

“Oh?” Shara replied with a look of disgust.

“Yep.” Akashi held his fork in the air, gooey fruit dripping down onto his plate. “That’s why the texture’s so good. Monty makes it all in the lab downstairs. Isn’t that right, Monty?” Akashi yelled to the man behind the counter.

“That’s right!” Montgomery – the diner’s owner - gleamed with a proud smile from where he leaned on the countertop. Shara put down her fork,

“No offense, but I prefer the real stuff.” She grumbled. 

“Hey now, no need to be like that in front of Monty.” Akashi tried to be reassuring to both parties, but he knew he failed.

“Don’t worry, miss.” Monty replied, “Give yourself some time, you’ll love it before you know it.” He walked behind a swinging door to the kitchen. Shara sighed and slouched for the first time all day.

“Tired?” Akashi asked.

“You could say that.”

“Well, what would you say?”

 “It just feels weird being here. Paradia seems so perfect. So… right. But everything is so messed up out there. Things are bad - seriously bad - but here we are eating pie. It feels wrong.”

“I know it’s different. It’s new. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. I know because I’ve been in your shoes. I was upset too. I was confused, lost, alone, a soldier who showed up to the city not knowing what was next for me. Not realizing that this was a new war. This was my chance to recover, to let the pain go. Or at least not let it control me.” Akashi took a bite of pie and smiled, “Don’t let the pain stop you from making a new life here, Shara. I see your strength, I do, but just know you’re not alone here. You’re a Peacekeeper now. Help an old lady cross a street. Resolve transactional disputes. Eat some damn good genetically engineered pie.” Shara laughed, and for a moment Akashi saw a flash of happiness in her face just before it turned serious again.

“It’s hard not to feel guilty though. I get what you mean. ‘The war’ is like us recovering from the horrors, right? But there’s people out there still dying right now. Shouldn’t we be out there helping them? Does Paradia even need us?”

“You could be out there, couldn’t you? I guess in a way you’re right. People here don’t need us… or maybe they do, and its just in a different way. But we’re not soldiers anymore, Shara. We’re Peacekeepers. We take care of these people just like we’d want to be taken care of.”

“I guess.” Shara said. She took a drink of water and shook her head. “I guess.”

“I wish I could tell you the guilt goes away, but I’m sorry... Just remember you did what you could out there, and now you can move on. You’re allowed to move on. Paradia is the city of second chances after all. Be patient with yourself, Shara. You’ll get there. It’s a new kind of service.”

“I’ll be patient – I’ll work on it. Thank you.” Akashi nodded,

“You got it.” He lifted his pie-covered fork to the air in a toast. “To your first day.” Shara lifted her mostly clean fork in response. As she put her fork down, Akashi put his to his mouth and continued his meal. They sat in silence a while longer, Akashi gorging on pie and Shara staring out on the busy streets.

“So, Akashi - the legend of the Southern Calt and all that - when this place wasn’t so perfect you were the one that helped Providence Monroe make it like - well - like this. And everyone knows you survived the brutal wars of the Southern Calt, but how? I mean, what’s really your story? Were you afraid in the tunnels? Were you – I have so many questions, honestly.”

“What do you mean?” Akashi spoke with his mouth full of pie.

“Well, you’re a legend. You’ve seen horrors and death and destruction and now you just… sit and eat pie… with genetically engineered fruit on your face.” Akashi started laughing and dabbed his face clean with a napkin.

“I’m not so old that I’m a legend! You have to be at least - hm, let’s say you have to be at least seventy to be a legend. I’m only thirty - ruh ruh ruh…” 

“Sorry? I didn’t catch that.” Shara started laughing.

“Oops, food in my mouth.” Akashi swallowed a mouthful of pie, “I guess you missed your chance.” They shared a laugh, then Shara focused back in again,

“But seriously,” A slight chuckle still graced her tone, “what happened to you? You were a soldier, right?” Akashi nodded,

“Yeah, I was a scout in the Southern Calt. Stopped the war blah blah blah all that nonsense. Saw a lot, did a lot. Providence Monroe brought me here. We had to do a lot of strange stuff back in those days. I’ve been in Paradia fifteen years now, and every day has been easier than the last since the old days came and went.”

“But that’s the story that everyone knows about you.” Shara twisted her fork against her plate, “What did you do in the Southern Calt? I saw the clips - the ones that Cain had censored at least - back when Cain had the power to do that kind of stuff. They say everything else was lost to time. So, what happened in the tunnels beneath the desert? What about the others with you? Miss Celie Green? I always wanted to meet her. What happened to her?” Akashi’s face twitched slightly. He placed a hand on his head and shook it slowly. Then he smiled and sighed,

“Well…” He went silent. Shara sat staring back at him. Waiting. She sat watching as his face contorted slightly. He was thinking, but his mind was twisting itself in knots, like he couldn’t quite answer the question. There was something holding him back. As seconds came and went, Shara grew concerned. That was when the silence was broken. Akashi’s ring began to ping and vibrate against the table. Akashi snapped back to attention and activated the communication ring. He read a name on the screen and mumbled to himself.

“What is it?” Shara asked.

“It’s - it’s an old source. An informant. He disappeared three years back - a little after the sorcerer ban. He… I thought he died.”

“That sounds interesting. What’s he saying?” Shara pressed.

“Not sure. It’s a video message.”

“Are you going to play it?”

“In a minute.” Akashi’s demeanor had switched so drastically that Shara was caught off guard. Her entire first day he had been a playful carefree guy. Now with this sudden message, his brow had furrowed, and concern was painted across his face. For the first time all day, he had the look of someone who had been through everything he had been through.

“What was he an informant for?” She decided to ask. Akashi could hear the official soldier pushing its way into her tone.

“About five years ago we had a sorcerer’s circle in the city trying to steal old arcane artifacts of power. They were looking for a specific one. Last we heard, they never found it, and their activity dropped off a cliff a little after this informant went missing. We assumed the sorcery ban got rid of them, or they just moved on.”

“What were they looking for?”

“The Jewel of the Void. An artifact of the Void King – wait no, Void Tyrant – Void Emperor? I don’t know, I always mix it up. Anyway, this jewel is special. This thing in the right hands can do a lot. Long story short, they were looking for it. Our information told us they never found it.”

“So bad things do happen in Paradia.”

“They can. Rarely though.” Without looking up from the message alert, he dismissed Shara, “Hey, how about you head home. You did good today. I’m gonna head home and take care of this and I’ll see you at the HQ tomorrow morning.” Shara nodded,

“Understood. Goodnight, sir.” Shara stood up and made her way to the door, almost marching her way out. It seemed with Akashi’s sudden change in demeanor, she had reverted to a soldier’s mindset.

“Night.” Akashi stared at the blinking high priority message projecting from his communication ring’s holographic projection. “Damn it.” He whispered.

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It wasn’t often an informant that dropped off the map for almost three years reappeared on Akashi’s radar with a fresh story and an even fresher fear in his eyes. The recording had raised a lot of red flags in Akashi’s mind when he finally worked up the nerve to open it in his apartment in the middle of the night. It seemed urgent, but something told him it wasn’t worth checking out yet. Like so many other things in his life, it could wait just a little longer. When he finally roused himself from bed in the early afternoon of the following day, Akashi got himself dressed and prepared to meet the old informant.

            Even on official business like this, Akashi didn’t dress like a traditional Peacekeeper in their prim and proper blue uniforms with gold trim. Instead, he found himself wearing baggy dress pants that must’ve fit him at some point, a white button-up stained with coffee and a red tie. He found the uniforms a little too constricting in more ways than one. Lucky for him, Providence Monroe hadn’t seemed to notice or care about his flagrant disregard for the rules. He checked his ring to make sure he had the right address. He did. The last time he had seen this informant, he was living in one of the high-rise buildings in the Medullary district of Paradia. Now they lived in an old broken-down apartment in Halenite. The Medullary was the governing center of the city while Halenite was the poorest district in Paradia.

            “Talk about a fall from grace.” Akashi grumbled to himself. Without a second thought, he walked into the building and tried to find the right apartment number. It didn’t take him long once he was able to get over the stench and clutter in the hallways. He imagined he could have a field day if he wanted to give the city’s council a hassle for how messy the building was - there was no way it met the city’s standards – but he didn’t care enough. When he found the right door, he gave it a gentle rap.

            “Blake? You in there?” There was a loud crash followed by a familiar deep voice replying,

“Coming!” After several bolts were unlocked, the door swung open to reveal a large anxious man with an uncomfortable grimace on his face. His features were sharp and dark. His brown eyes glittered with bulging bloodshot streaks in the dull hallway light. His forehead was already moist with sweat. His facial features were rich with exhaustion, wrinkles, and fear.

“Blake. You look terrible.”

“You’re one to talk, detective. You look like death warmed over.”

“You got me there. Been a long few years for both of us, hasn’t it?” Though Blake was a much wider man, he and Akashi were about the same height. Blake broke eye contact with Akashi’s tired brown eyes and stared down at the energy pistol holstered on Akashi’s ribcage.

“It has.” Blake replied in a weary voice. “Come in, detective.”

“Peacekeeper, actually.”

“Whatever. Just come in. We don’t have time for this. Should’ve come last night.” Akashi shrugged and followed his informant into his home. The room was plastered with takeout food and a strange glow emanated from all corners of the room.

“So, what’s this all about? You disappear off the map for three years and then pop up like this?”

“I’ve been laying low. And I was right to. Your sorcerer ban was casting a wide net, and people who knew me and knew the Peacekeeper’s targets weren’t my fans. Come here.” In the back corner of the room, Blake had a low sitting table. Upon it was a collection of arcane objects. Water balances, divination cards, tea leaves, small bones. He had even done a scroll drop – Akashi could tell from the way the scrolls had been ripped open in frantic terror, shredding the edges. Blake sat down, his back against the wall, his legs crossed under the table. Akashi took a knee on the other side of the table.

“Okay, so you were using divination?” Akashi asked. “You know divination is illegal these days, Blake.”

“You should be thanking me.”

“I would if I knew what you were doing. You know I don’t judge any magical friends. So long as they’re friends.”

“Let me show you.” Blake started gesturing to different readings and results sprawled across the table. “You see all this here?”

“Uhuh.”

“Good. So, here’s the deal, boss: All these are saying the same thing.”

“What’s that?”

“The Fates are confident of one thing and one thing only: They found the Jewel of the Void.”

“They?”

“Come on, you know who. The followers of the Tyrant God. The Void Fiend. His sorcerer servants found the artifact.” Akashi shook his head,

“Come on, Blake. Be real. The case was dropped because reports said they didn’t find it and they moved on to some other city.”

“Did reports say that, or did the divine?”

“Reports. My own investigators came to that conclusion and I trust them completely.”

“Never trust a man when you can trust the Fates, boss. And trust me now, I’m speaking for ‘em.”

“Sorry, Blake. I’m short on trust since you dropped me three years back and then come back around with conspiracy theories.”

“It’s not a conspiracy!” Blake hit the table with an open fist and the bones clattered. Akashi jumped and felt the panic in his mind reaching for his gun before he actually started to. He restrained himself and took a deep breath.

“Take it easy, Blake.” He said in as calm of a voice as he could.

“Listen here, detective – Peacekeeper – whatever you want to call yourself, Pacè, I don’t care, just listen. I’ve been an Oracle my entire life, you hear me? 46 years of convening with those beyond, and right now they’re telling me only one thing no matter what tool I use, no matter what I ask them, no matter what, they’re telling me one thing: The Jewel of the Void has been found and it’s been found in Paradia. You have to do something. I’m not crazy, you know I’m good for it. You know I am.”

Akashi looked around the room. Something snarky in the back of his mind wanted to say things were different and Blake was a different man these days, but he saw the desperation in his eyes. Akashi took in a deep breath, then sighed,

“Okay. Okay, I’ll look into it. I trust you, Blake. I’m sorry I –“

“Don’t apologize, just fix this.”

“Is there anything else you can tell me?”

“There’s… something. A few things.”

“Well don’t hold back now, Blake.”

“It wasn’t consistent across all forms of divination, so I don’t know how reliable it is, boss. I’ll tell you though – word for word. The Tyrant’s chosen will ascend to beasthood. Creatures that crawl and gnash their teeth. Man no more, only monster. They will do his bidding and he will consume the land.”

“Yeah, that sounds bad. I’ll pass it up the chain. Anything else?”

“...”

“Blake? Anything else?”

“No. Nothing else, boss.”

“I’ll look into it.” Akashi replied.

“Be careful, boss. Don’t get careless. You know what this means, don’t you? If those sorcerers get what they want? If they use the Jewel - do you realize what’ll happen?”

“I - I have an idea of it.”

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Thanks for reading as always!

The next chapter will be coming next week! After that I’ll be pivoting to some other currently in progress projects before circling back to Astra again. Stay tuned!