Part CXXXV: The Eighth Watcher
Date: Traje 22nd, 115 A.U.
Members of the Council violently stood up out of their seats in shock as Flek stepped toward them from the closed door into the domain of the Watcher. Flying out of her seat, Astrid ran toward him in joy, even as Flek put out his hand to stop her.
“Wait!” he said, trying to stop her from embracing him, but too late. Astrid flew into him, passing through his body, as she tripped, not expecting the lack of resistance, and fell right through Flek to land on the floor behind him. Murmurs began to whisper throughout the Noon Chamber.
“I…” Astrid looked up, dazed, as Flek knelt down beside her, light wavering as it passed through his body.
“Sorry, Astrid,” Flek whispered, putting his hand upon hers, even as it passed through her hand. “You… You may want to sit down again.” Shaken, Astrid slowly returned to her seat as Flek followed her to stand before the Council.
Reynyagn gazed at Flek. “I suppose,” he began. “I suppose that there really is only one rational explanation for this, correct?”
Flek nodded. “You are correct,” he said, turning to look at the rest of the Council. “I, Flek, stand before you as the Eighth Watcher and the traditional and rightful head and chairman of the Council of Arquenia.”
“The Eighth Watcher?!” Astrid stood up in alarm as she stared at him, a touch of dread in her voice.
“The Watchers were not always evil,” Flek said confidently. “Grandine and many of the other auggers in this isle will remember that. The Watchers were tasked with keeping the planet of Arquenia spinning around the sun, to watch over the world and protect it from harm, and to work to guide the seven races to live together in peace. For six generations of Watchers, the beings served Arquenia well before the Seventh Watcher, who had originally been an elf named Erzile, was slowly corrupted. As Grandine proclaimed in the beginning of this meeting, there has been no Arquenian Council on this isle for eight hundred years. That is because the Great Arquenian War occurred eight hundred years ago, where the races fought against each other. The isle was deserted, the seven other sacred places of the Watcher were overthrown and left empty, and knowledge of the Watcher was forgotten by all except for a few auggers who dug within their memories.
“For five hundred years afterward, before the wandering auggers finally migrated here, the Watcher was in isolation, everyone else having forgotten his ways. From the records I found, he slowly grew cold and bitter, coming to loathe the ones who had forgotten him, the ones he was obligated to protect. And so he finally began to launch a plan to wrack revenge on those who forgot him. From what I found, one hundred forty years ago, he was able to successfully possess an orc, and through the orc learned much about the world. Through the orc whose name is left unknown in Erzile’s records, Erzile the Watcher came in touch with Jaigran, and did what he could to guide Jaigran’s route down the bent path before Erzile’s orc was killed in battle. His work had been done, though. And so, upon possessing an elf last year at Tzel-Maret, Erzile was finally able to make contact with Jaigran, whereupon he disclosed to him his full plan, joining him against the rest of Arquenia. He used his power to keep the world spinning for the opposite purpose, forsaking that power so as to send Arquenia crashing into the sun, which would have happened if they had succeeded.”
Grandine nodded. “Your account of previous Watchers, and the name of this Watcher, matches our records and memories.”
“But… but what of you, Flek?” Astrid asked. “You—you died—I saw you. How… How did you survive?”
“I… I didn’t,” Flek said gently. “As you saw, and as your team mates have explained, I fell into the blue light. Rippling pain disintegrated my body. For a while, I thought I was dead before I slowly came to and began the process of discovery. I have learned that it was through the energy contained in my body that the blue light transfused me into the Watcher. Since only one Watcher can live at once, and since the last Watcher had left his domain and vacated his seat, the energy removed the power from the Watcher Erzile, destroying him, as well as dissolving the Golden Weapons, which also destroyed Jaigran.
“For the past two months, I have examined the records and tools that Erzile left behind him in the most-Secret domain of the Watcher, the domain even more sacred than the physical domain that Erzile created for Jaigran to unleash his full power. Through it, I came to realize that I had become the Eighth Watcher, my destiny as the Priest-King.”
“What?!” Zarien looked up at Flek in surprise. “But… but you-”
“That’s what Jroldin finally figured out and finally managed to tell me before he died,” Flek replied. “As the Warrior, I was tempted by Erzile, who had taken semi-possession of my body. By fulfilling his role as the Priest-King by placing the circlet upon my head to free me from his power, Jroldin not only healed me, but he transferred his role and powers over to me. Only the Priest-King had the power to become the next Watcher in such a calamitous event. That was why Jroldin was unable to use the power of the void to teleport us out of the Watcher’s domain, and why I was. I became both the Warrior, and the Priest-King.”
“The prophesy reveals itself in strange ways…”Reynyagn murmured, and silence reigned upon the chamber.
“The discussion is not supposed to end at my coming,” Flek finally said, striding forward. “Although I only possess an ethereal body that is constrained to the limits of this chamber, there is yet work to be done—specifically concerning the judgment of the elves. As the eighth Watcher, I have looked upon the planet for the past two months, and I have seen the facades that Commander Eren has put up as supposedly legitimate trials.”
“But-” Commander Eren began.
“Silence!” Flek proclaimed. “I have seen you as the Watcher, and so I will proclaim my judgment to be followed by the Council, for that is my duty as the Watcher. You involved yourself too much in the affairs of the elves while they ruled the skies, and because of that, you still believe in your own racial superiority! Because of this, not only will another need to take your place as the ruler of the elves, but members of other races will need to stand and bear witness, helping to move the courts to make just decisions. Am I understood?”
Commander Eren glowered vehemently. “What else am I to expect from a filthy goblin?” he spat.
Flek twitched his lips. “Your racial superiority complex at play,” he stated bluntly. “Is my judgment accepted by the general Council?”
“Some… Some more specific knowledge of how exactly the justice system has been manipulated would be useful,” Governor Astrid replied.
“Then I will begin the relating of the events,” Flek said, pacing. “Concerning the trial of Lieutenant Zeran of the elves…”
Flek watched as, the meeting finally adjourned an hour short of midnight, the Council filed out, resolving to come back to discuss the remaining issues the next day. He waited while the Council filed out, and then slowly exhaled as only he, the Xavier Team, and Monty, were now left.
“Well,” he finally said. “I’m not sure how prepared I am yet for the duties of this job… But I’m ready.”
“So…” Astrid began. “Are you—are you immortal?”
“As long as the world lives, I live as long as I choose,” Flek replied. “Traditionally, every five hundred to seven hundred years or so, the Watcher will begin to tire of his duties and will elect a new person to take His place. Erzile had already been the Watcher for close to five hundred years before the Arquenian Civil War. I suspect that being the Watcher for more than a millennia began to drive him crazy. Releasing the Watcher involves a similar mechanism that Jaigran and Erzile set up. The seven golden weapons are used to activate the Watcher and then the spirit of the old Watcher leaves, while the new Watcher takes his place, letting the old Watcher finally die to rest in peace.”
“So there will be more Golden Weapons then,” Reynyagn said.
“Yeah… once I make them,” Flek said. “I’m going to try to make them either tomorrow night depending on how late the Council goes, or the day after that, and then give each weapon to the races. Basically, that mechanism is there to make sure that all members of the Council agree with the identity of the new Watcher.”
Reynaygn pursed his lips, slowly nodding. “You… You have a great task ahead of you, Flek.”
“Aye,” Flek said nodding. “I know.”
“And you’re just constrained to appearing in this chamber?” Astrid asked.
“Not just this chamber,” Flek replied. “There are seven other places in Arquenia I can appear at, at places where the seven races tended to dwell. The Citadel of Tzel-Maret was one of them—the Mothertree another one. There’s a dwarven temple in the mountains known as the Temple of Light that you might have heard of, Astrid, but I don’t think you would have heard of the other places.”
Astrid pursed her lips. “So… you’re not really back then…”
“Not… not in the way you might want,” Flek said quietly. “I mean, I’ll still be here… But at the same time, I’m not going to ever be fully back.”
Astrid slowly exhaled. “I… I see…”
“You can always visit,” Flek said, smiling. “I mean, from what I’ve done so far, it looks like I’m always going to have something to do, but I’ll always love to have someone to talk to so I don’t go insane from solitude or anything.”
“Yeah, but…” Astrid’s voice trailed off. “I don’t know… It’s just that, in the two months I spent at Araelia… I didn’t fit. Even though I’ve been converted, I just can’t walk around the city without being constantly reminded of my crime…”
“What are you saying?”
Astrid shook her head. “I don’t know, really. I just…”
“We can talk about it later,” Flek said gently.
“We’ll be here for a good many days anyways,” Reynyagn replied. “Even after the Council is ended, I believe the six of us will still have much to discuss about our future plans.”
“Yeah,” Flek said. “Although I think some of us already know what our future plans are, or maybe I’m speaking a bit too presumptuously about the person that’s going to be the future king of the elves.”
“Shut up,” Zarien said, a smile playing across his lips. “We haven’t had the official vote yet.”
“Yes, but I don’t have to be the Prophet Xavier to know what the outcome will be,” Flek said, grinning. “Just you wait and watch, Zarien. Just you wait.”
Question of the Day: This is the place for you to ask questions and for me to give answers. Since I didn't feel like totally info-dumping everything, some parts of how the Watcher works might not be totally clear to you yet. So ask any question, on the Watcher, or on anything else in Arquenia, and answers I will provide!
Date: Traje 22nd, 115 A.U.
Members of the Council violently stood up out of their seats in shock as Flek stepped toward them from the closed door into the domain of the Watcher. Flying out of her seat, Astrid ran toward him in joy, even as Flek put out his hand to stop her.
“Wait!” he said, trying to stop her from embracing him, but too late. Astrid flew into him, passing through his body, as she tripped, not expecting the lack of resistance, and fell right through Flek to land on the floor behind him. Murmurs began to whisper throughout the Noon Chamber.
“I…” Astrid looked up, dazed, as Flek knelt down beside her, light wavering as it passed through his body.
“Sorry, Astrid,” Flek whispered, putting his hand upon hers, even as it passed through her hand. “You… You may want to sit down again.” Shaken, Astrid slowly returned to her seat as Flek followed her to stand before the Council.
Reynyagn gazed at Flek. “I suppose,” he began. “I suppose that there really is only one rational explanation for this, correct?”
Flek nodded. “You are correct,” he said, turning to look at the rest of the Council. “I, Flek, stand before you as the Eighth Watcher and the traditional and rightful head and chairman of the Council of Arquenia.”
“The Eighth Watcher?!” Astrid stood up in alarm as she stared at him, a touch of dread in her voice.
“The Watchers were not always evil,” Flek said confidently. “Grandine and many of the other auggers in this isle will remember that. The Watchers were tasked with keeping the planet of Arquenia spinning around the sun, to watch over the world and protect it from harm, and to work to guide the seven races to live together in peace. For six generations of Watchers, the beings served Arquenia well before the Seventh Watcher, who had originally been an elf named Erzile, was slowly corrupted. As Grandine proclaimed in the beginning of this meeting, there has been no Arquenian Council on this isle for eight hundred years. That is because the Great Arquenian War occurred eight hundred years ago, where the races fought against each other. The isle was deserted, the seven other sacred places of the Watcher were overthrown and left empty, and knowledge of the Watcher was forgotten by all except for a few auggers who dug within their memories.
“For five hundred years afterward, before the wandering auggers finally migrated here, the Watcher was in isolation, everyone else having forgotten his ways. From the records I found, he slowly grew cold and bitter, coming to loathe the ones who had forgotten him, the ones he was obligated to protect. And so he finally began to launch a plan to wrack revenge on those who forgot him. From what I found, one hundred forty years ago, he was able to successfully possess an orc, and through the orc learned much about the world. Through the orc whose name is left unknown in Erzile’s records, Erzile the Watcher came in touch with Jaigran, and did what he could to guide Jaigran’s route down the bent path before Erzile’s orc was killed in battle. His work had been done, though. And so, upon possessing an elf last year at Tzel-Maret, Erzile was finally able to make contact with Jaigran, whereupon he disclosed to him his full plan, joining him against the rest of Arquenia. He used his power to keep the world spinning for the opposite purpose, forsaking that power so as to send Arquenia crashing into the sun, which would have happened if they had succeeded.”
Grandine nodded. “Your account of previous Watchers, and the name of this Watcher, matches our records and memories.”
“But… but what of you, Flek?” Astrid asked. “You—you died—I saw you. How… How did you survive?”
“I… I didn’t,” Flek said gently. “As you saw, and as your team mates have explained, I fell into the blue light. Rippling pain disintegrated my body. For a while, I thought I was dead before I slowly came to and began the process of discovery. I have learned that it was through the energy contained in my body that the blue light transfused me into the Watcher. Since only one Watcher can live at once, and since the last Watcher had left his domain and vacated his seat, the energy removed the power from the Watcher Erzile, destroying him, as well as dissolving the Golden Weapons, which also destroyed Jaigran.
“For the past two months, I have examined the records and tools that Erzile left behind him in the most-Secret domain of the Watcher, the domain even more sacred than the physical domain that Erzile created for Jaigran to unleash his full power. Through it, I came to realize that I had become the Eighth Watcher, my destiny as the Priest-King.”
“What?!” Zarien looked up at Flek in surprise. “But… but you-”
“That’s what Jroldin finally figured out and finally managed to tell me before he died,” Flek replied. “As the Warrior, I was tempted by Erzile, who had taken semi-possession of my body. By fulfilling his role as the Priest-King by placing the circlet upon my head to free me from his power, Jroldin not only healed me, but he transferred his role and powers over to me. Only the Priest-King had the power to become the next Watcher in such a calamitous event. That was why Jroldin was unable to use the power of the void to teleport us out of the Watcher’s domain, and why I was. I became both the Warrior, and the Priest-King.”
“The prophesy reveals itself in strange ways…”Reynyagn murmured, and silence reigned upon the chamber.
“The discussion is not supposed to end at my coming,” Flek finally said, striding forward. “Although I only possess an ethereal body that is constrained to the limits of this chamber, there is yet work to be done—specifically concerning the judgment of the elves. As the eighth Watcher, I have looked upon the planet for the past two months, and I have seen the facades that Commander Eren has put up as supposedly legitimate trials.”
“But-” Commander Eren began.
“Silence!” Flek proclaimed. “I have seen you as the Watcher, and so I will proclaim my judgment to be followed by the Council, for that is my duty as the Watcher. You involved yourself too much in the affairs of the elves while they ruled the skies, and because of that, you still believe in your own racial superiority! Because of this, not only will another need to take your place as the ruler of the elves, but members of other races will need to stand and bear witness, helping to move the courts to make just decisions. Am I understood?”
Commander Eren glowered vehemently. “What else am I to expect from a filthy goblin?” he spat.
Flek twitched his lips. “Your racial superiority complex at play,” he stated bluntly. “Is my judgment accepted by the general Council?”
“Some… Some more specific knowledge of how exactly the justice system has been manipulated would be useful,” Governor Astrid replied.
“Then I will begin the relating of the events,” Flek said, pacing. “Concerning the trial of Lieutenant Zeran of the elves…”
Flek watched as, the meeting finally adjourned an hour short of midnight, the Council filed out, resolving to come back to discuss the remaining issues the next day. He waited while the Council filed out, and then slowly exhaled as only he, the Xavier Team, and Monty, were now left.
“Well,” he finally said. “I’m not sure how prepared I am yet for the duties of this job… But I’m ready.”
“So…” Astrid began. “Are you—are you immortal?”
“As long as the world lives, I live as long as I choose,” Flek replied. “Traditionally, every five hundred to seven hundred years or so, the Watcher will begin to tire of his duties and will elect a new person to take His place. Erzile had already been the Watcher for close to five hundred years before the Arquenian Civil War. I suspect that being the Watcher for more than a millennia began to drive him crazy. Releasing the Watcher involves a similar mechanism that Jaigran and Erzile set up. The seven golden weapons are used to activate the Watcher and then the spirit of the old Watcher leaves, while the new Watcher takes his place, letting the old Watcher finally die to rest in peace.”
“So there will be more Golden Weapons then,” Reynyagn said.
“Yeah… once I make them,” Flek said. “I’m going to try to make them either tomorrow night depending on how late the Council goes, or the day after that, and then give each weapon to the races. Basically, that mechanism is there to make sure that all members of the Council agree with the identity of the new Watcher.”
Reynaygn pursed his lips, slowly nodding. “You… You have a great task ahead of you, Flek.”
“Aye,” Flek said nodding. “I know.”
“And you’re just constrained to appearing in this chamber?” Astrid asked.
“Not just this chamber,” Flek replied. “There are seven other places in Arquenia I can appear at, at places where the seven races tended to dwell. The Citadel of Tzel-Maret was one of them—the Mothertree another one. There’s a dwarven temple in the mountains known as the Temple of Light that you might have heard of, Astrid, but I don’t think you would have heard of the other places.”
Astrid pursed her lips. “So… you’re not really back then…”
“Not… not in the way you might want,” Flek said quietly. “I mean, I’ll still be here… But at the same time, I’m not going to ever be fully back.”
Astrid slowly exhaled. “I… I see…”
“You can always visit,” Flek said, smiling. “I mean, from what I’ve done so far, it looks like I’m always going to have something to do, but I’ll always love to have someone to talk to so I don’t go insane from solitude or anything.”
“Yeah, but…” Astrid’s voice trailed off. “I don’t know… It’s just that, in the two months I spent at Araelia… I didn’t fit. Even though I’ve been converted, I just can’t walk around the city without being constantly reminded of my crime…”
“What are you saying?”
Astrid shook her head. “I don’t know, really. I just…”
“We can talk about it later,” Flek said gently.
“We’ll be here for a good many days anyways,” Reynyagn replied. “Even after the Council is ended, I believe the six of us will still have much to discuss about our future plans.”
“Yeah,” Flek said. “Although I think some of us already know what our future plans are, or maybe I’m speaking a bit too presumptuously about the person that’s going to be the future king of the elves.”
“Shut up,” Zarien said, a smile playing across his lips. “We haven’t had the official vote yet.”
“Yes, but I don’t have to be the Prophet Xavier to know what the outcome will be,” Flek said, grinning. “Just you wait and watch, Zarien. Just you wait.”
Question of the Day: This is the place for you to ask questions and for me to give answers. Since I didn't feel like totally info-dumping everything, some parts of how the Watcher works might not be totally clear to you yet. So ask any question, on the Watcher, or on anything else in Arquenia, and answers I will provide!
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