Mase sat on a simple metal chair inside an interrogation room of the Pasargadae, trying to scratch his itching nose on his shoulder. His hands were bound by two metal rings on his wrists, contained by a magnetic field. They wouldn’t let him reach for his nose.

A moment later, Commander Marik Elias entered the room, carrying a briefing pad on his hand. The old man hadn’t changed a bit from the last time he saw him, Mase noted.

Elias sat on a chair across Mase, laying his pad on the desk. He leaned back, hands crossed, and watched Mase intently without saying anything. Mase just sat there too, watching him, trying to decipher his thoughts. He thought he saw shame on his eyes.

“What the heck were you doing on the planet?” Marik asked suddenly.

“Oh, just passing by.” Mase wasn’t tensed at all.

“Passing by...” repeated Marik, scowling.

“I guess I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.” continued Mase. “It seems fate wanted me to witness that genocidal maniac firsthand.”

“Do not speak of her that way! Mase!”

“Or what? You’re gonna torture me? Father?”

Marik leaned forward and slammed his fist on the desk. “You are not my son! Not after you betrayed our goddess!” he was turning red from anger, or shame, Mase couldn’t really tell..

“Hah! Sure. Goddess.” Mase rolled his eyes. “You believe everything she spoon feeds you. That she is divine, that she is our protector, inventing some bullshit excuse for you to believe.” he laughed at that last sentence.

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. You taught me that very well father. You should know better that she is just a normal human being who happens to have invented or obtained some kind of very advanced technology. And through it, she has enslaved us, for thousands of years, playing us to her wicked games.”

Marik said nothing. He leaned back again, calming himself. He then breathed in deeply, and gently spoke again. “You sure seem to be convinced that is true. More so than a person who would believe such things out of foolishness. I can see it in you. You have seen something, something that has convinced you entirely. Tell me, Mase.”

It was Mase who said nothing this time. He looked at his father contemptuously. He passively noted the flickering lights in the room. He then saw his father’s eyes widening, looking up behind him.

A sudden voice came from behind. “Indeed, Mase. Tell us.”

Mase jumped, and would have fallen off his chair if it wasn’t for the restrains. As soon as he regained his composure, he looked behind, and saw her.

“Fuck!” he yelled, shocked at her sudden appearance. Aria laughed.

“How long has it been? Mase?” asked Aria. She started walking around the table, not looking at Mase.

“Five years I think?” she asked again. “Such a pity. With only 21, you were so bright, one of the best young men I’ve seen completing the academy. Your father was so proud of you.” With that last sentence, she leaned her hand on Marik’s shoulder who was openly ashamed by that point.

“But instead, you decided to join that pathetic band of incompetent fools you call a rebellion.” She turned her head at Mase, and looked him right in the eyes. “I wonder why.” She smiled. Mase frowned, he thought that was odd. As if she... no, it can’t be, he thought.

“You wouldn’t know why.” he replied.

Aria raised an eyebrow. “Marik, could you please leave us alone for a moment?”

Marik was confused, but he said nothing and simply nodded. He stood up and walked out of the room immediately. Aria’s focus never left Mase, her ever-smiling face was both beautiful and frightening at the same time. He felt uneasy, he had a hard time of containing his emotions. It has been five years since he last saw her, well at least the first time if you don’t count her appearance on Tarthaghast.

“I wasn’t surprised you managed to organize that band of misfits so quickly. Soon after you left, we were hearing reports of you becoming famous, even their leader.” She started walking around the room again.

“It pained your father very much, you know.”

“I couldn’t care less about my father. And you. Killing all those innocent people. Heck, using them so despicably for your... “ he paused, looking very distraught. “I couldn’t just stand there, do nothing other than watch you murder so many people over and over again. I had to do something.”

Aria smiled. “You know that’s not the reason you left. At least not entirely.”

Mase frowned. “Tell me why then? Your omniscient divine empress.” he said mockingly.

Aria stopped, looking at him directly. “Mase. Even if I was  a common woman, I could see straight through you. Do you honestly think I didn’t notice?”

She leaned forward a bit. “You left, because you loved me. And you still do.” Her smile broadened, as if she relished that fact. Mase was caught off guard. He said nothing and gawked stupidly. You idiot, he thought to himself. How can you be so stupid.

Aria leaned forward even closer. “You left, because you couldn’t help but want me. You hated the fact that you loved someone who could do the horrible things you saw. You were ashamed for actually wanting to see me do them.”

Mase felt naked, as if she had just cut him open and could see every inch of his body, every little piece of his soul, every thought and every secret he has ever had. Aria moved closer, and then sat on his lap. She wrapped her left hand around him and leaner her right one on his chest. She then moved her head inches close to his and whispered.

“You left because you desired me with every fiber of your body. You wanted to kiss those lips that have tasted so much blood. Play with those breasts that claimed so many souls.” She moved her hand down, grabbing his engorged manhood through his clothes. Mase gasped. “You left because you wanted to fuck me, fuck me desperately, fuck my cunt where millions of people have died wretchedly just for my pleasure.” she paused for a moment. “Probably even billions.” she laughed.

At this point, Mase was sweating immensely, his breathing was quick and shallow as his heart was beating furiously. Her nearness was too much to handle for him. She had been right, right in every word she said. He lost control of his composure, his emotions. He hadn’t seen her in five years, yet he felt as if hadn’t matured even the tiniest bit, he felt just the same as he had felt the first day she saw her on a genocidal rampage.

Aria suddenly stood up, releasing his manhood and giving him space to breath. He tried to calm himself. He closed his eyes and started breathing deeply. He hated himself. Hated the fact that she managed to see through him so easily. Hated the fact that he still loved her madly.

“So you ran, ran away from those conflicting emotions of yours.” she continued exposing every one of his emotions. “You searched, looking for an answer. Looking for a way to fight your feelings.”

Mase opened his eyes again, looking at hers. “That’s when you met her.” She emphasised the last word.

Mase suddenly grew stiff, paralyzed. What? How?

Aria smiled broadly again, his reaction was enough as a confirmation for her apparently, he didn’t even bother to hide it anymore, he couldn’t. “How do you know about her?” he asked, hopelessly trying to calm himself.

“I’m omniscient, remember?” she giggled. “You found someone like me. Someone who has the ability. You thought you could find comfort in her, channel your conflicting emotions on her. You hoped she could save you.” Aria moved behind Mase, leaning her hands on his shoulders.

“But she is a gentle soul. She wouldn’t hurt a fly, would she? She isn’t cruel, like me. She doesn’t use her power indiscriminately, like me. She would never kill for pleasure, like me. That’s why you will never love her.”

Mase didn’t bother. He looked down on the floor, eyes unfocused. “She will beat you.” He said. “She will kill you, she will be rid of you. When she is ready, she will save us from you.“

Aria said nothing. She moved again, walked in front of him. Mase raised his head and met her eyes. “She is better that you.”

Aria’s face was expressionless this time. Mase didn’t like it. He wasn’t used to see her out of her usual playful nature.

“You know, those people down in the planet. They are still hanging in there. So many vast cities still going on about their business as if nothing happened. Maybe it’s time I paid them another visit, isn’t it?”

Mase’s eyes suddenly widened.“What? No! Plea-”

“I’m sure you would like a front seat, Mase.” she cut him off.  Then the lights in the room suddenly turned off and the room grew pitch black. Mase started experiencing the familiar vertigo feeling.

“Wait! Aria! Please!”

---

For the standards of the empire, Talmin was a huge city. Close to a million people harbored inside. It was swelled from homeless immigrants, running away from the collapsing domino effect of losing their leadership and the gaping hole that has formed from the destruction of the hierarchy empire-wide.

In the wake of all troubles, Talmin stood out as a safe city. It offered hope and shelter, stability for the near future. Not so much because its strategic location, but because of the hundred-thousand strong army camped outside the city walls.

The people went by their daily business inside the city. In those harsh times, food was scarce and the streets were packed. So activity was high. The local pretender had organized the masses well, everyone had a job to do, or was forced to it.

 It was a clear day sunny day, windless. The city shone in the heat as the sun baked the fields upon which Talmin stood. It was located on the western plains, sprawled on the banks of a major river. It was the jumping board for whoever wished to trade between the east and the west.

None gave much concern to the breeze that swept the city suddenly. They would have found it odd if they had known that it wasn’t flowing in one direction, but was rather coming from all sides of the city, centering at a certain point inside it.

The breeze then grew stronger as rugs started flapping furiously, blowing dust in the air. The sky grew darker as the breeze - now turned to a gusting wind - grew stronger and stronger. People started noticing. In the market, some of them suddenly screamed. “It’s her! It’s her! The goddess is coming to Talmin!” Others laughed hysterically. “Beware, sinners! She is coming. It is time to for us to pay!”

Then there was a loud cracking noise in the sky, as if it had just broken. A blinding light suddenly fell from the heavens into the city, burning everyone in the ground where it touched and turning everything into ash. When the light finally faded away, Aria, the vengeful goddess that everyone spoke about in the last few months, stood there, hundreds of feet tall. And she was smiling down at them.

Mase was bound to a platform on a hill, a few miles away from the city. He indeed had a front row view of what Aria was going to do to the city. He was silent, not bothering to control his feelings. He watched as she took her first step. Mase sighed. Here we go.