Chapter 16: Void

Void is the sixteenth chapter of The Mazkertis Paradox. In this chapter:


 * Mazkertis follows Dire Knight to a dead world and is confronted by the servant's new master: Wekiga.

Summary
On Day 90 of The Mazkertis Paradox arc, a wounded Mazkertis emerges from a portal into the bowels of a dead world, dragging the motionless Dire Knight behind him. While Mazkertis uses his own time magic to reverse the injuries sustained during his battle with Dire Knight, he reflects on how he had followed the corrupted spirit to the dead world and how their subsequent battle had taken them both up and down the local timeline. Mazkertis remembers that he had glimpsed some of the planet's original inhabitants when he visited its ancient past; a race of salamander-like creatures who he assumed had perished with the collapse of their star. Mazkertis finds that his suspicions about the dead creatures are confirmed by illustrations on the cave walls. As Mazkertis moves on to the subject of how he acquired his wizard's staff, Dire Knight reanimates and attacks him again, reigniting their conflict.

Mazkertis wards off the first few attacks hurled by Dire Knight, but the sheer power and ferocity of the corrupted spirit soon forces Mazkertis to retreat through the tunnels towards the planet's surface. However, Dire Knight gives chase and corners Mazkertis in the utmost tunnel, leaving the wizard with no option but to defend himself. Mazkertis is clearly outmatched in terms of sheer magical power and physical strength, but manages to keep Dire Knight at bay by encasing him in temporal pockets that slow his approach long enough for Mazkertis to plant explosive fireballs around and below Dire Knight's feet. When the last of the temporal pockets around Dire Knight fade, Mazkertis accelerates the development of the fireballs, detonating them around Dire Knight and blasting the corrupted spirit through the roof of the cavern, exposing a passage to the surface of the dead world in the process.

Mazkertis travels through the opening to the surface and makes a jump to what appears to be a derelict guard tower, which he uses to survey his surroundings. However, before Mazkertis can absorb the life force of the damaged Dire Knight at the base of the tower, he is confronted by Wekiga, who gloats that Mazkertis had taken the bait he had set for him and landed in his trap. Wekiga explains that he was the one responsible for planting thoughts of the Nightmares and Dire Knight in Mazkertis's mind, and brainwashed Dire Knight to lead Mazkertis to the planet so that Wekiga could dispose of the wizard himself. Wekiga adds that his reason for opposing Mazkertis is that, even though he shares Mazkertis's hatred of the current state of the universe, the fact that Mazkertis wants to kill Zev Raregroove conflicts with Wekiga's own goals. Before Mazkertis can respond, Wekiga begins his assault, lashing out at Mazkertis with his viciously sharp talons.

Instead of retreating like he did with Dire Knight, Mazkertis meets Wekiga head on in close quarters combat, using a variety of spells and techniques to keep the creature suppressed. The long and hard-fought battle launches both combatants out of the tower and to another area of the dead world, where Nabonidus sits on an open-air throne with Ravat and legions of Nightmare soldiers at his side. With the Nightmares now spectating the duel between Mazkertis and Wekiga, the latter being gains the upper hand by assuming a spectral form and jabbing into Mazkertis with a hundred enchanted slashes, causing the wizard to double over in pain. As Wekiga prepares to devour his victim, Mazkertis seizes the one chance he has left to win the duel, using spectral magic to blow Wekiga away. Wekiga promptly returns to a physical form in order to evade the spectral magic, but realizes too late that Mazkertis had anticipated this move and is struck down by the destructive energies of Mazkertis's staff. Having been dealt a fatal blow, Wekiga collapses and accepts his death because the form he inhabited during his confrontation with Mazkertis was only "part of" the true Wekiga, knowing that he still had other forms to inhabit. Regardless, Mazkertis rejuvenates himself by absorbing the essence of Wekiga's remains, undergoing a transformation that leaves him more powerful than ever before.

Stunned by Mazkertis's transformation and somewhat fearful of the wizard's newfound strength, Nabonidus negotiates that there will be no retaliation from the Nightmares for Mazkertis's trespassing in their realm, especially because Mazkertis had killed Wekiga, a traitor to the Nightmares, and planned to erase Zev Raregroove, one of Nabonidus's greatest enemies. In addition, Nabonidus reasons that Mazkertis's planned revision of the universal timeline would not erase anyone's Nightmares, so he would be of little concern to Lord Void. However, Nabonidus warns Mazkertis that he will die if he interferes in the Nightmares' affairs. As Mazkertis opens a portal and prepares to leave, Ravat persuades Nabonidus to at least punish the wizard for trespassing, so Nabonidus blasts Mazkertis through the portal with a bolt of energy.

Two days later, Lord Zrintch visits Mazkertis in the infirmary of the Kindred of Dawn's headquarters on Kalta Thaea. Zrintch chastises Mazkertis for constantly putting himself in unnecessary danger and shares that some of the Kindred are starting to doubt whether he can truly deliver on his promises, especially because Mazkertis had started to spare innocent lives on their ventures to other worlds in recent days. Mazkertis responds by reassuring Zrintch that, though the journey has been uneasy, his quest to change reality is almost complete.

Characters

 * Dire Knight
 * Mazkertis
 * Nabonidus
 * Ravat
 * Wekiga
 * Lord Zrintch