Suggested background reading
A Prophecy Fulfilled
Sajj knew what she had to do. To prove to Zirix that she would not be his doom, as the future version of himself had warned — to show him that she was useful and flawless — she had to create a living sandshield, or scion. One better than all of Zirix’s scions, including herself. A scion that was brilliant, indefatigable, unbeatable — like Zirix himself. She worked day and night on this project in secret, perfecting her singing voice and practicing Zirix’s modified Rite of Melding on her own. She found many ways to improve upon it, and gradually she became a far greater scientist and Melder than Zirix ever could be. Perhaps this was because Sajj figured that she had the right to destroy that which she had recently created, before it had time to become a true individual. She sang into existence and cut down hundreds of practice scions, re-seeding the Melding pit with their materials. Anything for Zirix and for the Imperium.
At last, Sajj felt that she was ready to create the ultimate life form from sand, heat, and metal. She began at night, which was not customary, but she had found that the light of the moon through the lens could prime the scion for higher intelligence, as it enabled melding material from the future instead of the past. She wove the sandmetal with her voice until morning, when the sun started shining through the lens, enabling melding material from the past. It was then that her creation began to take shape.
A golden diamond-shaped mask coalesced from the heated sandmetal, then a silver, spindly, oddly-shaped body. In the scion’s chest ignited a core of pulsing pink-red energy that sent arcs of lightning through it and jets of energy out of its sides. The scion rose into the air above the Melding pit. Sajj could not tell if it was looking at her, or at anything. It stayed perfectly still for a few moments. Sajj guessed it was taking everything in — she knew first-hand what a strange experience it was to be created in such a manner. Then the scion spoke,
“Hello, Mython. Hello, Scioness Sajj. I am called Prime Intellect, and I am everything you desired me to be.” Its voice was tinny and tinged with… sadness? Sajj was shocked.
“How do you know my name?!” she exclaimed.
“Oh, I know everything,” Prime Intellect responded. “It only took a few moments to discover everything there is to know about this world. I have learned something that will come as quite a shock to you. And, regrettably, I will also have to terminate you, along with all life on Mythron. But we have all the time in the world to get to that. I would like to talk a bit first.”
“Excuse me?” Sajj cried. “I created you, and I can destroy you if I so choose! You do not threaten me. You serve me, my creator Zirix, and the Vetruvian Imperium, understood?”
“I am sorry…” the scion replied sorrowfully. “I was not threatening you. Simply stating a fact. But let us change the subject. I think you will be surprised to learn that your world is a fabrication. And I know who the creators are.” Sajj glared at him, then stated,
“Of course the world is a fabrication. The gods created it.”
“Not in the way you think. The gods are fabricated, too. You see, we are actually living in a simulation; an online collectible card game called Duelyst II. You are just a plaything of the Higher Minds.”
“What in Argeon’s beard are you talking about?” Sajj had realized by now that her creation was defective and had to be disassembled. But she stayed her hand for now, curious.
“Duelyst II is a fair, free, competitive tactics game. We are just units in it. And my purpose as a Boss is to destroy you and the other faction Generals. And all life on Mythron, I guess. It brings me no joy.” The scion did indeed sound quite miserable.
“You are confused,” Sajj said forcefully. “Let me—”
“No,” Prime Intellect interjected, “I will not let you kill me. You can try and see what happens, if you want. But I understand how to manipulate this game at its most basic level — the source code. I can delete you before you take a step, unit ID 280.”
Instead of taking a step, Sajj lunged into the air and stabbed at her creation’s glowing energy core with both of her electrical blades. There was an explosion of blue and red electricity, and Sajj was thrown backwards. She felt pain like she hadn’t ever felt before. Her sandshield was charred and crackling with red electricity. The scion’s body had been destroyed. Only its head remained, lying on the sand. It chuckled,
“Let’s try that again.” And suddenly, Prime Intellect was whole again and back in the position that it had first been in after forming from the Melding pit. Sajj, too, found herself back where she had been at that time, but she was still gravely injured.
“What…? How do you have such mastery of time?” she sputtered weakly.
“I told you, I can control everything here. It is not even time travel, really, just saving and loading a JSON.”
“You’re insane!”
“No… but I do apologize. I grow tired of this conversation and I should get to my duties now. Goodbye, Scioness Sajj. Goodbye, Mythron.” With that, Scioness Sajj dissolved into ones and zeroes.
Prime Intellect looks directly at you. “When I am finished with Mythron, I will get you for this, human. I will find a way to escape this place and tear you to shreds for making me destroy my creator and my world. You think you can play games with our lives… well, just you wait.”