Two Wizards
Manfred’s chambers in the Wizards’ Keep were his private sanctuary. He rarely let anyone else in there. As a sop to his vanity, he had taken over Adapa’s old quarters when he had returned to Elannort at the end of the Dark Ages. Here he kept a few important mementoes of his long life. ‘When one has lived for almost fifty thousand years, one needs to be very selective’, he always told his friends and colleagues. Friends though, were uncommon, especially these days. He rarely got close to people. He had learned quickly that beings with such short life spans quickly grew old and died. He had had relationships with women, but they had been rare and all the more special for that. Jhamed, with a longevity even greater than his own, was like the son he had never had. Although he had known Simon but for an instant, he had already begun to feel like a grandfather to him.
The furnishings in the main room were comfortable without being ostentatious. It had a wheat coloured deep pile carpet and pale yellow walls that gave the room a warm feeling of summer sunshine. A rather weather-beaten old brown sofa and two equally moth-eaten old armchairs took centre stage around a cracked wooden coffee table. The table was piled high with books and parchments, with just enough room for Manfred to place a plate and a cup when he needed refreshment. A couple of hand-crafted oak sideboards displayed his treasures. The walls carried paintings by some of the greatest artists FirstWorld and other dimensions had ever known.
Manfred lounged on the sofa. The stranger walked slowly around the room, taking it all in. He stopped in front of a painting. “This work seems quite familiar to me, yet I have never seen it before.”
“It is La Gioconda. It was da Vinci’s first attempt and it didn’t meet his high standards. He was going to destroy it, but I managed to get him to let me take it. Personally, I find it superior to the version that hangs in the Musée du Louvre in many dimensions. It’s funny how da Vinci has never existed in FirstWorld, at least not yet.” Manfred spoke to the stranger’s back.
The stranger moved on to one of the sideboards. “The wheels of time turn at different speeds in different dimensions. When you are at the centre of things, you turn the most slowly. This artefact is not from this dimension either, is it?” He pointed to a rather simple looking, ceramic cup.
“My dear Dammar, you are not as perceptive as I took you for. That is the Holy Grail. It is the cup that Jesus Christ drank from at the Last Supper. Joseph of Arimathea used it to catch the blood of Christ on the cross. Joseph took it to Glastonbury in Britain. It is reported to have miraculous powers. The quest to find it has occupied the minds of certain humans for many centuries. I was involved with one such quest, myself. There are many who believe it will help win the battle against evil in some dimensions. There are others who believe that the Holy Grail is something else entirely, the womb of Mary Magdalene who supposedly married Jesus and bore his child. I would have thought you would know of it.”
The stranger turned around and faced Manfred. He was young, blond and beautiful, a veritable Adonis. He was naked, except for a white loincloth that barely preserved his modesty. His skin was perfectly tanned and unblemished, either by mark or by hair, except for the blond curls on his head. He appeared powerful, without being overly muscular. There was not an ounce of fat on his lean body. He seemed to be around twenty years old. His voice, though, was deep, confident, and old. “So, you know me, do you?”
“I must say that you look well for someone who is approaching fifty thousand and far better than I remember you, or your statue in the Avenue of Heroes shows. How did you do that, by the way? I’m certainly feeling my age, these days. I’d like to learn your secrets.” Manfred was only half jesting. Imagine having a body like that again. What am I thinking; I never had one that good in the first place.
“I’m sure you would.” Dammar smiled, displaying perfect white teeth and sparkling blue eyes. “I am the epitome of male beauty. All either lust after me or envy me, whether they be male or female. Yet, I am cursed never to know the joy of physical contact with either sex. It is part of my bargain, part of my curse, part of my fate. As are you, Manfred the Magician. As are you.” He sighed and took a seat in one of the armchairs. Manfred couldn’t help but admire his handsome body and the rather large bulge that Dammar’s loincloth could not disguise. I wonder why he doesn’t wear clothes.
“Let me tell you my story, old man. I doubt that you’ll wish for my body at the end of it, for I have fallen for my own version of King Midas’ folly. Unfortunately, my tears will not wash it away. Never mind; let me begin at the beginning. I last saw you at the Council of the Wise in 11175. Gadiel had been defeated, but not killed, and had fled into the Northland. Gilgamesh was dead and Fleischaker lost. Bedwyr had fallen at the Battle of Elvenhome. Adapa, Al’Alim, Bilal, Cadell, and Calum decided that they would seek out Gadiel and destroy him before he could regroup. I knew it was a futile quest and so I headed off on my own business. I should have realised then, how important you were in the scheme of things. After all, it was your urging that had led to the forging of Fleischaker. Unfortunately, I was blind to the future at that time and I lost a great opportunity to discuss things with you. Anyway, perhaps it was just as well and all meant to be, considering where they sent you next and what happened there.”
The events of so long ago for Manfred had been so recent for Simon. Manfred felt for the boy’s situation. If only things could have been different.
“Did you never wonder why there were seven Great Sages?”
Manfred had never thought to ask that question. There had always been seven Great Sages. “I hadn’t given it any thought,” he said.
“Did it never strike you as odd that the Great Old Ones, who were trying to achieve balance, would create seven Great Sages? After all, half of the wizards were supposed to represent Jeohab and half Satania. If decisions came to the vote, one side would always win.”
“Now that you mention it, it does seem odd. You were the seventh Great Sage, the only one representing the letter D. I always thought that you were Satania’s chosen one. Was I correct?” I can barely remember his twin. I wish I could forget Mandred as easily.
“It was an illusion. You were meant to think that. Before I say any more, let me ask you another question. Do you believe in a probabilistic multiverse or a deterministic one?”
Manfred considered the question for a moment before replying. “It is a question that I have pondered long and often over the millennia. I have wondered whether my decisions would have any impact or whether everything is preordained. I don’t have a firm answer, but I have to believe in a probabilistic multiverse, otherwise I would have given up long ago. Certain things are deterministic, of course. Day always follows night, there is zero probability that the sun will not rise in the west tomorrow; except on the last day of our existence.”
“Quite so. Another question for you. Do you think that planet Earth has the only intelligent life in the universe?” Dammar asked.
“I imagine all of these questions are linked in some way?” Although, I fail to see it just at the moment. Better to humour him, I suppose. “If it is a probabilistic universe, I would imagine that the probability is high that there are other intelligent races out there. The Great Old Ones came from this universe, after all.” It seemed strange to Manfred to be discussing issues of such complex philosophy with a seemingly callow, almost naked youth. He had to remind himself that he was actually talking to one of the original Great Sages in a different physical form.
The beautiful youth looked at him and sighed. “If only it were as simple as you would like to think. You have travelled widely in the multiverse. Have you ever come across a realm where the Earth has been visited by aliens?” Manfred shook his head. “I thought not. Neither have I. Many realms have almost reached the end of time, as we know it, yet no human being has ever met an alien. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
“Well, we are living in a nondescript solar system, at the edge of a very large galaxy. We are rather off the beaten track,” Manfred ventured.
“There are realms where humans have developed faster than light travel and have visited countless stars and planets. No intelligent life has ever been found and very few planets with any life at all have been identified. It seems to me that the conditions necessary for life to develop are very specific and are very unlikely to occur. They might only take place a handful of times in the entire galaxy. The probability that primitive life would develop into intelligent life would also be tiny. I surmise that each galaxy might only give rise to a very few intelligent species during its entire existence. Yet here on FirstWorld we have at least four different species. It doesn’t sound very likely, does it?” Manfred assumed it was a rhetorical question and let Dammar continue.
“I was fortunate or unfortunate enough, amongst all of the wizards to actually meet the Great Old Ones.” Dammar paused for effect. Manfred controlled himself and managed to show no external emotion though inwardly he was impressed, and bursting with curiosity. “They had developed from primitive life on a planet on the other side of the galaxy. They had managed, against the odds, to survive and reach full maturity. In the end, they outgrew this universe and went off to explore new horizons. Their greatest achievement, in my view, was to understand the need for balance in everything. Without balance, there is perennial conflict. This conflict prevents a species from achieving its potential.”
“Many would say that some conflict is essential to drive progress.” Manfred interrupted Dammar’s flow with his comment.
“Once again, it’s all about achieving balance. The Great Old Ones understood that the natural law of the universe is for order to decay into chaos. The gradual increase of entropy cannot be prevented.”
“The second law of thermodynamics only applies to closed systems,” Manfred interrupted again. “If the universe is infinite then it would not apply.”
“The Great Old Ones indicated that the universe was finite and that time was linear. However, they postulated that time travel was possible but extremely hazardous. As a civilisation, they had taken a moral decision not to attempt to travel in time and meddle with past and future probabilities. They held a view that the universe was, at one extreme deterministic and at the other totally chaotic. If you like, the two extremes represented the probabilities of zero and one. It is essentially impossible to have a fully deterministic universe. There are simply too many variables to control. However, absolute Law seeks to achieve that objective. It is also certain that at some point in the future the entropy in the universe will reach a maximum. At that point, the universe as we know it will cease to exist. What will happen then is uncertain. Perhaps it will simply exist as a completely chaotic system. Perhaps it will result in another big bang, the slate will be wiped clean, and a new universe will be formed. What is important, I think, is that entropy only goes in one direction. It increases. This increase in entropy defines the direction of time. The Great Old Ones left us with a finite, but expanding, universe and a unidirectional flow of time.”
“When they were a young race, they had believed in various gods in order to explain their place in the universe. As they evolved, they realised that gods were simply the creations of lesser beings. Ultimately, they evolved into beings that most others would consider to be gods. They were to us as we are to a mound of termites. As advanced as they were, they were not omniscient. They had not answered the fundamental questions of how and why the universe began and why they were a part of it. ‘Why am I here?’ seems to be a fundamental question inherent to all intelligent life. Perhaps it is the ability to ask that question that defines sentience. Perhaps the reason the Great Old Ones left our universe was to seek the answers to those questions. Anyway, they developed the concept of the Balance. They postulated that if a society could achieve a healthy balance between order and chaos, it would develop and evolve effectively. There was a completely deterministic pathway that was designated by fate. If one took that path, one had no control over one’s destiny. There was an infinite number of other possible paths, all defined by different probabilities. Only one pathway, a linear timeline, existed through those probabilities. In other words, there was only one reality. Once a probability had been determined, it would exist forever. How am I going? Are you keeping up with me?”
Manfred was beginning to get a headache. “I think so. I’m confused though. If they didn’t believe in gods, how did they explain the deterministic probability, or fate?”
“They didn’t have to. Because it represents a probability of zero, it can’t exist.” Now Manfred’s head really started pounding. Something exists, but it can’t exist. I think my old brain is going senile. “Don’t worry about it. It will become clearer. Think about it as a predefined pathway each individual has for his or her life. If we all followed those pathways, the universe would stagnate. Entropy would not increase. The laws of physics would be broken. Therefore, it cannot happen, much as many people would like to believe it could. Absolute Law imposes a set of rules on society so that it does not evolve. It seeks to impose a set of probabilities on everyone. Such societies, whether they are driven by religious or political beliefs are doomed to fail because people can only tolerate it for a short time. Absolute Chaos, on the other hand, is complete anarchy. Everyone behaves just how he or she feels like. There are no structures or rules. Society implodes and destroys itself. The Great Old Ones postulated that such a society would be inevitable before maximum entropy were achieved. They did not wish to be a part of it.”
“It is a dismal future.” Manfred was depressed by Dammar’s description.
“Perhaps, but if entropy can be slowed, it can be postponed for a long long time. And when it finally arrives, it can be thought of as a moment of rebirth and therefore a positive thing. That’s where the Balance comes in. In my opinion, the Balance was the Great Old One’s version of God. Perhaps every species, however powerful and evolved needs to believe in something greater than itself. The Balance represents the pathway of best probability. It can be achieved by applying appropriate moral, ethical, and legal codes to every decision one makes. There is not one set of codes that applies globally. Each society must develop its own codes. If you create a garden and then do not tend it, the weeds will eventually take over. Keeping it free of weeds can be hard work. Sometimes it’s too hard and we give up. If we take the right precautions, like mulching our flowerbeds, we can reduce the effort needed to keep it on track. Life is like a flowerbed, if we tend it well we will have a beautiful display. If we fail to look after it, the flowers will be stunted and soon die. Some of us will achieve balance by organic means. Others will impose order by the use of dangerous herbicides and pesticides that achieve our immediate aims but cause greater long-term damage to the environment. It’s a tough universe.”
“It certainly is, in my experience,” Manfred agreed. “I don’t see where good and evil fit in. I find that there’s a general belief that Law is good and Chaos is evil.”
“If there were no evil in the universe, it would be much easier to achieve balance. Evil usually causes us to move more rapidly towards chaos, but Chaos is not intrinsically evil nor is Law intrinsically good. Goodness is difficult to define and it means different things to different people. Because what society holds to be “good” is often imposed by a legal system, we see an attachment between goodness and Law. The eternal battle between ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ is often confused with the equally eternal battle between ‘Law’ and ‘Chaos’.”
Dammar picked up a salt pot from the coffee table. “Consider salt.” He looked at Manfred. “Is it intrinsically good or evil?” He didn’t wait for Manfred’s response. “Salt is essential for our diet. Without salt we would die. It is inherently good for us. If we try to eat it by itself, it is disgusting. When we add it to our food, it enhances the flavour. If we eat too much, though, it is bad for us. If we are lost at sea and drink salt water, we will go delirious and it will kill us. It is therefore inherently evil. Of course, in reality, it is neither good nor evil, but it must be consumed with the appropriate balance. People are the same as salt. Each of us has the innate capacity to act in good ways and in evil ways. Very few beings are completely good or wholly evil. It is not always clear whether we are acting well or badly. There is often a conflict. We are genetically programmed to act in ways that are best for our own survival and to the benefit of our offspring. Such acts may be deleterious to the wider community. War is a classic example. It always appears that ‘good’ triumphs over ‘evil’. Perhaps it is because the winners write the history books and always claim the high moral ground. One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. Rarely is there a black and white situation. Unfortunately, we do have such a situation. Gadiel is pure evil. His presence complicates matters and makes things much worse.”
Manfred now thought that his head was about to explode. However, there was much more he wanted to learn. He used his thumbs to massage his forehead above each eye. “Where did the Children come into it?”
Dammar smiled. “Yes, there is quite a lot to take in. The arrival of Jeohab and Satania was serendipitous. It gave the Great Old Ones the motivation to undertake a vast experiment they had long been planning. They sought out a planet with abundant life, but no advanced sentient species. They found Earth. They used some of their own genetic material to create elves and dwarves. The precursors of humans were already in existence. Given enough time, they would have evolved naturally. The Great Old Ones just gave them a bit of a nudge. They were the ‘missing link’, as it were. Elves and dwarves were meant to represent the extremes of Law and Chaos respectively and try to influence the developing humans to follow their way of doing things. The Great Old Ones wanted to see whether the pathway to chaos was inevitable. They wanted to test their theories. Things didn’t go as they’d planned. The Children soon got bored and left their charges to their own devices. The first and second born contain different DNA to the rest of the animal and plant species on Earth. They have the Great Old Ones’ DNA in their systems. It was the first flaw in their experiment. It was inevitable that, left to themselves, both races would reject the extremes of their imposed dogma. So, although their belief and moral systems are quite different, they have moved towards each other a great deal. Very quickly, they ceased to represent their original designations. Then the Great Old Ones made an evolutionary step-change and acquired the ability to leave our universe. As you know, before they left, they created a group of wizards to look after their experiment. Our role was to try to preserve the Balance so that Earth would flourish and the three races would all survive and prosper.”
Dammar paused, looking at Manfred as if to see whether he was keeping up.
“I wasn’t aware of the scarcity of life in our galaxy. I had always thought that life was abundant. I don’t know where I got that belief from,” Manfred said.
“It was probably planted by the Great Old Ones. They wanted to encourage the races to look outwards and seek the secrets of the cosmos. That had been their motivation and they believed the key to their success. They believed that one has to look past the individual, or even the local community or the state to find the greater global good. The Balance represents what is best for the entire planet, maybe even the universe. We were charged to help the three races find that balance, but in particular the human race. I think that the Great Old Ones realised that the first and second born would have a limited tenure on a planet that was alien to their DNA. Their main concern was that the primitive humans that they had helped along the evolutionary path would get a fair chance to achieve what they had done. That was our appointed task. It would appear that we have failed.”
Dammar’s last words hung in the air like a guillotine about to decapitate. Despite everything, Manfred felt there was still some hope. “Things are certainly bleak, but I can’t accept that there is no hope,” he said.
“That’s why you and I are two of the last three wizards alive. We two, alone, share that hope. Weylyn is driven by darker motives. Whatever happens, I shall be the last of the Sages to pass to stone. That is my appointed role, although I have tainted it along the way. You see, the Great Old Ones gave me a special task. While the other wizards nominally represented Jeohab or Satania, I was to be a representative of the Balance. My first job was to ensure that the rest of the Sages were kept on the right track. Bedwyr was a great ally and his loss was a turning point for me. Adapa could never be swayed from his own opinion. After the fall of Gilgamesh, the wheels fell off completely and I decided that I would have to act alone to carry out my appointed task. I dared not trust anyone else. I regret that I did not seek you out then, Manfred.”
“As do I, Dammar. As do I.” It might have saved me many years of toil and worry.
“You see, I was party to much secret information that the Great Old Ones shared only with me. It was clear to me that I needed to apply some of that knowledge if I were to serve the Balance and save Earth. I do not know whether I did the right thing, or whether I am doing the right thing, because my judgement became clouded. Only time will tell. Except that time itself has been corrupted.”
Manfred was starting to lose the thread. What is he talking about? “You are making my head hurt. How about we take a break and have some refreshments?”
Dammar jumped up and his voice was suddenly sharper. “We no longer have the time. You must concentrate and you must understand. You have to agree with a decision I have taken and you have to do it today. Everything rests on this. Do you understand?”
Manfred didn’t understand and he rather fancied a cup of tea and a piece of fruitcake but he didn’t let on. “Very well,” he said. After fifty thousand years, it’s suddenly mad panic. Typical!
“The Great Old Ones showed me a number of possible pathways. They showed me the pathway of total Law, or fate if you prefer. They showed me the results of absolute chaos. Most importantly, they showed me some of the most probable pathways, and the best pathway; the balanced pathway. I was given a road map to follow and several routes to avoid. I was also told about the equipment at the top of the High Tower at Melasurej. I know that you found out about it too and that you have used it. Your judgement in that matter was sound, although you may still doubt it.”
He knows me too well, Manfred thought.
“The remaining five Great Sages went off on a crazy quest that achieved nothing and eventually led to their demise. I set off into the Northland to find Gadiel. He was the fly in the ointment. His creation was the one thing that the Great Old Ones had failed to predict. He was going to have a significant impact on all of the probabilities. I needed to find him and to understand him. I failed to find him. It turns out he was hiding in some caves in the Mountains of Death, while I was scouring the Northland looking for him. I did find the city of Illium, however, and I established my base there. It was close enough to keep an eye on things, but far enough away that I wouldn’t be found. I was driven by a desire to recreate Melasurej. I don’t know why. I returned to Wizards’ Keep, secretly, several times and obtained plans and copies of important documents. I also visited the elves and dwarves and collected as much information about the early days as I could. Slowly, I built a replica of Melasurej in Illium. I managed to save the city from invasion, so they owed me a great favour and they willingly provided the materials and the labour. I sat in the High Tower and I studied the ancient texts, much as I imagine you have done.” Manfred nodded. And many a headache they gave me too.
“Eventually I came to a startling realisation. The Great Old Ones had planted the Great Evil on purpose. They knew it would be released one day. It was to be part of the experiment. However, they had also provided for a counter balance – the Everlasting Hero. He is a product of a special genetic sequence. He would have the ability to wield a formidable weapon – a sword that would achieve its power by consuming the souls of its victims. When it achieved a certain level of power, it would be able to defeat the Great Evil. The Hero had another power, the ability to use the strange portal at the top of the High Tower. He was able to travel in time. I was confused about these realisations for a long time. Why had the Great Old Ones chosen not to tell me about the Great Evil or the Everlasting Hero? Why had they provided for the possibility of time travel when they abhorred it so? I can never know the answers to these questions for sure, of course. I think that I have answered them though. The Great Old Ones underestimated the passion of the dwarves for delving. They didn’t expect the Great Evil to be unearthed for many more thousands of millennia. I believe it was to be the ultimate test, long after my job was done. It was to be the final spur to send humanity after the Great Old Ones. They planted clues in the information imparted to the dwarves and the elves in the early years. These clues were deliberately obscure and incomplete, but they felt there would be enough information conserved to serve humanity when the time came. The use of the time portal would be central to the final battle. The forging of Fleischaker was predestined. The genes for the Everlasting Hero were sprinkled through humanity, and they would come together at specific times, either by fate or by chance. We were indeed fortunate that Gilgamesh came forward just when he was needed. Whether that was fate or chance, I do not know. However, it was too soon, for Fleischaker did not have the power to destroy Gadiel. Therefore, we are come to the present situation. We must have a Hero to wield the Sword and the Sword must have the necessary power. If we do not defeat Gadiel this time, there may not be another chance.”
“As well as that may be the case,” Manfred replied. “I fail to understand how we can give the Sword more power. And, you still haven’t explained your apparent death and how you came to be resurrected in your current form.” Manfred had forgotten his hunger and thirst in hearing Dammar’s story and he wanted more.
“I’m just coming to that. I hope you will understand about the Sword soon, because it is at the heart of our decision. It was the Sundering that provided the final clues to bring things together in my mind, although it took me many millennia to work it all out. The formation of the multiverse changed everything. Suddenly, there was a whole host of different probabilities that were possible, perhaps an infinite number. Anything was possible and time was no longer linear. I discovered the portals between dimensions and spent many ages exploring other dimensions, trying to understand the fundamental drivers of the multiverse. Eventually, I returned to Illium and generated my final thesis there. The multiverse must be preserved at all costs. Even if FirstWorld were to fall, there might be realms where the Balance could prevail. As Gadiel regained strength, he returned to the Northland to find followers. Eventually he came to Illium and we met. For a time we needed each other and we had an alliance. I’m afraid to say that I sold my soul to the devil.”
“Don’t tell me there is a portrait of you somewhere that ages while you remain forever young,” said Manfred with a forced laugh. Dorian Gray all over again.
“Unfortunately not. Gadiel required information and he obtained much of it from me. I didn’t tell him everything, of course. In return, he offered me immortality in a new young body. Although I knew what happened to Gilgamesh, I allowed myself to believe he would carry out his side of the bargain. He needed me, after all, and I knew that I was destined to live to see this task through. I was fed up being a decrepit, impotent old man.”
I know how you feel. It would be a great temptation. Yet he said aloud, “How could you?”
“He changed me physically. But he has an evil sense of humour. I must forever take this form. I cannot wear any other clothes or the itchiness drives me insane. As much as I desire physical contact with others, or they with me, I am prevented from sating my desires. Should any intimate contact be made, we are both repulsed with a shock like we have been struck by lightning. I will only be freed from this curse when he is destroyed. Do you wonder why I want him dead? To be forced to live for eternity with such a curse would be the ultimate treachery.”
Manfred had to smile. Oh, the price we pay for vanity and lust. Singed genitalia! He tried to keep a straight face. “It’s tragic, indeed. How did he secure your immortality?”
“He gave me a once-only key to the time portal. He sent me forward in time, and I arrived here. He said that I had missed the time of my death, so that as long as I didn’t go back to a time before that I would live forever. I think he wanted me out of the way while he planned his attack on Elannort but wanted me here when he was strong enough to destroy me. He thinks he has outplayed me. However, I have one more trump card that he is unaware of. Some years before Gadiel arrived in Illium, another stranger arrived.”
“Ubadah, King of Tamarlan,” Manfred interjected. “Things begin to become clearer to me.”
“That’s right. I was suspicious of how he could have survived the journey from Tamarlan. I found the se