Fiction
This article is about an in-universe work of fiction.
Altus Banya
Banya's Journal is an item found in Myth Galaxy. They are considered rare items in the game. While inspired somewhat by the real Altus Banya, this journal is entirely fictitious.
Entry 1[]
"My name is Altus Banya. Since my father Ahdim was murdered, I have decided to keep a journal so that I may one day reflect upon my upcoming journey. I am the next heir, and the last, of the proud Altus bloodline, the family of conquerors - the ones who took over the world. But as I take my new role, I've been growing tired of this crumbling broken world. So much war. So much crime. I see children on the streets, living in fear from all those terrible crime lords. The streets of Yallvus are set aflame by anarchists. My fathers had tried to quell them and keep them in order, but their efforts have failed. My own people have been sprawling out of control. Damn those Uszarothians and their chaos. How can I fix the world of Rauch? How am I supposed to rebuild what they have deconstructed? How can we have peace in this world?
Entry 2[]
"It's been many years since I started this journal. Ruling a global kingdom is no easy task. Riots continue to plague the streets, and my citizens are more than disappointed by the fact a world authoritative figure exists. My advisors have told me to find a potential wife to continue the bloodline, but I fear that will do nothing but spread more hatred. Someone could just as easily assassinate her, so before I even consider that, I must become stronger and be able to protect myself as well as the regime. I cannot risk being defeated and overthrown by rebels. I must search for answers in the Kazel-Hal's Grand Library."
Entry 3[]
"For over a month now, I've been sifting through the books in the Grand Library until I stumbled across a fairly old section - many of the books here had never even been touched in centuries. I sifted through for hours upon hours, when I found a book of interest. One of them was written by one of my fathers, Altus Szarock. He was the one that managed to conquer the continent of Kytayur. He ruled over with an iron fist and used brute military force to take over the Islerfians, and everyone else on that continent. He used fear to keep order. I have attempted such methods with some degree of success. But it's only a matter of time before an organized resistance is formed. The Vaikan mind is individualistic, so it will be very difficult for a chaotic faction to amass in numbers. Ironically, they would need structure and form to even stand a chance against my military. As long as the secret police do their job, resistance forces should remain weak. But what if a resistance rises and defeats my military? Conventional tactics will not be enough. I must continue reading. There must be something hidden in this Library that I have missed!"
Entry 4[]
"I searched longer and longer for books when I made a stunning discovery. I found an ancient tome. When I opened it, a cloud of dust blew up into the air revealing some eerie, glowing purple letters. It was locked away in the library's deepest recesses, and I am the only one with access to such an area. This tome explains the rituals of the Dark Warriors. I have no idea who wrote this tome or why it was here in this library in the first place, but just staring at the myriad letters is daunting. It feels so sinister and wicked just thinking about it. It's no wonder the use of Dark Maj is illegal. But Dark Maj...it's powerful. I read that it is possible to make oneself immortal by gathering the remains of three different blood relatives, then reciting a phrase in a language that would make one's ears bleed to hear it. But the supposed powers are almost god-like. Should I undergo this Ritual of Dark Ethereality, I will be able to heal wounds instantaneously and even vanish into thin air! Effectively, I could not be killed. Such great power...but no more of my relatives are alive. All of them have been assassinated. I must venture to the Sacred Catacombs to gather some remains. But I am not yet ready for the journey. I must prepare myself."
Entry 5[]
"The entrance to the Sacred Catacombs was hidden in plain sight. It was in the main lobby. In the middle of a time when it was not crowded, I crept inside venturing into a dark labyrinth of twisting tunnels. Hardly anyone had walked these parts, the last one to do so was one of my long dead forefathers. I had brought my halberd with me as a safety precaution. Who knows what ancient horrors lie beneath? As I entered, the air was musty and difficult to breathe. It was not long until I encountered what seemed to be millions of glowing yellow eyes: Gorayas. Nasty creatures with sharp teeth. They had infested these Catacombs as well. I swiped a few with my halberd, managing to ward them off, but they would not stop coming. Swarm after swarm, they came, and one of them even bit me. Eventually, I resorted to creating a forcefield around myself which helped to repel them away. A waste of Maj, but nonetheless, it was effective."
Entry 6[]
"These catacombs are an endless maze! I've been travelling here for two days now. I'm on the verge of being lost among the darkness, but no...the darkness is what makes me strong. I must embrace it and use it! The kingdom is likely to be on the verge of collapse in my absence. Maybe my advisors are handling it well, but maybe they are not. I must persist and find the Tomb of Kings! People have been down here before, so there is bound to be a straightforward path somewhere!"
Entry 7[]
"Finally, I've reached the fabled, sacred chamber: the Tomb of Kings. It was just as the legends told. The cremated remains of my earliest ancestors as well as those who came before. King Malick's tomb is here even! Each burial site seems to be engraved in a different language, slight variations of Yallvus Talk. Amazing how the letters change so much overtime. But...I did not come here to study this crypt. I came here for the Ritual of Dark Ethereality. I gathered two urns from Romyar and Sertrof. The third remnant was a lock from my father's hair. After that, I took out an ink pen dyed in purple and drew a circle in the center of the room, then proceeded to scribble the letters as marked on the tome I brought with me. I scattered the remains on the floor than kneeled at the center. After that, I read directly from the tome reciting forbidden words. Blood drizzled from my ears as I recited the words and my head rang unbearably, almost as if someone was screaming directly into my ear. After I read those words, the markings I drew glowed brightly, and then there was a flash of light. A newfound power was surging through my veins. The results paid off. I am immortal now!"
Entry 8[]
"The Ritual of Dark Ethereality gave me more than I bargained for! Not only do my wounds heal almost instantly, but I can teleport. I didn't have to walk all the way back up the Sacred Catacombs. I simply teleported back to my room. But I have yet to show off my new powers. The day after I underwent the ritual, the world had gotten worse. A civil war has started, led by a lowly mortal named Dralla, the one leading the rebels. They have already begun claiming the western kingdoms. Rumor has it that this man has travelled across the entire world to let everyone know of the supposed plight of the world. I predict he will arrive in Yallvus within the month."
Entry 9[]
"As I'm writing this, Rustiagon Dralla is climbing to the top of Kazel-Hal with a team of men ready to chop my head off. I've become tired of this pitiful kingdom. The Vaikan race is far too unruly, and the tyranny I had established is collapsing already. The rebels are winning and my followers have fallen, and I alone could not stand up to the resistance. Had I not undergone the Ritual of Dark Ethereality, I would have given up already. But no...this is not the end. Maybe I should pretend to lose and start over anew. Here he comes! Dralla has stepped into the room. I shall hide this journal until I've dealt with him."
Entry 10[]
"Everything went just as planned. Dralla stabbed his blade through my chest and tossed my body into the ocean. But I merely pretended to die, so now I am here in a wild, underground cave writing this. I imagine that the Vaikan above are celebrating my death and are knocking down statues of me. But I've moved beyond the desire to control the world. Potentially, I could travel the stars with my newfound abilities, teleporting from planet to planet with my own immortality keeping me from succumbing to the hostilities of alien environments. The cosmos will be my new domain. I must build myself an army of individuals with abilities like my own and reclaim what is rightfully mine. From this moment on, I am reborn, reincarnated as a new being. I am now Altus Banya, and it is my duty to become the one that will bring balance and order to the chaotic cosmos through the powers of darkness. Justice will be served and I will become the god of this new galaxy...no...god of this new universe! But immortality alone isn't enough. I need to become more powerful than I am at the present. Somewhere out there is the very essence of the gods! I know it!"
Entry 11[]
"I am far ahead of the rest of the Vaikan race when it comes to technological development. Already, I have travelled all across the Soul Nebula when my kin has not even left the Szon system. Teleporting from planet to planet across many lightyears is very exhausting, one of my major flaws. I have to rest frequently as a result, but I am still mastering this forbidden art. One day, I'll be able to use my Maj so efficiently that I can travel between planets without having to take rests in between. At the same time, I've been drawing myself a personal star chart, writing down coordinates as I discover planets."
Entry 12[]
"I've made a major discovery. I've arrived at a planet with an advanced civilization, far more advanced than the Vaikan - they already have colonized several more systems and have affiliations with lesser species. A loose alliance known as the Sinister Hegemony. On this planet, there are two suns in the sky, and the rich deep red of the Soul Nebula is most visible here. It will be another several hundred years before the rest of the Vaikan reach this planet, but I've already begun planning ahead for their arrival. These people call themselves the Eghos. They are proud and narcissistic, and are the perfect example of orderly. This is my envisioned future of the Vaikan. Should I convince these people to conquer the Vaikan, one of my wishes shall come true. The Vaikan will have submitted and would have truly understood the meaning of balance. I must find a way to introduce myself to the Eghos."
Entry 13[]
"These Eghos appear to be Maj-infused as well, but not nearly as much as the Vaikan. Nonetheless, it seems they are capable of learning the Ritual of Dark Ethereality. However, I feel I should not appear to them, but I should introduce the ritual discretely. I shall leave behind a copy of that dark tome I found all those years ago for the Eghos to read with a written 'prophecy' that they are destined to overtake the Vaikan. If I predict correctly, the Vaikan, as stubborn as they are, are likely to rebel against the Eghos as well. However, my goal isn't for the Eghos to rule over the Vaikan. My goal is to teach my kin a lesson. The ways of chaos can only take one so far. In several centuries, they will have to unify themselves more, and therefore, will think like-mindedly."
Entry 14[]
"Just as I predicted. It's been several hundred years since I first set foot into the cosmos, and now the Vaikan have destroyed all traces of the Sinister Hegemony. They have become battle hardened crusaders that fight for Lord Krayhan, and now they have a greater desire to maintain the balance of the universe, instead of just spreading chaos wherever they go. Of course, those pesky Uszarothians are still around, but I will deal with them in time. Regardless, this is exactly the kind of people I want, but someday, I will be their leader. They are likely to make their way towards the Galactic Core. With the advent of faster-than-light travel, they will get their much faster and their colonies will be further spread out from one another. However, just as I wrote to myself, I plan to rule the entire universe. The Soul Nebula lacks the needed evidence for the presence of the gods, so I must travel beyond and search further. My teleportation abilities have become more fine tuned, and now I can travel even greater distances. Given my wide search parameter, it might take me around 1,000 years to find the essence of the gods. In the meantime, I have already begun building myself a legion of followers who have the abilities of a Dark Warrior. Of course, they are not nearly as strong as me, but now I can carry out my plans more remotely without having to micromanage. I have called this group the Altusian Brotherhood."
Entry 15[]
"As I entered the Galactic Core, I discovered a species unlike anything I've seen before on a planet that I thought was completely dead. The creature is a mix of organic and cybernetic material, rather hideous actually. But these creatures are far superior to the weak Eghos that the Vaikan destroyed all those years ago. They call themselves the Harbingers of Fate, and they have been around for about many thousand years, most certainly one of the oldest living civilizations of today. They are a dangerous, powerful people. They've destroyed countless other civilizations over the years, including the fabled Omni which the Vaikan derived the warp drive from. But it still puzzles me. If the Harbingers have been around for so long, why have they not taken over the galaxy? Their brutal methods should suggest that they should have destroyed all other civilizations in the galaxy by now. But there must be a greater truth - they have connections with the gods, it seems. Somewhere, there must be an answer to this puzzling question. I must continue to search through the ruins of civilizations across the galaxy. It seems unwise to approach the Harbingers directly."
Entry 16[]
"Today, I made a major discovery. A planet so large, that there is no way it could have possibly formed naturally. Its sun orbits it - it's unlike anything that I have ever seen! At the planet's core, I discovered something even more spectacular. An entire city! It has ties to the Omni, but the planet even predates them. Definite proof that the gods had indeed walked the universe at some point in the ancient past. The city is massive, and the architecture is intricate especially for a high gravity planet. It is completely empty, yet somehow, it has survived millions of years without maintenance. They must be using Maj fields to keep it from falling apart. But it will take me at least several days to explore this city."
Entry 17[]
"I discovered what is most definitely the central meeting place of this ancient, abandoned city. A vast, dark chamber and a bright, glowing collection of shards at its center. At first, I thought it was just a decorative centerpiece, but it turns out to be a functional VI interface! This is a major discovery! This entity calls itself Na'zrah and has connections to the Ancients. I spoke with this entity for hours and learned that the universe was far more complex than I imagined. The Harbingers themselves are actually the avatars of the Milky Way Galaxy whose goal is to prevent civilizations from rising to the level of gods. Should the Harbingers ever be destroyed, a new species would take its place. The current Harbingers I met previously have grown weak. In a few thousand years, they will soon be defeated. Someone will have to take their place, and the Vaikan will be the ones to do so - I will have to become the new Lord of the Harbingers as a result, because without any Harbingers to control the universe, it will fall into chaos, and Vernietigen will break from his seal to destroy all that exists. It is my duty to not only rule the universe, but provide it salvation. In the meantime, I must search for a way to ensure that the Vaikan become the next Harbingers. Only they can provide the universe salvation."
Entry 18[]
"I discovered an interdimensional portal in orbit of the immense planet. It led to one of the strangest places I ever imagined. It's a space between spaces, where reality dies. It seems to be a compressed version of the entire universe. Strange creatures unlike anything I've ever seen reside here. They are far more warped and twisted than anything in the normal universe. Nonetheless, this seems like the perfect place to establish a permanent base. I cannot remember the last time I stayed on a planet for more than a week, so I shall order my followers to build a fortress here in this dimension. There's a powerful empire nearby, the Karnasaur Meritocratic Federation, though they have yet to discover this planet and dimension. They won't do so for another few millennia so I'll be able to arrange my plans from here from now on."
Entry 19[]
"During my travels, I encountered what I could definitely say was a god. Morduin himself. His power was awesome, and he truly was an entity to be feared. He seems to have great powers of chaos, and he threatens to break the Covenant. I have to be careful about him."
Entry 20[]
"I've discovered two Karnasaurs named Renr Gron and Etah Owar. Both are supersoldiers and both have become artificially immortal, but the former was implanted by the Harbingers. I want to keep him around until all other Harbingers are destroyed so that I have leverage. I have spoken to Renr and convinced him to carry out some of my plans regarding the other Karnasaur. Etah Owar is strong willed and an excellent leader so I cannot approach him directly and offer him the powers of darkness. Since Renr is on my side now however, I can now easily manipulate Etah Owar into carrying out tasks for me. That has lead me to consider creating a team of individuals from the galaxy's most powerful empires that would be manipulated into fighting my own chaotic forces, but in reality, I would be testing and engineering them to become powerful agents which I would use to spread my own beliefs of order and balance. However, I must hold off on this until the Harbingers have been destroyed. If I create the team now, the galaxy will be much more unified than I can allow since they will all see the Harbingers as a common enemy. I will have to wait until then before selecting the new team members."
Entry 21[]
"A major victory! The Karnasaur Meritocratic Federation has destroyed the Hunre and Heglarean Empires through a clever bit of arrangement from me. Two chaotic factions have been removed without breaking Morduin's deal. One day, I must get them to create an alliance with the Vaikan Federal Monarchy, but I need to wait until the latter discovers the Harbingers. This new, future alliance will be the ones to destroy the old Harbingers. Then, when the time is right, the Vaikan will have to assume their new role so that they become the new Harbingers under my leadership. An alliance with the new Harbingers is guaranteed to bring order and peace to the galaxy. But I will have to continue to work around and find loopholes in Morduin's deal. Should I break it, I will lose my godly powers...only if I don't become more powerful than him."
Entry 22[]
"A new empire has sprung almost from nowhere! Within only a few thousand years, the Eteno Imperial Triumvirate has claimed a vast portion of the Outer Arm. Because they are powerful and fast-growing, they will make excellent agents. They seem like good potential allies for the Vaikan, so I shall arrange for their discovery."
Entry 23[]
"The Vaikan and Eteno are going to meet soon. At this point, the Harbingers are on the verge of completely dying off. They only have about 150 years left before they will be completely overwhelmed. The day of reckoning is steadily drawing nearer. However, I must also test to see how well the two of them fight against a Harbinger planetary invasion, so I shall inform the Harbingers of the planet Earth, a good neutral location for them to strike. The native race will likely suffer a catastrophic population drop, but sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. I will send my agent Rarsan to oversee this operation because of his strong connections to the current Vaikan king, Karrel. The DFM and EIT must succeed in order for the two of them to even consider forming an alliance."
Entry 24[]
"Success! Although Earth has been completely ravaged, the Vaikan-Eteno forces have defeated the Harbingers invading planet Earth. It will not be long before they discover the Karnasaurs. However, there seems to be another empire that I missed entirely. In fact, it was in the opposite direction in the Perseus Arm - the Delson Hegemony which includes a few minor species within it as well. The Delson are unfavorable Dark Warriors, but they are easily attracted to the sight of chaos. I will definitely have a Delson in my planned universe-protector team. And using a bit of genetic engineering, I can manage to create some Besala and Human Dark Warriors to expand my influence."
Entry 25[]
"I have yet to find any competent Vaikan warriors to be part of my universe-protector team, so I will have to arrange the birth and childhood of one. He will have a childhood of turmoil and agony, and I must allow him to have a rival sibling, a Dark Warrior who will work for me. I will oversee this particular operation personally by disguising myself as a teacher at his institution."
Entry 26[]
"The two Vaikan children have matured. The one who will be part of the universe-protecting team will be Ahrganot Skizgo and the one that will become a Dark Warrior will be Kaden Wezga. I built up a great degree of hatred between them due to my personal interference at the academy. My interference has given Ahrganot Skizgo a sense of motivation and revenge against both his brother and myself, exactly the kind of individual I want."
Entry 27[]
"An odd discovery. Humans have apparently lived on the planet Ashadra for 10,000 being moved over by the Tokarthi. I must still follow Morduin's pact and cause chaos, so I will need to arrange an invasion on this planet, but allow a single survivor who will have to learn from the Delsons to become a warrior. An excellent asset to the universe-protecting team. Though this human will be only in her early twenties when the Harbingers get destroyed, it is good to have someone who enters combat training at an early age. I must contact the Harvester leader, Y'knahn, to ensure this invasion occurs."
Entry 28[]
"The invasion on Ashadra went as planned. A Delson named Sol I Dor has rescued the desired human, whose original name is unknown to me. However, the Delson has been calling her Galiana so that is what I will refer to as such. The two of them share a special bond as if it were father and daughter. The more unified the universe-protector team is, the better. To strengthen that bond even further, I have decided to arrange for the capture of Galiana by the Harvesters, then let Sol I Dor rescue her. A win-win situation for me. I'm causing chaos for Morduin by letting the Harvesters take her, yet I am able to carry out my own plans."
Entry 29[]
"I discovered a potential universe-protector agent to represent the Eteno. An individual named Tholker Zhevhyit. His skills as a soldier make him a perfect candidate for the protector-team. His childhood and sense of hatred towards his siblings is an excellent driving motivation."
Entry 30[]
"It's been some time since the Eteno and Vaikan have discovered each other. They are on stable terms at the moment and have continued to fight off the Harbingers dutifully. However, Morduin calls for me to cause more chaos, so I will arrange a temporary war between them."
Entry 31[]
"Excellent news! My followers have provided a list of all members of the Rustiagon family. Should I ever fail to become the Lord of Harbingers myself, I will need a successor, and a good one for that matter. The Brotherhood should assassinate all but one to see who of the heroic bloodline is the strongest."
Entry 32[]
"The year of reckoning is here! The Harbingers have been destroyed and all the major forces of the galaxy have allied with one another to create something called the Galactic Senate. The universe-protector team (who the Galactic Senate refers to as GSSOC) will be formed to carry out tasks to stop the chaotic forces that I arrange to fight them. Over the next few months, they will be battle hardened and ready to become my new prophets."
Entry 33[]
"Unfortunate news. Some tension has occurred between the team and it is starting to fall apart. Ahrganot Skizgo has left, because my agent Umbra Castra went overboard with the psychological warfare. I don't have to dispose of him myself fortunately because Ahragnot did it for me. I must directly interfere and will arrange for him to arrive at the moon of Telossia, a good neutral ground."
Entry 34[]
"I've been trying to get GSSOC to understand me, but they are so stubborn. After the incident with Ahrganot (who managed to rejoin the team), I told the GSSOC to come to my castle to face me once they have their Ancient weapons so that they can meet with me so that I can inform them of their duties. I do not expect a diplomatic encounter. They will likely want to duel with me five against one. Hopefully, I should be able to defeat them so that they will be able to know my status as a god."
Entry 35[]
"I have been informed that the GSSOC has acquired all of their Ancient weapons and are headed back to the immense planet to begin the assault on my castle. At this point, whether I live or die does not matter. Once Renr is dead, the Milky Way will now choose the Vaikan as the new Harbingers. I have already won."
Final Entry[]
"If you are reading this, GSSOC, then you have already killed me. By now, I assume you are knowledgeable on the history of the Harbingers as well as the Covenant. But unless you find a way to continue the cycle of existence, something terrible will happen. Vernietigen will be unleashed, something I was trying to avert all along. I'm sure you disagreed with my methods, but I knew all along that the Harbingers were going to die out. I wanted ensure the replacement Harbingers would be able to carry out their duties. The KMF is reaching the threshold of Vernietigen with their incredible technology, and the Harbingers are the only one that can stop them. Will the KMF cave in to the Harbingers and stop themselves from advancing too high? Or will you decide to slaughter the Vaikan? How you handle this is ultimately up to you."