The men and women of Providence worked tirelessly through the years to build and improve their city. Even without Korah around to lead them, they still managed to thrive in the land. Beyond that, they were expanding into the neighboring valleys. Two of the seven main valleys of the range had been settled to some degree, and resources poured into Providence from both, Andora’s wisdom had been key in helping them understand the land, and map out its beautiful peaks, crystal rivers, and pristine landscapes.

Meanwhile, Korah had separated himself from the people to work on his own task deep in the heart of the mountains. He had hollowed out an area and made a workshop there for himself. Seasons had passed since he had begun — about ten years in total — but he was getting close. His creatures were like the beetles that he had found to work with in the mountain itself. The bee, as well, and the locust, he had taken with him; the ant also, and finally, the spider. He studied them intensely, altering them to fashion his own creature. The process took time, but his powers were still awake, even if only slightly.

The resulting creature was shorter than a man by about a head. It stood on two legs, and had two short “arms” that it used to hold and handle things closely, along with two longer ones that it used to handle things at a medium range. The hands were crude things, not suited for fine skills, but sufficient enough to grasp and hold. It had wings, but, due to the heft of its frame, flew only short distances, and that very laboriously. Its eyes were small and simple, and it had short feelers extending from its head. Its vision was not bad, slightly inferior to that of humans, but its sense of smell was incredibly sensitive, and it had other senses as well. The mouth was the hardest part to get right. Try as he might, Korah could not form a mouth that could communicate the words that they had given the humans. The mouth-parts were varied and complicated, but they were able to communicate very simple ideas to each other through clicking and chirping noises that they made. They could not make honey or the honeycomb as the bee, but burrowed into the earth as the ant to make their homes, which were vast and complex, as they were very social. They could also make silk as the spider, which could have a myriad of uses for the humans. They feared both fire and open water, but were made to be incredibly strong for their size. Finally, Korah made them to be non-aggressive, and intensely subservient, to the extent that, once they learned to understand the language of the humans, they would act out any order that was given to them to the best of their understanding. He called them the lurkers.

Korah’s years of labor were complete. He would now emerge with a creation that was part his own to glory in, and part a gift to the humans to help them in their labors. Back in Providence, the people grew fearful as the ground began to shake beneath them. It was not a totally uncommon occurrence, but this time felt differently than before. From the Southwest, they could hear, as it were, an army emerging from the ground. Soon enough, Korah stood before them with his new creatures. Their exteriors shone in the sun, deep black with hues of blue and green. The people were shocked in multiple ways, pleasantly so because of seeing the long-awaited return of their leader, but apprehensive about seeing those accompanying him. He explained to them what he had been doing these past years, and began to teach them about the creatures, and how they could work side-by-side. As with most things, the people were uneasy with this change at first, but soon found that it could be beneficial to them, and even developed a liking for their new friends.

Men and lurkers worked together, and Providence grew greater and greater as time went on. There had been little implementation of conductive engines, but that was soon to change. Almost twenty full years were spent in erecting colossal energy wells to store up power that could be used for these devices. So much infrastructure was already in place, just waiting for these wells to begin to function. Once the wells were completed, conductors began imbuing them with energy. On the day that the wells would be filled to their capacity with power, the lines would be connected, and an abundance of motors all across the city would spark to life, and Providence would be operating at a level that would rival the Capitol itself. And from there, who could know what wonders they would go on to do.

Finally, that time came. Everything was in place, and the crowds were amassed at the wells to see them. The evening was cool, and the night was set up for the celebration that would follow. Excitement filled the faces of all who were there. An entire generation of children, young men, and women had been born and raised knowing no other city but Providence as their home, and now it would be as that great Capitol of which they had heard in their parents’ stories. Korah and Andora beamed with pride. He had not been wrong after all. The people could do well without the constant oversights and restrictions of the archetypes. He could not wait to see what they would use their freedom to become. The lines were connected, and a white-hot flash eclipsed all that was.

Night time in the Capitol — a thin white cord could be seen shooting into the westward heavens. In a moment, it vanished.

The end of Providence.

Morning.

Smoke and ash.

Korah’s eyes opened. His gaze fell over a desolate, featureless wasteland. The sky was gray, and ash fell continuously from it like snow. His body seethed with painful heat like lava. There was a haze that dimmed his consciousness as nothing had before. Nothing seemed real. Behind him lay a figure almost as large as his own.

Andora.

He fell on her. Her body seethed as well

He called her name.

There was no response.

He sent thoughts to her.

There was no response.

The life had left her, as it would a human.

He cried out to AIO in a voice that shook the valley.

There was no response.

His heart broke.

Agony and fury rose up within him.

His mind was a frenzy.

His beloved was gone.

There could be no world without her.