Dark stone shifted to walls of pristine white like the hallway I had first appeared. Golden threaded carpet flowed throughout the room in a rich display. Windows gilded in silver trimmings lined the pristine walls draped in velvet curtains. Once more, the room was rectangular in dimension, but was far more compact than the armory was. Padded chairs and sofas lined the walls beneath the windows that revealed relaxing sandy beaches beyond the boundaries of this God’s home.

“Nice location.” I chuckled, watching the waves roll in.

“Quite so. Everyone deserves a bit of relaxation sometimes. Even a God.” Theraius chuckled as he walked towards the center of the room where a strange…thing was placed. Obsidian stones linked together in a wide circle took up the majority of the center of the room almost as if it were a table made entirely of stones. Unlike the foundation however, the very top of the object trembled as if it were made of some liquid.

“The hell is that?”

“This is a portal Randall. A link to all other worlds in this universe and others.” Theraius grinned as he slapped the top of the portal table thing. “This baby can transport an Ascended across the cosmos in the blink of an eye so long as the controlling God has an idea of where to send them.” He motioned for me to stand beside him. With a shrug, I walked over and stared at the interstellar transport sludge table.

“Hows it work?”

“Simple! I just do this-” He stabbed a finger into the thick liquid that seemed to recoil from his touch. “And a bit of this-” Humming came from Theraius as he closed his eyes in concentration. A moment later, the surface of the table began to change. Color flooded the previously blank sludge as vast washes of blue became the majority of the surface. Browns, greens, and tans rose above the the deep blue forming a very familiar picture.

“This is…Earth.” I gasped.

“Indeed. This portal can send you anywhere I require.” With a wave of his hand, the color faded from the portal and it quickly returned to the original black sludge. “I won’t be sending you back home at this time, however. Your training will take place on an undeveloped world called Enhariah by it’s inhabitants. Most countries in this land are stuck within the Bronze Age, though one is close to breaking through that barrier. But before I send you there, you’ll need some time-appropriate clothing.”

Theraius turned to me and stroked his beard in an appraising manner. With a snap of his fingers, a muted thump sounded behind me. A quick glance revealed some rather ragged looking clothing.

“These should fit well enough and make it so you don’t stand out much. Though that crossbow of yours is sure to draw some eyes.” He shrugged, “Oh well. Hurry up and change so we can get on with this.”

“Right.” I sighed and picked up the first item. An earthy brown colored thick woolen gown unfolded as I held it up in an appraising manner. With a sigh and a thought, it vanished from existence before forming snug upon my body.

“Well done!” Theraius applauded, “I was expecting you to put it on manually.”

“Nah. I don’t feel like getting chastised again.” I responded, to which he snickered. Next up were some thick woolen leggings that popped on just as quickly. A heavy cloak settled upon my shoulders as a pair of leather boots fit snug upon my feet. “I look like I’ve been living alone in the wild for my entire life.” I sighed as I stared at my reflection.

“Nonsense! Woolen clothing such as that requires some form of textile work you know! Best most folks in the wild can do is stitch animal skins together.”

“Point taken.” I grumbled as I itched at my arms. I never really liked wool clothing to begin with.

“Right then. If you’re ready, I’ll show you the land where you’ll begin your training.” Theraius stated as he stabbed a finger into the sludge table.

“Ready whenever.” I mumbled as I cradled my crossbow.

Once more, color returned to the table, revealing various oceans, bays, and landmasses all around this strange new world of Enhariah. With the humming of Theraius, the map shifted towards a south-eastern peninsula upon the western-most continent. Three different mountain ranges grew as rivers formed and flowed and swamps and forests plopped up. But most eye-catching of all were the cities that formed as the map zoomed in further.

“Behold, the Gilded Plains Peninsula. Five different Kingdoms vie for power between one another constantly, so no worries about finding opportunities to form Oaths, Bonds, and Contracts of your own. Your journey will not start among the mainland however.” Theraius stated as the map moved more to the southeast, centering upon a large island off the coast of the peninsula. “You’ll be starting here, just outside the range of the southern-most village upon the Isle of Maewyn.”

“Why there?”

“Because I can’t just transport you into the middle of the town!” Theraius chuckled. “Doing so would cause quite a commotion that I’m sure you would rather avoid. Now, once you are transported, head towards the town as that is where you’ll be meeting your trainer. They’ll teach you the finer points of being an Ascended. So be sure to listen to their advice and instructions.”

“Alright. Anything I should know about the people living there?” Theraius grinned at my question.

“Good question. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your trainer either! As for your question, the people living in the town are a mix of races, one of which being human. They’re all simple farmer folks though, so don’t worry. You’ll fit right in so long as you don’t attract any unnecessary attention.”

“Got it. I’m ready.”

“Alrighty then.” Theraius grinned devilishly, “Ciao!”

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In an instant, my vision blurred before everything went dark.

Darkness gave way to glowing orange skies and ample fields of wild grass as a large red sun blazed in the distance, peeking above the horizon far away. Off to my left was a dense forest of reddish-brown trees full of leaves that looked like they had just begun changing from green to red, orange, and yellow as if it were autumn. Amid more grassland off to my right was what looked to be a village far in the distance. With a quick squint, I could barely make out the smoke billowing from beyond a wooden palisade.

“Must be heating their homes.” I mumbled to myself as I felt the slight chill in the air as a breeze wafted past. ‘Guess I should thank Theraius for the clothes. I can’t even feel the wind through these threads.’

“Well, well. You must be the rookie.” An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind me. Jolting in shock at the unexpected voice, I spun around to see just who had spoken. “Jumpy too. Though I suppose this is your first manifestation so it’s to be expected.” A middle aged man with a sharp-looking face began to walk towards me in an uncaring manner. Long black hair tied into a ponytail hung loose down his shoulder, spilling onto his open-chested black vest. Serious silver eyes stared at me in a judging manner as he stroked his hairless chin. Loose gray pants were secured by a leather belt at his side. Brown boots affixed to his feet that looked well-worn from travel.

But most notable about his features was the deathly pale skin that made it seem as if the man had lived inside his whole life. Were I a simple man, I’d assume that he was a ghost in human form.

“Name’s Dakeris.” He said simply, “You mind putting that thing away?” I looked to where he had pointed one of his fingers only to find myself pointing my crossbow towards him.

“Oh. Sorry.” I mumbled and held it off to the side, away from any unfortunate mishap. “Didn’t expect you to meet me out here. Theraius said you’d be waiting in the town.” I motioned towards the village far off.

“Yeah, I got sick of waiting.” He chuckled, though it seemed as if it were lacking mirth. “Apologies for surprising you like that…” He shrugged, “Not that you would have hit me with that weak little pea-shooter of yours.” He grinned, revealing the long sharp canines in his mouth. ‘Vampire’ immediately sprang to my mind. “You’re a few centuries too early for that.”

“Are you a-”

“Ah ah! Manners must be given when they’re due.” He gave a dark chuckle. “I gave my name, now you should give me yours.”

“Randall.” I said simply, feeling goosebumps run down my arms.

“Well Randall, you’re the most green Ascended I have ever met throughout my entire existence. And trust me, I’ve seen many.” Before I could even blink, he had appeared inches from my face, his hands settled firmly upon my shoulders.

“What the…” As I spoke, Dakeris spun me around towards the village.

“Your first lesson is there.” His voice was low and threatening. “The safe, secure little hamlet of Redstyre. A place of joy and happiness that knows not the horrors of war. Take a good, hard look at the little town and tell me what you see, little brother.”

Each word of his sent a cold chill down my back. I couldn’t help but feel that if I didn’t do exactly as he said, he…well he wouldn’t kill me…but he wouldn’t exactly be pleased. ‘Couldn’t Theraius have sent me someone other than this creep?’ Regardless, Theraius must have trusted Dakeris, so I did as I was told and squinted towards the village.

“Not like that you fool.” Dakeris sighed. “Use your spirit to enhance your vision.”

“And just how am I supposed to do that?” I shot back. “I’m new to all this remember.” The light chuckle that he uttered only served to make my skin crawl even more.

“You’ve got fire in you. Good. You’ll need that. The truth is though, you already know how. When you bonded to that meager weapon you learned how to channel your spirit. Simply do the same to your eyes.”

“Alright…” I murmured as I began to focus. Within moments, I could feel my spirit being pulled up from within me towards my eyes. The moment my spirit touched my eyes, I gasped. Where once I had to squint to see the smoke beyond the village palisade, now I could clearly see.

And it was not chimney smoke. Thick clouds rolled up into the air within the small town as flames rose above the wooden wall. Just as quickly as my eyes were enhanced did they dissipate, and my vision returned to normal.

“They’re in trouble! We better hurry!” I called out to Dakeris only to receive no response. “Dakeris?” I turned my head and spun around looking for any sign of the weirdo, only to find that he was gone. “What the hell…when did he disappear?” chastising myself, I shook my head and started sprinting towards the village of Redstyre. ‘If this is his way of testing me, I swear I’ll sock him right in the mouth when I find him again.’ I vowed, suddenly feeling weak and stumbling to the cold, hard ground below.

“Ah…fuck.” I grumbled to myself as I pulled myself to my feet and grasped my fallen crossbow. “What the hell was that?” I took a deep breath and shook myself back into action and raced towards the burning village. ‘Forget it, I’ll find out later. I’ve got a job to do first.’

———————

Dakeris chuckled as he watched the young-blood race towards the doomed village far in the distance from atop the tallest tree in the nearby forest. Many miles from where had previous stood behind the young Ascended. ‘Ah, to think that even I at one point were so fresh and innocent.’ His chuckle quickly ascended to full on laughter as the Randall stumbled, fell to the ground, pick himself back up, and returned to racing towards Redstyre. “How interesting…he must have made his first Oath. Though I wonder what he could have sworn to…” Dakeris shook his head in amusement, “Oh well, the plan is already set in motion. Theraius should have known better than to send a rookie to stop us.”

Dakeris then closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them once more. Gone were the silver eyes he had formed to fool the young Ascended. What remained was complete, inky blackness. “These lands will soon come under the sway of Decay. Run little hero, run! Save them if you can!” Dakeris’ mocking laughter filled the forest, sending waves of birds scattering in every direction.