Against the will of almost everyone, I travelled alone to where I had killed my first Talos pantheon god. I could see their reasoning as to why I shouldn’t have gone alone since Numena currently was fully realised through maps or charted out for the most part, but I had to do this alone. This entire continent is riddled with danger but at least the monsters are docile.
These letters weren’t addressed to me directly but what was written in blood was addressed to my blood. Thinking on it, someone knew that I would find the blood inscription. Clutching a map in my hand I pressed forward climbing rocks onto a pathway carved into the slate-jagged steps of the black mountains. It didn’t take me long to find a direct path towards the place I imagined I’d need to go. Thankfully being on this path I’m shielded from the constant rainfall and snow of the black mountains.
The more I travelled along this path, I found it to become more treacherous as I had to jump over large holes and even traverse around tight corners, but that didn’t compare to the most difficult part being the silent falling rock. One thing I had learnt from my time here was that the falling rocks couldn’t be heard as the rain and snow never stopped. All of this was caused because of my fight with the Mad Talos pantheon god of seasons. It was a petty disagreement that led to their death which could have been avoided. Removing myself from the entire subject in my head I progressed forward mere metres away from a circular cave entrance.
The entrance was anything but special just a large stone door covered in old runes, far older than what’s dated in Rold’s notebook. It must be from the era before Rayenfur’s empire or even Talos’s reign. This came before all that, placing my hand on the door. Feeling the memories of every person who had tried to enter this place trying their hardest to open the doors to no success. Taking Rold’s advice to chance I held out my right hand before the runic circular doorway with my tanto in the other. Slashing my tanto across my flesh hand just deep enough to tear it open so it could bleed my golden blood, with tints of black.
Taking in the pain I placed it against the runic door inlaid with symbols for older than mana runes or eldritch runes. Golden blood began to flow down from the centre of the large door towards the ground where a small channel was carved out. This small channel seemed to go inside underneath the door. After my golden blood flowed under the door it seemed to open a lock, that allowed the doors to move inwardly through age and broken seer magic that was similar to dwarven sorcery. Having enough room to move in, I proceeded to enter the hidden world.
Walking through the door I was greeted with a sudden splash of intense light from bioluminescent plants along with floating yellow fish. Taking a look around I took in the living stable frozen out of time biosphere, moreover, you could actually call it a dream world opposite to nightmare-heart. Taking it all in, I reached up to the hollow yellow fish that took the form of a Nihon Koi carp. ‘I’m smiling.’ Seeing my reflection through the Koi carp, as my metal fingers touched the koi carp it changed from that to a large butterfly. Its new form rested on my metallic index finger. Looking towards the artificial sky above I saw a variety of animals from fish to birds of prey.
I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing all that I could through my vision. A world at peace undisturbed by humanoids for so long protected by a poem that only surfaces once in a while. After a while of me looking at the sky the butterfly once a Koi carp shifted forms once again to that of a semi-translucent green snake-like dragon technically not a wyrm because this snake dragon form had four legs. This appearance seemed to take on the overall looks of an ancient dragon, one of four.
Though there were the daughters of Vritra Akron, Aries, Quinn, reclaimer and Skuldlach this form however came from the eastern tang kingdom of dragons who rarely used their dragon forms unless the need had arisen. From what I knew of this particular sub-race of dragons could use both forms willingly after their leader Skuldlach taught the four original tang dragons, who then passed it on to the tang dragon people. The dragon form before me was a representation of the first tang dragon, seo-han. she was the first to achieve a dragon form and one of the strongest even going so far as to manipulate that form to change colours and so forth.
Reverberated sounds of thunder followed by flashes of lightning covered the entirety of the biosphere. The world inside the cavern grew even bigger and my vision became clearer, I saw an entire city created from the slate texture of the black mountains, this entire cavern stretched on for kilometres. The city matched what I expected to be an eastern colony for dragon folk, but something wasn’t quite the same. Maybe it was the sudden appearance of a statue, a maiden with her eyes covered wearing Eastern clothing holding a spear lance or glaive. Maybe it was the biosphere I had seen before the lightning now stretched until my vision made things blur out as well.
At the very edge of this expansive city was a humongous pyramid carved entirely out of Numen ironstone. Large steps started from the man-made canals towards the very top where a glint of golden light peaked as if it was a sun. Looking back at the statue which mirrored another statue opposite to it with a fair few miles apart, they both pointed towards the golden light at the tip of the pyramid. Staring at each statue in turn I noticed their appearances were quite similar yet so different, both wearing similar clothing. Both held weapons different from one ‘nother, one statue held a glaive or spear lance as I thought before, the other held a longsword with two wraith-like rapiers on her back.
The opposite statue didn’t have her eyes covered. A happy expression was on her face whereas the blindfolded statue had a saddened expression whilst crying with two lines going down her face and stopping on her chest. The clothing are worn differently each person, the opposite statue wore the clothing in a very classical with less skin showing while the other showed more skin, especially above the waist. One thing that really caught my eye was the symbols below their statues. The blindfolded one had a phoenix dragon on its pedestal with the other statue having a Nemean lion, today that would be called the golden lion.
These were the symbols of three beings who came before the mother and father of all. The mother of existence and her two sisters, the mother of none-existence and the mother of the between or nothingness. Jumping off the path I was on, it was evident that the mother of the between doesn’t have a statue seen as it was nowhere to be seen. Not even her symbol was present anywhere, not on banners or buildings not even on stone. Continuing forward I made my way towards the pyramid that grew bigger with every step. My mind’s eye took everything in as if I was born here in a former life.
This didn’t seem that far out of whack as I had no recollection of a lot of my lives only hints through the dreams I had not even knowing if they were anything to go off either. Names did stick out to me like Sif and Mylin even Malphent’s name was in there. With all that I couldn’t be sure I was them or if I was a descendant. Rayenfur’s name just turned up, after finding out I’m her descendant could also mean I was her in a former life. Thinking on the subject I stared at the Mother of Existence’s statue who had a remarkable likeness to me as a person aside from the scar across my upper body and the bio-mechanical arm.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Who knows I could be all of the above and not even know anything about it.” Just as I had experienced before in Numena’s capital, visions began to play through my mind into the scene around me. Two girls were running from a figure their faces covered by a thin layer of obscuring smoke. The children seemed to be smiling running along aside one ‘nother with no goal in mind other than to race each other to the bottom of the pyramid. A smile unknowingly graced my lips once again like I was there as this all happened. I could hear the words loud and clear of the children, the people around them even the figure with no face.
Walking beside the figure with no face I watched the memory around me continue like it was a play or reflection being repeated over and over again in place of something else, to shield someone from something. ‘REPENT’. The word sprang into my head and as I turned the memory shifted to the sisters fighting in the street angry at each other for something. I watched as they continued to fight even after being pulled apart, a part of me tugged along and spoke to my inner thoughts. They weren’t related by any means just sisters in a form of sisterhood. Slightly older than before no older than twelve years old.
Just like when discovering I was artura and Marin the memory shifted once again this time just a few months along. Racking my mind around how my mind had these memories I progressed forward seeing the memory shift as well. They still fought as if nothing had happened. It became more violent, punches were involved along with extreme words. Looking down at the wall beside me I saw a small girl no older the ten cower. These memories were through her eyes, the emotions that my heart felt were hers.
After a while, the two girls were separated by the two beings who were immortalized into statues. The little girl followed along but felt as if she was left out, the feeling was stopped by the blindfolded figure whose face was no longer covered, she seemed to care a great deal about the little girl. The memory shifted once again to where the three ‘sisters’ were older, this time I could feel every part of the youngest girl's bitterness and resentment towards her ‘older sisters’. Wanting to make her own way in the world she seemed to leave with no time for looking back.
The perspective changed now on the two remaining ‘sisters. Their attitude suddenly changed to anger at themselves for treating the child so poorly resulting in her leaving. I watched as this memory went on and on, the sisters replayed what they had done in the past. Only to realize that the girl they hurt in the past just wanted to play them and was intrigued by them. I wandered beside the memory of the two sisters who stopped fighting even going their separate ways, both being eventually seduced and manipulated into doing various tasks for the mother of the between, a being who took on the form of a raven or crow. The memories didn’t seem to be that long but served a purpose into me understanding why this place became the way it did.
Eventually when the little girl came back, she was different, onlookers were scared of her mainly projected at the weapon on her back. The glaive that was being held by the child of existence was immortalized as a statue carving. Going back to memory I noticed things that hadn’t been present before such as the golden hue in the girl’s eyes, and the golden tips of her pearl silver hair. She wore battle-worn and dented black steel combined with golden fabric from the waist and some that flowed over her shoulder. The appearance was cold, the helmet she wore was the most concerning.
The helm was in the shape of a humanoid skull. The jaw section of the helm was painted in lively gold whereas the rest was black, a golden plume flowed down her back from atop her helm. Even though this was concerning it was the decorative ornament upon her head that I found more concerning and well worrisome of. ‘That’s my crown?’ I didn’t speak but the thought was there as I looked upon the metal thorns that protruded around the surface of the helm, scaring lookers even the guards alike. The memory showed she had steeled her resolve moving forward with hatred towards something maybe the giant pyramid.
Following this memory I took in the world around me that shifted to more of what I saw when I originally entered. She kept walking towards the pyramid not taking her eyes off it only falling short hearing the footsteps of two girls behind with weapons drawn. It was at this moment I noticed the two sisters, the mother of existence as well as the mother of none-existence were not present. As I couldn’t keep track of all the sisters, I began to call the three ‘sisters’ just the three and the brethren. The youngest of the three turned around back to face her brethren now seduced by the mother of the between who I assumed was now in the pyramid.
For the first time, I heard the youngest of the three speak.
“Look at you two. It saddens me to see what you have become just playthings for that woman who sees you as nothing more than… mere objects all of you. I left hoping you wouldn’t become what you have but I guess in my hubris, it seems that was a miscalculation on my part. I know you want me dead so then let’s try and see who survives.” The youngest spoke with unwavering determination like she had been waiting for this moment, she drew her weapon. The large glaive spear lance now firm in her grip taking a wide stance she took the weapon with both hands.
Something akin to divinity covered the blade with a golden fire, the brethren charged. Releasing a breath, the youngest swung her glaive. The divine fire leapt leaps and bounds, the glaive passing through the brethren as if it was nothing. Through the memory, I had seen that she was ready at this moment to do it over and over again until she had done what she needed to. ‘REPENT’. The word flashed in my mind once again the memory effortlessly shifting once again. Now under a line of cherry trees, the brethren fought their younger sister who began to realize she had been wrong about a lot.
She left instead of explaining why she felt, and how much it hurt her seeing how the two acted with one another. Ultimately, she started to blame herself for what they became. Dropping her weapon to her side plunging it into the ground making the brethren freeze, with a slow expression she closed her eyes raising her hands to remove her helmet. Tears formed on the edge of her eyes, dropping her helm to the ground made the crown section come undo from the rest. She didn’t speak but only moved her mouth to motion what she was thinking. ‘I am sorry.’ She began to believe it was all her fault.
Instead of the brethren attacking her, they embraced her instead seemingly free from the mind control magic that the mother of the between had placed on them. She came to this place to die or that’s what I began to think seeing slowly become induced with madness. It felt like to her it was a necessity to return at least one more time before she dies.
The next moment the youngest was stabbed in the back, not taking another chance she released the full power she had hidden in the crown. However the relief didn’t last long the mother of the between was gone as quickly as she appeared, the youngest began to cough up blood falling to her knees. The memory turned to one filled with sad emotion, the youngest knew because she used her full power in one attack she was bound to die. She took the gamble anyway using it to drive away a single being knowing that’s all she could do to protect those she left behind.
“I guess my time is finally up aye.” Though she was smiling through the memory I could tell from the tugging at my heart, she was sad to give up the life she had. I watched as her life slipped away trying her best to hold it off as long as possible. The memory just like the others faded into nothingness, turning away I moved from where I stood feeling the emotions tug on my heart a lot more than I expected them to, hearing the distorted voice not looking back just forward towards the pyramid. I began to mimic the steps in the memory unbeknownst to me I had somehow awakened a primordial force inside me, and the divine power I gained from the fragment began to stir awake.
The memories kept replaying in the back of my mind, it wasn’t my life from what I could tell but one akin to a life I had. Somewhere in the back of my mind a name kept repeating in my head, I couldn’t speak it like it wasn’t familiar nay I couldn’t remember it. All I could remember it started with ‘Y’. The memories of the being with the name starting with a Y continued, the name was only called by one person the mother of existence who I suspected returned to this place after her sister was driven out.
Before the giant pyramid an intense feeling of pride washed over me, summoning red death to my hand. ‘Nother memory began to play of two beings, one was of youngest and the second being was the mother of none-existence who two steps above the youngest who sat on the bottom step. They began to talk about many things that concerned each other yet they both knew they didn’t have long left in this city, once a bustling metropolis soon would become a war zone no more than fifteen years in the future. The youngest told her auntie so to speak that she was caused to live a life of certain years due to being genetically engineered.
My heart froze over due to her words whilst also seeing the youngest face, unlike my past lives and who I was suspected to be, the youngest looked identical to me minus the hair, which was white and gold not my black, which I soon found out was a cover for her actual hair colour. Her eyes radiated gold just like mine, everything about her was the same as mine even her hair. Her natural hair colour was black.