The current screamed as all life pulled and tossed against the snapping jaws dragging it all down, down into the deep.
Ki’ir could feel the deep pulling her towards its center, she didn't need the extra speed yet forced herself forward faster and faster. Hoping all this was just some terrible dream or illusion. If it was it had yet to relinquish its nightmarish hold on Ki’ir. Her thoughts slipped away like the tide as she heard another faint scream from somewhere in the deep. Leaving behind what she was sure where her remaining students being picked off one by one, but she couldn't stop to save them not if the great current itself was under threat she needed to save IT first.
In the realm of the corporeal three more students burst like over juiced grapes, their organs and blood tainting the pool further. For many still locked in fear watching the horror unfold, were overcome by a sudden instinctual fear. A few were able to react, but many their senoery organs overwhelmed just collapsed. Those with their wits still, they erected barriers to ward off the oncoming predator just like their ancestors did. Just in time as the pool ignited in cobalt blue flames before arcing streaks of blackened lightning overshot and struck, most seemed to seek and hunt the living striking the unconscious of the students first gearing their forms apart with such force even nuclear fission wasn't an apt enough description. Those with wards fought some still fell succumbing to the onslaught of foreign powers, before the lightning streaked off past the students into the awaiting darkened halls of the temple.
The orator heard screams coming from behind him from the direction of the reflection pool, whatever mischief this one wayward child had caused clearly had taken effect. He was sure the temple guards would have it handled in moments, but the screaming didnt stop. Finally relenting to his curiosity he turned raising his ire and his voice starting “whomever can’t handle a mere childs prank will do the temples….” he trailed off seeing the horror descending upon him. The waves of crashing dark energy leeching their way from the reflection pools spilled out like a bad smell into the collected congregation. The darkness seeking the attention and presence of all those gathered. A few more sensitive noticed and moved away, those that failed to however the black tendrils wrapped and smother up along their forms squeezing without squeezing. Tearing into those that failed to recognize the danger, into small oozing piles of what they were before. “Shield!” shouted some noble, and the orator and remaining company did just that erecting a barrier that even the great current would find difficult to penetrate. The crackling bolts of strange energy raked against the warded highborn but could not cross. Looking at those unlucky enough to be outside the wards the bodies ichor began to swirl and meld forming on top of itself like some grotesque eruption of flesh.
The deep was singing the darkness that pooled around the edges of her perspective almost hummed giving a sinsync beat to run along the background. She couldn't make out any words or any intention but it all felt so familiar. This alien feeling of comfort descended across her entire psyche. She maintained her speed, keeping pace not to go in to quickly but something pulled at her, asking her to rest, to submit. She felt a sense of dread, of wrath, asnd of hatred fuel her resistance, pushing back, the presence undaunted only doubled its efforts, yet she resisted the current needed her, and she would not fail so easily. Refocusing her mind she plunged again. It took a steady concise effort but in time she felt herself reaching the core of this mystery. The darkness seemed to part like weeds hugging the bed of the sea floor ahead finally she sensed them the primordial forces of sentience. Again just like this perversive darkness something was off. Unlike there normal welcoming guiding presence this was instead akin to a warning.
She finally made it having to shield her cognition from the blinding presences in front of her, she called out “oh masters of thought, creators of matter, what has happened to this most holy place”
Ki’ir was expecting a voice instead a crushing force descended on her striking her mind form hard, and pushing her down. It struck with such force she was sure her physical form had just perished. Yet it did not relent. Finally forcing herself to gaze upon her assailant she was dumbfounded; the aspects of the current were bound in crimson chains along a mass of coral. Their flayed and desiccated forms oozing blacked ichor into the waters of life around them, looking closer Ki’ir could make out movement along the coral.
No not along it the coral itself was moving, pulling, consuming the great aspects tearing at their very being. The things that composed the coral looked vaguely life like, with stark horror Ki’ir realized it was souls….tens of billions of souls crushed and forced to be this crucifix of unimaginable purpose. Ki’ir screamed in horror, in rage, in desperation at the sight. It only lasted a moment, but as she let loose her final desperate act a voice penetrated her mind like a bolt of lightning.
“GOOD, FIGHT, ITS YOUR ONLY OPTION NOW!”
The Orator stared at the now congealed forms of his listeners as they twisted and squirmed underneath an invisible force. Their Djikits echoed violent screams of pain off of the towering ceiling and deep crevaced walls. There was something else a pusling presence hanging just past what the gathered worshipers could see, and it was slowly descending towards them. The student screamed and begged to be let go from the grip of the guard but the Orator raised his voice over the din of the collective chaos “stand firm in faith, we are first amongst the sentients chosen by the great current, this is nothing more than palor tricks to tempt those weak in faith.” while his words were meant to rally he could see the uncertainty on many faces around him, turning back to the guard that had the fool girl pinned he said “make sure she doesnt get away she will answer for this heresy later.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
O'ra was cursing her luck, now being blamed for this horror, even as the brute onto of her pinned her with all his might she could tell he was distracted, she was going to survive, its what she did, she just needed her moment to do so.
In the reflection pools those few remaining students all felt a sudden shift, a primal nightmarish force, descend upon the room, as it did the fire slowly dimmed before being extinguished and those who remained conscious swore they heard screams and moans of pain. The students watched in horror as Ki’irs still unconscious body floated upward out of the reflection pool. Drifting like it was carried by an unseen current. Lifted aloft she began to glow and hum, a few students turned to flee, they only made it a few feet before Ki’ir’s gaze fell upon them and a wave of pulsing electricity tore them apart at the atomic level. Their screams lasted past their bodies dusted broken selves. The floating unconscious form of Ki’ir floated forward towards the few remaining unsuspecting students. A voice rang out through Ki’ir “GOOD, FIGHT, ITS YOUR ONLY OPTION NOW!” as this alien presence made itself known through Ki’irs now lifeless body her glowing form dimming slightly as she spoke.
The few that remained to witness were caught off guard as Ki’ir’s now biolumincent tendrils reached out and struck into each of the gathered students. It cut through their wards and flesh leaving growing burns spreading across their Qwoo before tearing them organ and tentacle away being pulled into an ever whirling storm of her psionic power. Guided by an unseen force from the deep the body turned and descended down the tower towards the gathered groups below. “COME CHILDREN, AND BEAR WITNESS. THE AGE TURNS AND MY REBIRTH IS ALMOST UPON US”
The orator couldn't or wouldn't believe what he was seeing, the energy that was killing his congregation was now turning everything around the temple to rot and decay. Metals were rusting and sheering, cloth molded and broke. Any woods or bones decomposed rapidly. Replaced by growing coral that then too also decayed. Yet there was an order to this a cycle of growth and combination only to be followed by rapid decomposition. It looked almost natural, but the Orators senses would not be fooled by such blasphemy. Whatever this heinous abomination taking place in front of his congregation it was anything but natural
Ki’ir turned slowly like her weight had increased ten thousand fold under a gravity shift, gazing directly at the source of the voice. A whirling disembodied mass of blood, organs, and eyes. All moving in rough unison, but speaking as one. She knew she was dead, but she may still be able to save the current turning and attempting to dash towards the chained aspects. Her form took off speeding ahead making it closer and closer to the chains. Her momentum carried her forward bringing her close to the chains if only she could just reach them.
Her mind was alrfeady fading, she knew she had died, but even so in this state it took her a moment to realize she wasnt moving towards the chains anymore. She was drifting backwards to the ooze like being behind her. NO she thought and gathered her strength and propelled herself forward again, and again she felt herself pulled back even quicker now “COME CHILDREN, AND BEAR WITNESS. THE AGE TURNS AND MY REBIRTH IS ALMOST UPON US”
She turns looking back at the oozing horror now dominating her view. “What are you?!?” she shouts as the jaws of the monster open wide”
The rapid cycle of life and death playing out in front of the congregation suddenly stops. The orator looks on in horror as it parts for a floating meat grinder approaches. A floating entangled mass of organs and tentacles warped and twisted around a floating form a attendant, staring at this form the Orator realised it was the beloved daughter Ki’ir. Her form moved and twisted towards the now gathered remaining congregation. And a voice rang out shaking the spires, and causing hateful cracks to form along the already decaying construction.
“I AM NOT SALVATION, I AM NOT PEACE.”
“I WAS THE ELDEST OF THE ASPECTS, YOUNGEST OF THE DARK BROOD”
“I WAS STRUGGLE AND BALANCE.”
“NOW I AM WAR, AND CONQUEST, MY SIBLINGS SENT ME, BORE ME, RETURNED ME, FOR A SINGLE PERFECT TASK”
The orator his voice quivering as waves of power crashed over him and his congregation like the pressure of the deep seas. “What task”
“EXTINCTION” and with that the room lit with blackened bolts of lightning and blue fire.
The guard pinning the young O’ra to the ground was vaporized in an instant popping with a sickening burst. Lightning continued to smash against the walls and floors, but O’ra knew she only had one chance. She pushed with all her might tearing a number of her tentacles off in the process but flying through the awaiting arched doorway, leading to the temples exterior. As she did a bolt struck the top of the archway causing it to crash down behind her. She started laughing even as her form was flying off into the air, she was so grateful to be alive she couldn't stop herself from striking the ground head first, and her world went black. Her last thought before the darkness took her was how good it was to be alive.