Still struggling with all the revelations, he wandered through the streets of Joqqal.

The authorities had warned foreigners to stay indoors, as conditions had become too volatile for them to ensure their safety.

But Paul didn’t care. He had bigger problems.

A mother who claimed to be a goddess and a father who was... what, exactly? An immortal alien?

To further complicate matters, said mother had made outrageous claims about said father. And while he didn’t want to believe her, it would explain a lot of things.

Like why she had wanted him killed upon his birth—an evil reminder of the corruption she had been subjected to.

Like why she had rejected him—when what she had truly wanted to reject was the memory of that stain on her past, of the infamies she had endured under that creature’s yoke.

Like why his father had never come looking for him. Heck, he had not even recognized him, had he?

Granted, he had never seen him as an adult, but his connection to the mask should have made him understand this was his long-lost son... Maybe he had realized it but chose to ignore it. Or to just use it to his advantage. To manipulate him.

Into doing what, though?

Giving him information about the mask. How he’d taken it, and where it was. Not that he’d been of much help in that department.

And what of this story about the three renegades?

Had that been made up?

The function of the mask... was that real?

He didn’t know what to believe anymore.

All of it just seemed so fantastical to him.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

As those thoughts crept through his mind, he felt something else. A familiar warmth mounted inside him. There was pain, too. He did not feel it as much as sense it. There was a pattern to the energies that suddenly flowed through him... a pattern he recognized from the two times he had been close to the mask. It was awake. It was suffering.

And then, it was over.

He realized he had stopped walking and was sweating profusely.

People stared at him as they walked by. Some with curiosity, others with anger.

He wiped his forehead and started moving again.

What did it mean?

***

When it began to rain, no one gave it a second thought. It was, after all, a fairly mundane thing. As the day went on, some wondered about the duration of the downpour. When it started to fall harder and still had not relented by nightfall, many worried.

The following day, still it rained. Dark skies had gathered in the sky, blocking the rays of the sun.

Scientists warned a large tornado was nearing the shore.

While this, in itself, was worrisome, it also appeased many minds, as they thought it explained the constant rain they’d had.

There were slight tremors in the evening.

And then, all the TriVid screens on the entire planet went dark.

Though only for a few seconds.

When the image returned, it showed three figures standing at the top of a mountain.

They spread their arms and stared straight into the eyes of the people.

And then, they spoke.

“People of Qojja! I am Xhoras.”

“And I, Udrak.”

“And I, Verlhynn.”

“We have come to rain upon you the judgment of the One True God,” said Xhoras, “whose name cannot be spoken.”

“For to speak it would be blasphemy,” said Udrak.

“To even know it would be blasphemy,” said Verlhynn.

“His judgment is just. His judgment is wise. His judgement is merciless. For this world is an abomination in His eyes. As are the people who inhabit it. And thus, in His great mercy, He has granted you all His greatest of gifts. The gift of eternal sleep.”

Then, together, all three voices rang out as one:

“Despair, people of Qojja! For your end is nigh.”

The transmission ended as abruptly as it had started.

At that very instant, the tornado—which was due to land in eight hours—suddenly hit the city and blasted all the structures it met on its way.

Lightning streaked the sky as a gigantic ship appeared out of nowhere. Colors twirled on its deep black surface. A bright light shone around it as energies pulsed from within, dispersing the winds, and forcing the storm to turn away.

Panicked crowds ran in every direction, screaming and crying as they tried to find shelter.

Few noticed the ship or the effect it had.

Because, while it had turned the storm away, it could not stop the rain, the thunder, or the darkness.

Because, while it seemed like a localized event to those in the streets below, the renegades had in reality triggered a chain reaction that affected the entire planet.

It was too much to handle for the one lone Rissl who sat inside the ship.