[Excerpt from a children story]

The Blaze follows under his feet, where the abomination treads fire. Some say that an inferno lays under his flesh, a furnace burning with the souls of those that have decided to cross his path. The blood scorched lands laid waste, beautiful worlds once picturesque now, reduced to paving stones. May the Arkanist’s reign be fruitful, the blessing of his hand’s judgment flow as an aquafer of living water under foot. Fresh honey combs dripping from lips dyed by candied fruits. Air fragranced by the flames of enemies’ strongholds. Long reign The Arkanist.

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Elliot looked over the land it was a beautiful place and he was surprised that such a place could really be classified as a dragon-tier planet.

“Linea,” Elliot spoke with her on a walk through one of floating forests, “I have yet to see any dangers of this place”

“That’s because the horrible beasts and monsters of Dragon One only come out when the moon is out.”

“Is it on a long cycle I just assumed there wasn’t one, is small?” Elliot asked.

“It’s not like that the moon is odd here, it’s either New or Full, and in this sanguine sky, it’s a blood moon every time”

“Must be a pretty ugly moon if the animals just get mad at its face?”

“Not animals at all, Dragon One is the brood mother of Monsters. They’re not animals their hibernations under the land allow for their appetites to sour. So, when the moon comes back, they are all in a frenzy. Everything attacks everything.” Linea shuddered at the thought, “We have a 30% survival rate every moon. These beasts come out of the ground are ruthless and have chosen destruction. Its what allows the plants vegetation to thrive, they all drink the enriched blood.”

“How can we prepare then, We have powers. There must be something we can do?” Elliot asked feeling hopeless to the answer.

“Elliot we run, hide, and bit when cornered” Linea looked at him sternly, “Dragon One is not a game this mother of demons rewards the strong. We are like the vegataion under foot, not even good enough for the monster to make prey of”

“Doesn’t like make running easier if they don’t want to eat us” Elliot felt something rise in his chest. A smile across his mouth.

“Elliot, they play with us like a Cat does a mouse and then they squash us after they finish.”

By thus point they had finally returned to there home, on the mountain. It looked like a Cottage village. Rows of cobble stone, raw timber, and plaster homes, they sat neatly stacked along the mountain ridge. These beautiful handmade homes were a necessary novelty needed here. The trees so strong, and the stone like diamonds, they needed to be stacked into walls and streets. No modern Human manufacturing could be used to fabricate these stones into much. It took someone with Telekinetic abilities and superstrength just to move some of the stone. Those crafted buildings survived the blood moons, the family inside not always.

As Elliot and Linea enter one of the steeply sloped teal rooved of the terraced cottage they looked out through the window. Something in there heart stirred it was beautiful. The scene. The moon as it turned from small red star like pin prick in the sky in to a larger than life moon that covered over the planet. They watched others did for their terraced before the rhymical smalling of windows was heard. As people boarded up their homes. Elliot and Linea stayed watching over the town. Noticing the town as it closed. They then also noticed they were not alone, that someone was watching moon come into view just like them two children. They sat on a boulder near the edge of town, moving their feet in rhythm with each other. Elliot’s heart dropped. Linea had told him a multitude of horrific scene of bloodshed that have occurred over time in this small hamlet. Never had it involved children, AS he looked up Linea notice as well.

“Caesar is the fastest but he’s in the church with the other children.” Linea shook with her words lying heavy on her heart. A veil of dread covering over her eyes. She looked over them her heart consigned to what she believed to inevitable. She looked to Elliot share her impeding dread, and he wasn there.

Elliot was moving quickly, not as fast as Ceasar. He had yet to figure out what his abilities were, but he knew his body was more capable than the most powerful athlete. Screech fill the air. In the steeple a young girl sat near a microphone. Her hair turned pale white and he eyes sunk into her skull as she screamed. A black mist releasing from her eyes. She is the Pastors Daughter they call her the Caller. Her ability the most useful and dreadful one in the town. Before someone died, her screamed and everyone in a 5-mile radius felt it in their heart. Everyone in the village heart fell as a black mist made their heart heavier. They listened, only one screech was heard. A solemn but still better than usual. Before Elliot could arrive at the two children. He saw as one of the mountain ponds erupted, its water now bubbling with thick blood as a demon was released from Sheol under Dragon One crust. The being was producing a redmist, that dripped from it, its horned deep red, a crimson falling from its talon’s corrosive on the rocks. His head was adorned with an antler that reach forward weaving together into a crown. Its skin was crimson spines reaching from its back. The being was something that elicited fear, hooves leaving bloody pools in its wake. It was moments before it was in from of the two children. It jaw opening wide like a snake. The mist coalesced at the children’s feet. They stared up at the being silent.

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“Run!” Elliot screamed till it throat was raw, He could not hear his own voice. He was surrounded in a silence that dug into his flesh, a darkness that built behind his ears, puling at his shoulders, collapsing his chest. He stared at this being, and it rose its hollow void like eyes to Elliot, it smiled. Suddenly the distance between them felt negligible, there was nowhere Elliot could hide from this demon. The demons stared at him, its wry twisted grin, carving its place into Elliot heart.

“You’e WeAak oNe bUt you have pOtential” The voice spoke in his mind, “nOw choOse…” the thing gestured to the children that sat frozen in front of its gaping maw. Elliot ran quickly, as he lifted one dense diamond stones underfoot, throwing it at the demon. It soared and a whistled through the air, behind it there was a level of force similar to the level of force behind bullet. It stuck the crown antlered Demon and shattered. Its Hollow eye continued to stare. Elliot did not stop his pursuit. He slings shotted another diamond stone this one smoothed by the steam, into the head of the antlered demon. It struck true on the middle of the forehead. It did not shatter it just slumped to the ground.

“StiLl weAk” the demon looks at him unmoving. Elliot did not stop moving, He could have been seen as fearless or reckless. But many would say reckless. He refused to give up, making it to the children. Elliot rose a fist to punch the demon, lifting a fist to the leg, and striking the lanky demon’s shank. Laying in a kick to the outside facing side of knee. There was an audible pop and crack. Elliot continued punching again and kick, planting all manner of extremities and appendages on the demon. As his hit landed that sound of strong snaps continued to fill the air. The demon struck a hoof into Elliot’s jaw, as he clattered to the ground like bricks. His body limp and with a headache. Elliot spit on the demon’s foot, crawling towards him. Beside Elliot now were the two children, that he had made it to. He could not let them be separated. He looked up at the demon and two children. The children’s faces were hollow. Devoid of eyes, and mouth, shadowy pits of void leaking the same red mist. There mouth tore open to reveal a toothy grin the same as the demons.

“yOU mUsT GRooW”, The Demon-like beast said, “For the sake of Circe”, a voice from on of the child states, ”Youuu musssst Livveee”, a serpentine tongue emerging from the other child-like monster. Elliot laid on the ground many of his bones broken from each attempt to strike the beast.

“What are you,” Elliot spoke feeling dumb

“Thinngssss are not assss they seeem” one spoke, “But you have courage, and would sacrifice you self for those you don’t know”, “wE ThReE fiND SuCH a ThINg NoBLe.” An eye appeared before them It looked at Elliot and suddenly a white flash appeared from them as the eye floated in air. For a second three beautiful woman draped in white satin silk stood around him. The three spoke in a unified harmony of song. “ Young child you have had no catalyst to begin your growth. Taoisiobhan Arkani, will you actions continue to hold grace.”

“I will sin but I will seek redemption in The Elder’s spring of life. ” Elliot responded falling to his knees.

“We weirding sisters shall be the ones to catalyze you arkanist, do you accept our trade. ” they sang

“Yes” Elliot responding without knowing what they meant. This was a smart choice and sometimes gut decision can be bad. He had learned though that sometimes that can be the best way to go about things like this. Deal with the negative things later as to solidify an opportunity now, not allowing for a fate to be solidified by excess thought and to maximize possible freedom of choice later. It was backwards thinking that was required in a world that knew more than you. Elliot had learned from his sister Talia that people will always be better than you so when you were given a hand grab it. Pull them down, into a lock, or let them help you out, but an outstretched hand was never a proof of something, it was always a possibility of something. I made him a bit of a yes man, but he always it easier to know his option and wait for the place to speak. So, he can learn the most in his final choice.

“Please provide us with your genetic information.” The Weirding Sisters spoke in sync, “A drop of blood works fine.”

“How does this help you” Elliot pondered.

“Magikal creatures need genetic variability, by you giving us your genome it acts as a currency for us to develop ourselves. We also sense that your genome is rich with a deep complexity and oddity that we think maybe nice” the three white robed women stared through their shared eyes. Their skin held a pearlescent sheen, it glowed and gave off an effervescent quality. The middle one of them holding the eye was taller and was covered in gold wings all over her.

Elliot pricked his finger and a golden light enveloped the blood that the Weirding Sisters then rich out too as they’re holy light enveloped the blood as it evaporated before their light. The middle one then pulled a scroll from their robes and they floated it over to him. The scroll seemed to have a title bar written on it that said “Weirding Talents”.

“These are the ‘Weirding talents’ it is little we can do for a fallen sister’s son, live well Taoisiobhan Arkani fruit of the pythoness womb.” Just as quickly as they started, they were gone. Not before their forms shifted leaving the image of wheels, and wings in his mind. Terror ran through his veins from the pressure they emanated, in those fast moments. The visage of the Weirding sisters combining into one horrific being of holy light and animals, wheels around them, and wings covering over them. As it all dissipated the scene around Elliot was blank.

All trace of blood was gone the pond was empty and the land of which Elliot was the epicenter had been standing on seemed to have been completely cleared.

Elliot looked out over the fields again and noticed actual monster escaping from the Sheol of Dragon One.